News from Denmark:
Newspapers in Denmark are beginning to feel the heat from the new free dailies launched in August (Dato, 24Timer) and October (Nyhedsavisen) 2006.
In September readership was 440,000 lower than in the same month in 2005, in October readership was 380,000 less.
In October 2006 Berlingske Tidende lost 14% of its readers compared to 2005, Ekstra Bladet 12%, Politiken 10%, BT 9% and Jyllands-Posten 8%.
Also ‘traditional’ free dailies MetroXpress (-15%) and Urban (-5%) lost.
For Berlingske the loss is extra problematic because the paper moved to tabloid in the beginning of September.
The drop in readership is not restricted to weekday circulation, also Sunday circulation is going down, although this trend is visible almost throughout the year.
The drop in October, after the launch of Nyhedsavisen, however, seems to be somewhat bigger than average.
A separate research was done on the three new titles in November. 24Timer had 395,000 readers, Data 150,000 and Nyhedsavisen 161,000 (population 15+).
These data indicate that 24Timer is already the 7th paper in Denmark and moving in on tabloids BT (401,000) and EB (400,000).
Well, it is better to be cannibalized by your own free papers.
Denmark is a mature market for traditional newspapers.
All the quality ones are very similar, like the popular ones.
If they are in trouble is not because the free papers are here.
They are clonic.
Readers are telling us that they will only pay for very unique and different papers.
The challenge as always is not to pay or not to pay, to read or not to read.
Many “paid newspapers” were bought but not read.
The challenge is, as Ekstra Bladet said a few years ago, to make newspapers that are “necessary”
Readers are loyal only when we deliver newspapers with soul.
The DNA of many newspapers is not in the price, but in the content.
My feeling is that the quality paid newspapers in Denmark are going to be better and better.
Competition is always good for the readers.