Christopher Hughes
Research expert covering Australia and New Zealand
News in Australia - statistics & facts
News media in Australia broadly follows global trends; paid consumption is generally very low, more and more people are resorting to social media as a primary news source, and traditional news sources such as newspapers and television news are seeing a noticeable decline.
Despite this trend, traditional news sources retain a substantial reach. ABC News, which broadcasts on television and radio, had a reach of around 40 percent, and Channel 7 and Channel 9 News reached 32 and 36 percent of consumers respectively.
Consumption and trust in the news
Less than ten percent of Australians pay to access news every day, whereas nearly 70 percent say they never pay. In the Asia-Pacific region, trust in the news ranks third across the region, with just over 40 percent of Australians saying they trust the news most of the time, compared to around half in Thailand. Although traditional TV news broadcasts are the primary source for news in Australia, there is a notable shift when examining primary news sources by age group; more consumers from Generation Z say they trust social media for news above every other source.The shift towards online news and the demise of print media
Despite the trend towards online and digital sources for news consumption, adoption of paid sources remains comparatively very low at between ten and 20 percent, depending on the age group of the consumer. The trend towards digital news media continues apace; the printed edition of The Sydney Morning Herald attracts around two million readers, but the online edition has over 7.5 million readers.Despite this trend, traditional news sources retain a substantial reach. ABC News, which broadcasts on television and radio, had a reach of around 40 percent, and Channel 7 and Channel 9 News reached 32 and 36 percent of consumers respectively.
