Global newspaper circulation and advertising revenue have, respectively, declined by 0.8 and 17 per cent respectively in 2009, according to a report by the World Association of Newspapers and Newspaper Publishers (WAN-IFRA).
WAN-IFRA's World Press Trends, which covers 223 countries, showed that newspaper circulation significantly declined in Europe and North America, while it increased marginally in Asia.
The report said that ad spend declined in most of the regions - North America (25 per cent), Western Europe (13.7 per cent), Central and East Europe (18.7 per cent), Asia (9.6 per cent) and South America (2.9 per cent), but remained fairly stable in the Middle East and Africa.
WAN-IFRA's findings also show that the number of newspapers globally increased by 1.7 per cent from a year earlier to 12,477 titles.
"Many newspaper companies in mature markets have embraced digital platforms and new forms of print publishing, growing their product portfolios, audience reach and revenues, even while their traditional print circulations have come under pressure," said WAN-IFRA CEO Cristoph Riess.
He added that a shift from the traditional printed newspaper model to the new media business model, which involves digital editions, is both a problem as well as an opportunity for the newspaper industry.
