Digital copies rise, total copies fall. The Italian daily publishing landscape ends 2014 with lots of lows, and with the perception that «2.0» copies are growing and growing.
In absolute terms, based on figures released in the Ads monthly survey, total circulation of Italian newspapers (print+digital copies) in December 2014 stood at just over 4 million. Compared to November, the drop was 4%, while YoY, it was even greater (-7%), with over 292 thousand copies lost among those circulated on average every day, including subscriptions. Concurrently, digital copies were up by 3% on a monthly basis, and by 25% YoY. Which means 537,775 «2.0» copies, or 13% of total daily circulation.
Generally speaking, some positive signs are starting to show, since digital copies have risen in a year from 10% to 13% of total circulation. Signs of growth definitely, but there is still much room for improvement. This is certainly a crucial challenge for publishers, against a backdrop where the advertising market in 2014 gave no signs of recovery at all. And the latest Nielsen surveys are telling: -9.7% advertising investments in newspapers in 2014, falling to €810.5 million. Internet advertising sales, including the share that Nielsen can only measure (excluding data from Google, Facebook and Twitter), amounted to €1.9 billion in 2014. The three Internet giants (Google and Facebook in particular) contributed €1.4 billion to that figure.
There is every evidence to suggest that increasing focus should be placed on the payment of publishing products. «2.0» copies seem to fit perfectly in this need, although much higher figures need to be achieved to see tangible results in the income statement. All the more so since publishers agree that digital copies that qualify as certified can be sold with a discount of up to 70% on the cover price if single or multiple copies (to large customers) or up to 50% if sold in both the print+digital versions.
Figures remain generally low, nevertheless the major publishing groups are pushing on this vehicle of circulation. On this front, Il Sole 24 Ore has outstripped competition, with 201,022 average digital copies sold in December 2014. In the last month alone, copies rose by 2.9%, but jumped 34.7% YoY (+ 69.2% of single copies), up by 329% versus January 2013 (the first month of surveys that included digital copies). Second place in «2.0» copies came “Corriere della Sera” (81,918 copies, down by 2.7% on a monthly basis and by 11.8% versus December 2013), followed by La Repubblica (71,962 copies, up by 7.4% monthly and 23.6% yearly).
Taking print+digital copies into account, the Rcs daily remains at the top in terms of total circulation (393,792 copies), though losing 3.3% monthly, 12.5% yearly and 13.9% considering the opening figure of January 2013, the first month of digital surveys). Second – for the fourth straight month – came Il Sole 24 Ore, closing the gap on Corriere della Sera, just 11,680 copies away. The 24 Ore Group daily ended December with 382,112 copies (up by 2% versus November, by 11% on December 2013 and by 35.7% versus January 2013), increasing the gap on la Repubblica, 25,852 copies away and ending December 2014 at 356,260 copies (+0.6% monthly; -6.4% yearly and -11.7% versus January 2013), coming out first however in terms of copies sold exclusively at newsstands (243,321), ahead of Corriere della Sera (236,604). On the newsstand front, revenue from full and unchanged price print copies at newsstands for Il Sole 24 Ore was up by 5.9%, bucking the market trend.
Looking at the other top newspapers, La Stampa (220,627 copies; stable versus November and versus December 2013) was fourth in terms of total circulation, followed by Gazzetta dello Sport (211,350; +4.4% monthly but -5.8% yearly), Il Messaggero (136,124; +0.1 monthly and -1,8% yearly), Qn Il Resto del Carlino (120,022; -1.6% monthly and -3.7% yearly), Avvenire (117,969; +0.5% monthly and +5.4% yearly), Il Corriere dello Sport (101,989; stable versus November and -10,9% yearly) and Il Giornale (93,966; +0.8% monthly and -11.5% yearly).