The Canberra Times mobile audience has grown by 43 per cent, the fastest growth among major newspaper brands, according to new industry data showing digital content driving the rising readership of Canberra's No. 1 news source.
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Figures released this week from the latest Enhanced Media Metrics Australia (emma) survey show total masthead readership of The Canberra Times increased to 716,000 readers in February.
Total masthead readership has grown 10 per cent since emma was launched in June last year. The survey tracks the audiences of newspaper brands across print, online, mobile and tablet.
The latest data shows The Canberra Times print readership is highest on Saturdays, averaging 112,000 readers. The weekday edition has an average daily readership of 110,000, up 8 per cent since June, with The Sunday Canberra Times up 6 per cent to 76,000.
The masthead's combined digital audience - across desktops, laptops, mobile and tablets - has grown 21 per cent since emma measurement began.
The monthly report for February showed canberratimes.com.au had an audience of 433,000, with a further 117,000 people accessing the website and The Canberra Times iPad app through their mobile or tablet.
The fastest growth has been recorded in mobile audiences, as Canberrans increasingly read Canberra Times content on their smartphones.
Mobile traffic to the website has risen from 42,000 readers a month in June 2013 to 60,000 in February, an increase of 43 per cent.
Canberra Times Editor-in-chief Rod Quinn said the survey showed that Canberrans knew where to turn for coverage of breaking news as it happened and compelling journalism that set the daily news agenda in the capital.
''Reporter Christopher Knaus' investigation of the contaminated Koppers site at Hume, regular exclusives on issues affecting public servants and live coverage of the recent Tathra shark tragedy, the Sydney Building fire and the baby in the stolen car in Gungahlin demonstrate The Canberra Times' commitment to delivering audiences fast and reliable news and analysis,'' Mr Quinn said.
''Whether it's the latest traffic update on the Canberra Mornings live blog or checking the progress score of a Raiders or Brumbies game, Canberrans know that The Canberra Times has all the essential news and information at their fingertips.''
The emma survey shows that almost three in four of the total Canberra Times audience are now reading the masthead on digital platforms, with the total tablet and mobile audience increasing by 31 per cent since June 2013.
Industry body The Newspaper Works said The Canberra Times was one of a number of news mastheads increasing overall readership as strong digital audience growth helped to offset declines in print circulation.
The Newspaper Works said overall readership for key mastheads - including Fairfax Media's The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and The Australian Financial Review - had grown by an average 2.4 per cent since June.
''Digital content is the key driver of this growth,'' Newspaper Works chief executive Mark Hollands said.
Mr Hollands said the emma data underlined his organisation's recent research showing that eight in 10 young readers (aged 30 and under) engaged with newspaper brands every month.
"Income is a much bigger influence than age on print readership," Mr Hollands said. "Under-30s with a high income are more likely to read newspapers than older Australians with lower incomes."
