Newspaper ad spend rebounds 17.4% after year-long decline

Advertising spend in print newspapers is showing signs of revival, rising 17.4% year-on-year in February, its first return to growth in 12 months, according to new Guideline SMI data.

The analytics company’s monthly round-up revealed media agency spend across newspapers (print and digital) increased 11.2% year-on-year, although only a small portion of that growth is attributed to digital newspaper assets.

The uplift in print was broad-based across states and driven in part by regional titles, with South Australia’s election period also contributing to momentum. However, Mumbrella understands the growth was not isolated to one market, with increases recorded nationally.