Readership rises for flagship title

The latest Nielsen data shows the country’s leading newspaper, the New Zealand Herald, has increased its readership, in print and online.
 
The newspaper has increased its average issue readership from 426,000 to 431,000 and its Saturday edition, the Weekend Herald, has increased its readership by 24,000. The tabloid Herald on Sunday has also gained 8,000 readers.
 
Shane Currie, managing editor of Herald parent NZME, says, “These numbers are fantastic – and are a tribute to the work of the newsroom teams in Auckland and across New Zealand. At all times, we are thinking audience first. These results prove that people are engaging with relevant, quality journalism in our newspapers and through our expanding digital channels, including NZ Herald Focus, NZ Herald Insights, and the overall nzherald.co.nz site.”
 
The Herald daily brand audience, which encompasses print and online readership, saw an 8.4 per cent increase of 67,000 readers from a year ago, reaching 869,000 people. The weekly brand audience also rose over this time, with an increase of 88,000 (6.7 per cent) bringing the reach to 1,404,000 readers.
 
Laura Maxwell, chief commercial officer at NZME, says, “The Herald is showing strong growth in print and digital readership. Together with our regional print and online titles, and our radio platforms, the Herald is a strong tool in our arsenal. The results show NZME offers advertisers a compelling package of opportunities and platforms to connect with audiences.”