Asia, the leading driver of global media market

As per the latest WAN report, the newspaper circulation in Asia is up by 3.61per cent over the previous year. Besides India, sales are found escalating in China, Malaysia, Singapore, Bangladesh and Korea, and down in Taiwan and Japan.

WORLD ASSOCIATION OF Newspaper (WAN) released its annual survey of world press trends to more than 1,600 publishers, editors and other senior newspaper executives, who came from 109 countries to attend the 60th World Newspaper Congress and the 14th World Editors’ Forum in Cape Town recently.

As per the report average readership has been estimated to be more than 1.4 billion people each day. More than 515 million people buy a newspaper everyday, up from 488 million readers recorded in 2002.

The number of people buying newspaper remains slightly higher than the Internet users. In 2007 alone the global number of Internet users is expected to rise from 1.13 to 1.23 billion people. Besides that percentage rise in case of Internet users have been much higher than the newspaper readers. In 2002 there were only about 600 million Internet users.

Indian Asian News Service and Press Trust of India stated on the WAN report that worldwide the newspaper circulation rose 2.3 per cent in 2006 with Indian sales increased 12.93 per cent. An increase in the newspaper sale has been witnessed in almost all continents including Asia, Europe, Africa and South America except North America, which registered a decline in the sales.

Last year advertising revenues in paid dailies had been found up 3.77 per cent. China, Japan and India account for 60 of the world’s 100 best-selling dailies, while the five largest markets for newspapers are China, India, Japan, the US and Germany.

In Asia, circulation is up by 3.61 per cent over the previous year. Besides India sales are found up in China, Malaysia, Singapore, Bangladesh and Korea, and down in Taiwan and Japan.

Interestingly not only newspapers even digi-media market in Asia is also catching up rapidly. Asia Digital Marketing Association (ADMA), the voice of the digital marketing industry in Asia, also released its 2007 Asia Pacific Digital Marketing Yearbook online. It is a vital source for marketers, advertisers, media buyers and anyone looking for leveraging the power of digital media in the region. The total number of broadband users and market penetration is the highest in APAC region. The region boasts the largest number of Internet users, surpassing the US and Europe. 36 per cent of the world’s online population now lives in Asia, and mobile penetration in this region is also higher than anywhere else in the world, with more Asian users accessing the Internet over their mobile phones than the entire US Internet population.

Asia is driving the digital marketing industry too. Merrill Lynch predicts that global online advertisement spend will reach US$14.5 billion in 2007. That represents an increase of 24 per cent from 2006 – and Asia will be the driving engine. In Asia the highest growth rate in 2007 is being predicted to come from China at 50 per cent, Australia at 42.6 per cent, South Korea at 30.5 per cent and Japan at 30 per cent.