JEREMY MAGGS: Small papers blossoming
Sales figures for the larger publications in SA have begun to drop as audience migration to digital platforms increases. Could the growth of niche titles be an indication of the way to go?
The long-term outlook for SA’s newspaper sector points to targeted opportunity that is buried in a worsening climate. That blunt assessment is contained the latest "Entertainment & Media Outlook: 2017-2021", compiled by consultancy PwC. Project leader Vicki Myburgh says, however, that the sector is a difficult one to predict, as the market showed growth in 2013, declined in 2014, and in 2015 contracted at a slower rate. Myburgh says larger titles, which make up the bulk of the industry, have begun to feel the commercial impact of audience migration to digital platforms, and that this will become even more pronounced. The report says that on top of declining circulation and revenue — a global trend — SA’s economic situation makes matters worse: "If politicians cannot restore confidence and economic growth quickly, publishers will continue to experience an exit of advertisers to alternative platforms. "The lesson from other markets is that adspend lost to big online platforms rarely, ...
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