Stuff dominates across digital and print

AUCKLAND, Today: Nielsen CMI Readership results released today show Stuff holds the number one audience position across New Zealand’s digital and print products. The Stuff Group reaches 3.377M Kiwis every month, the largest media audience in the country. The portfolio includes flagships such as stuff.co.nz, The Post, The Press and Neighbourly.

Stuff Masthead Publishing Managing Director Joanna Norris says, the growth of new digital subscription sites for its mastheads The Post, The Press and the Waikato Times has significantly increased their readership reach, just 11 months since their launch. Combined, the masthead digital network now has an audience which puts it in the top five news platforms in the country.

“Our strong political and business journalism in The Post and unparalleled local connections in the growth areas of Waikato and Canterbury are driving excellent uptake of our new digital masthead subscriptions while retaining a core readership of our print products in those markets,” she says.

“The Post’s print readership of 403,000* grows to an unduplicated 808,000** when combined with its digital masthead. Similarly The Press readership increases from 315,000 to 639,000 across print and digital. Stuff’s total news audience in the Waikato across the print and digital masthead, stuff.co.nz and community newspapers is 16% higher than other news groups in the region.

“We are committed to delivering the best journalism in the formats that work for our varying audiences’ lifestyles, whether that be a newspaper to your home or a digital masthead on your phone,” says Joanna.

“The growth of new digital subscription sites for its mastheads The Post, The Press and the Waikato Times has significantly increased their readership reach, just 11 months since their launch.”

The Sunday newspaper market also showed some gains – Sunday News up 11.25% over the previous year’s quarter and up almost 4.8% over the previous quarter. While the Sunday Star-Times was -3.9% from the previous quarter, together with Sunday News it has a combined readership of 297,000. Across a month, more Kiwis read a Stuff Sunday newspaper than any other Sunday masthead.

Lifestyle magazines have also seen growth in today’s results, even as the cost of living bites into household budgets. Stuff’s stable of magazines including NZ House & Garden and TV Guide posted readership increases – TV Guide’s large readership of 353,000 Kiwis was 4% up on the previous quarter and NZ House & Garden’s readership of 372,000 was 2.6% up.

Joanna says affordable pleasures are important in a tight economy and magazines provide hours of escape and relaxation – they are also passed on to friends, family and neighbours.

“Our commercial partners know too that it is an environment where a highly engaged readership is looking for inspiration and when times are tough, our homes in particular become places of sanctuary.”

Overall, today’s results show that Stuff print products reach almost 2.5M Kiwis across Aotearoa with 1.2M exclusively reading a Stuff newspaper only. That number one in print ranking is complemented by stuff.co.nz retaining the country’s largest digital news audience with 2.339 million monthly unique audience*. Stuff is the daily go-to for Kiwis seeking news and views across the motu.

*Nielsen Online Ratings January 2024.
** Nielsen CMI Q1 23- Q4 23 Jan 24 Fused