Total News Publishing reaches an average of 22.4 million Australians each month, representing 98% of Australians aged 14 and over. The report indicates that more Australians engage with news content through reading, with 53% of the population opting to read news. This is compared to 49% who watch news content and 29% who listen to it.

The data is drawn from Roy Morgan's latest report, which covers the period from April 2024 to March 2025.

It also showed 91% of news consumers access up to five different news brands each month, while 55% explore four or more content categories beyond breaking news. General News emerges as the most read category, engaging 96% of the population. This was followed by property (70%), sport (61%), entertainment and culture (56%) and lifestyle and health (54%).

The latest figures represent new work by ThinkNewsBrands, in collaboration with Roy Morgan and Ipsos Australia, to integrate Ipsos iris digital audience data into Total News Publishing within Roy Morgan Single Source. This integration has seen the replacement of previous Roy Morgan digital measurement data for brands or entities within Total News Publishing, dating back to January 2023.

Total News Publishing encompasses Australians aged 14 and over who read news in print, newspapers, magazines, or newspaper-inserted magazines, as well as those who consume news in digital formats, including websites, apps, and off-platform sources such as Facebook, Apple, and Google News.

ThinkNewsBrands CEO, Vanessa Lyons, commented on the findings: "It’s clear that news is a cornerstone of daily life for Australians. This audience data demonstrates not only the reliance consumers place on news, but also the opportunity for brands to connect and engage with a vast and addressable audience. The breadth and depth of content and engagement offered by news publishing brands truly sets them apart."

ThinkNewsBrands serves as the industry body for news media, with shareholders including Nine, News Corp Australia, and Seven West Media's West Australian newspapers. The audience measurement for Total News Publishing is independently audited by Milton Data.

Nine was talking up its share of the reading, noting the The Australian Financial Review is the country’s most read premium business masthead recording a cross platform readership of 3.2 million people, with 93% of AFR readers solely engaging with the masthead’s online publication. The masthead recorded a print readership of 894,000 during the last four weeks, while the Monday to Friday print edition recorded an average issue readership of 272,000, its biggest average readership in five years. The AFR Weekend Saturday edition also experienced growth, up 3% quarterly and 6% annually, with a print readership of 190,000.

In addition, it was also touting Sydney Morning Herald as the most read multi-platform masthead. The latest figures for the 12-month period ending March 2025 show that one in three Australians read the SMH, with 8.106 million readers compared to The Daily Telegraph readership of 4.552 million. The readership of the Herald’s Saturday’s print edition grew to 495,000 readers, a quarterly increase of 3% and annual growth of 2%, while the Monday to Friday print edition recorded an average issue readership of 368,000. The Sun Herald print edition is read by 359,000 people every Sunday.

In the last four weeks, 1.3 million people on average have read a print edition of the Herald, while across the Herald and The Age, readers continue to turn to these mastheads for premium lifestyle coverage, with the lifestyle/culture section recording a multi-platform readership of 2.48 million.

Nine also noted multi-platform readership of The Age was now 5.23 million, with Saturday’s print edition growing to 412,000 readers, a quarterly increase of 8% and annual growth of 2%. The Monday to Friday print edition recorded an average issue readership of 280,000 - marking annual growth of 12% and a quarterly increase of 11%.

Nine’s Total Publishing assets reach a de-duplicated audience of 17.358 million Australians across print and digital.