Declining newspaper readership: a survival game or a revival game?

However, the very fact that you are now reading this article is an indication that the newspaper – either in its print or digital format – is still alive. 

Newspapers are nowhere near death, and they are now going through a transformation to be born again. Let’s take this chance to witness the revolution of newspapers internationally and domestically in order to decide whether they still have a chance of survival in this day and age.

“Journalism plays a critical role in a free society,” said Jeff Bezos, an American investor and CEO of giant e-retailer Amazon.com, after he shocked the world by acquiring the Washington Post newspaper last year. This purchase by Bezos marks the beginning of the change in modern-day newspaper business around the world. 

Bezos has always been a miracle worker who aimed high after seeing his success with the Amazon business. However, to the surprise of many since the purchase of the Post, Bezos has not made any noticeable changes, while it has been seen that the digital format of the Post has gained 50 per cent more unique visitors compared to the pre-acquisition era. 

This is a great indication that the Post has shifted its focus to bring journalism to society through the faster means of online, to serve where people gather the most. Though this Bezos-era Washington Post is still at its early stage, it is notable that the paper has not died, but is instead leaping into the stage of transition to make itself young and attractive once more.

The Washington Post is not the only noteworthy example of the shifting newspaper business. Earlier this month, the New York Times also announced its transition, albeit in not-so-good news that it was cutting 100 newsroom jobs. This is a way for the NY Times to cope with the need to adapt due to the shift in the sector. 

From an excerpt of the latest NY Times innovation report, the publisher is going to focus its effort on conquering the social-media branch of the digital age. The report suggested that the new goal is to obtain leadership when it comes to social attraction. 

By being able to pull in audiences to NY Times content and editorials through social-media pull, the publisher will then be able to regain its flair to fight on in the fast-paced digital era.

These are two recent examples of how journalism giants are shifting their focus to flow with the changing landscape of the world in the digital age. 

If we look closer to home, journalism business in Thailand also follows a similar flow but, due to uniqueness in the local landscape and recent events, we may have more choices than these international giants.

According to data from ACNielsen, Thailand has witnessed a downward trend in newspaper consumption in the past five years across all age groups. With this in mind, publishers in Thailand have already started the transition to cope with this change in a series of remarkable steps.

First and foremost, Thailand is facing a shift in consumer behaviour to be more multiscreen, thanks to better network speed and smart-device penetration. This trend will act as a pillar for publishers to spread their content across necessary smart platforms in order to reach consumers outside of the paper format. 

This implies that publishers have to create more media outlets for advertisers and marketers to reach consumers at a closer level through these new platforms and channels. This direction will help all parties to manage the declining paper audience and guide them to a more meaningful news touch-point.

Second, is how to penetrate the social world with the expertise that journalists have built up from years of experience in paper journalism. Currently, The Nation newspaper you are reading now is doing this very well through the usage of its correspondents as key influencers in the social world, from Khun Suthichai to Khun Noppatjak. 

This demonstrates the power of the influencer to more easily reach the mass audience at a voluntary level, with readers following these key opinion leaders at their own discretion. Ultimately, this is keeping the knowledge from the newspaper alive in a personal format.

The final thing is the biggest recent event in Thailand – the migration to digital television. This marks a very significant shift of the business model for newspaper publishers in Thailand – that is, to transition from a static text format to moving visuals on television while retaining their expertise about news. 

Many prominent publishers such as The Nation, Thairath and Daily News have already partaken in this shift by bringing to life the visual format of the news to reach a whole new audience outside of the paper format. 

These steps taken by local publishers are showing fruitful results, which is an assurance to advertisers and marketers that the newspaper is not dead or dying, but is in fact gaining a never-seen-before audience. 

Rest assured that the newspaper business is now going through a transition, to be reborn flourishingly.

 

Maas Virajoti, the author, is group head of Strategy & Innovation, IPG Mediabrands Thailand.