While it is accepted wisdom that digital is reshaping how Canadians consume information, the latest readership data from Vividata suggests the transition from print is occurring gradually, particularly among magazines.
The latest research, based on online survey of 38,000 Canadians conducted by TNS between April 2015 and March 2016, provides readership data on 113 newspapers and consumer magazines.
The study finds newspapers and magazines reach an estimated 90% of adults, albeit with digital playing an increasingly important role in their consumption.
More than 21 million Canadians 12+ read a typical issue of a consumer magazine – which Vividata says is comparable to readership levels from five years ago – with print remaining the dominant consumption platform.
The Vividata study finds 55% of Canadians read print only magazines, compared to 8% reading exclusively digital.
More than one-third (37%) of adults are consuming magazines via both digital and print platforms, with cross-platform readership consistent across all age groups. The study finds the highest cross-platform readership is found in news, entertainment, city, business and sports titles.
Cineplex Magazine has the strongest digital readership of the 70 consumer magazines measured by the study, attracting 1.5 million digital-only readers for a typical issue.
It is followed by Sportsnet Magazine (1.48 million), People (1.4 million) and Canadian Geographic (1.2 million). Among French-language titles, Ricardo boasts 898,000 digital readers, more than double that of its nearest rival, Coup de Pouce (349,000).
Reader’s Digest remains the most-read title in the country with 4.5 million print and digital readers, though Cineplex Magazine is close behind with 4.4 million readers. Rounding out the top five are Canadian Living (3.8 million), Chatelaine (3.2 million) and CAA Magazine (3.1 million).
The study also finds 80% of Canadian adults are reading the country’s 43 daily newspapers in a typical week. The study also says print remains “important,” with only 30% of adults consuming newspapers exclusively via digital platforms.
The study also finds readership patterns vary throughout the week, with more than half of Canadians (52%) indicating they read print-only editions on the weekend, up from 40% during the week.
Newspapers reach a reported 77% of millennials in a typical week and 85% of adults 50+, while digital and cross-platform readership is strongest among millennials at 38% (18% higher than adults 50+).
The Globe and Mail is the most read of Canada’s two national dailies, with 2.9 million print/digital readers for a typical weekday issue – compared to 2 million for the National Post.
In Toronto, the Toronto Star’s daily print/digital readership of 1.6 million is more than twice that of its nearest competitor, The Globe and Mail (821,000), followed by Metro (747,000), the Toronto Sun (678,000), 24 Hours (584,000) and the National Post (517,000).
Le Journal de Montréal is the most-read publication in Montreal, with 834,000 print/digital readers on a typical weekday. La Presse, which adopted a digital-only model for weekdays at the beginning of the year, boasts 816,000 daily readers.
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For the 2016 study, Vividata has adjusted how it posed questions regarding digital readership, with president and CEO Sara Hill telling Marketing that first half 2015 data suggests there was potential for “respondent misattribution” in questions about digital platforms.
“It’s not that the readership has changed, but the way we’re measuring it has changed, so you can’t compare it with the past,” says Hill. She says findings from qualitative research made it apparent there was “confusion” among respondents.
The online questionnaire was refined using findings from qualitative research that Vividata conducted in Toronto and Montreal throughout November and December.
Don Williams, vice-president, research director for Vividata, says the original 2015 questionnaire was constructed using a “brand-centric” approach, meaning that respondents were asked if they had looked into a specific title in the past 12 months before subsequently being asked about print and digital readership by platform.
Williams says an upshot of the original approach was that readers were asked to switch back and forth between questions for print and digital for each individual title as they completed the questionnaire.
The restructured questionnaire has been divided into distinct lines of questions between print and digital, with the latter section diving into specific questions about device (ie: app, website, etc.) and then time spent.
Hill says Vividata’s ultimate objective is to move to passive measurement, which the organization will test on a “limited basis” beginning in Q4. She declined to provide further details on when a rollout might occur.
