Print remains core as Are’s Australian Women’s Weekly launches podcast
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Australian Women’s Weekly executives have told Mumbrella their masthead is “incredibly strong” in terms of profit, as they launch a podcast for the first time and spruce up the title in preparation for the sale of Are Media.
Private equity owner Mercury Capital flagged it was selling Are seven months ago, but as yet there has been no hint about a change of ownership.
Australia’s biggest print publisher has an ambitious road map for The Australian Women’s Weekly in 2026 with an expanded event schedule and a new podcast series on love.
The question of profit
Sophie Tedmanson
In discussion with AWW editor Sophie Tedmanson and Are Media GM of homes and lifestyle Jocelin Abbey, Mumbrella asked about the business model for what is probably still Australia’s biggest-selling magazine.
Neither of the publishing executives were authorised to give precise details, but they didn’t shirk the question completely.
Tedmanson responded first.
“We’re going really well. Our audience is as passionate and loyal as ever, and yeah, we’re doing well,” she said.
Abbey then added: “Profit-wise, we are incredibly strong. Print remains a core part of our business, and we have been on a diversification journey over the past few years, and that is paying off in spades.
Jocelin Abbey
“We have developed a new product mix and the way we look to communicate with audiences. We’re very interested in the connection economy. Understanding what our audiences want from us and then how we need to show up. That has informed our content and business strategies in terms of what events, what formats, and what ways we connect with our community.”
After another nudge about profitability, Abbey responded: “Absolutely.”
Tedmanson continued: “I’ve been editor of The Australian Women’s Weekly for two years and it’s just such an exciting time for us. We’re bigger and better than ever before, and we’ve come into 2026 in such a really fantastic mindset.”
Measuring the audience
Circulation data is not publicly available for AWW, however major advertisers who push for sales figures are given a publisher’s estimate.
Published audience figures for the main brand are as follows:
- Print readership in Australia 1.17m
- Cross platform readership in Australia 1.66m
- Total across all platforms including social 2.8m
Sources: Roy Morgan Readership, Are Media data
The word “Australian” is used when writing about the main brand as Are Media also publishes a The Women’s Weekly in New Zealand ( a true weekly — one every seven days — as opposed to the monthly Australian version) plus a New Zealand edition of The Australian Women’s Weekly.
Adding some detail about the Australian audience, Tedmanson said: “Our average audience age is 47, they’re typically above-average household income, and they’re also strong discretionary spenders.
“Women make the major life and financial decisions, and that’s what we’re tapping into this year with our audience who want to know more.”
Revenues getting a podcast boost
The Australian Women’s Weekly February cover with Jessica Rowe
Diversifying revenue streams is what is keeping publishers afloat. Abbey explained The Australian Women’s Weekly money trail: “Broadly we have two buckets of revenue with multiple contributing factors. Circulation and subscription, as well as our digital subscriptions, all sit within the circulation revenue stream. The second is very much coming from advertising, affiliate, and other revenue lines. Things including brand licensing, etc.”
Contributing to that second revenue bucket from this week is a new podcast Love Stories. First mover advantage is not always the key to success, especially from a publisher keen to make sure every initiative is a winner financially.
Tedmanson noted there has been no shortage of podcast ideas floated internally and pitched from outside to AWW. Having skincare Vixin sign on as the Love Stories commercial partner helped get this series away.
“The right opportunity finally came up,” said Tedmanson. “Love Stories is just so much at the heart of what we’re about at the Weekly. It’s very much about connecting with audiences. It’s not just love in terms of relationship love. It can be familial love. It can be a love of a pet. It can be about grief.
“We’ve got Doctor Karl talking about the science of love. It’s love in all different forms which we know is very much at the heart of what our audience wants to hear.”
Expanding the slate of live events
The Australian Women’s Weekly favourite Maggie Beer at a 2025 health summit
The Are Media brand is rolling out an expanded schedule of events in 2026.
In partnership with Priceline Pharmacy, last year’s health summit travelled to Sydney, Melbourne, the Gold Coast, Adelaide and Perth from August to October.
Abbey said: “We’re returning with the health summit in a different form, but it will be an event alongside our finance events, which is a response to the audience demand.”
The finance element will mean doing more with the Money Matters, a column from finance guru Effie Zahos.
Tedmanson added: “We launched the health summit two years ago as a one-off event in Sydney, and then we expanded it to five cities last year. As the person who was hosting that event and going around the country and meeting our audience in person, it was just so special to talk to readers, hear what they want and bring those insights back to the office.
“One of the things that we learned last year from the health summit, all of which sold out within a short space of time, was that everybody wanted more community events and opportunities to connect to the broader Australian Women’s Weekly community. We are doing more of that this year.”
Women’s Weekly cover stars
Looking at AWW covers over the past five years, it seems clear Tedmanson and her team will find time for contributors Maggie Beer and Chrissie Swan this year. Princes Catherine and Queen Mary are also shoe-ins, the latter will be splashed all over the publication during and after her Australian tour later in 2026.
When asked about current cover faves, Tedmanson said: “Maggie is obviously just such an icon, and she’s been with The Weekly for many years. Chrissy is someone who we signed on as a columnist last year, and she represents the new face of The Weekly. Chrissy is very modern and fresh and has a different voice – her columns have just been so popular. She engages with us on social media when we launch her columns each month, and those stories go off really well. ”
A reveal of the March cover shows the title has doubled down on promoting its new podcast, putting one of the guests from the first episode, Jessica Rowe, on the cover. On the first episode of the Love Stories podcast, she and newsreader husband Peter Overton talk about their love with host and The Australian Women’s Weekly deputy editor Tiffany Dunk.
As Abbey explained, getting the cover right remains critical as the print product is still an important source of advertising revenue.
“When we think about the role that The Weekly plays, it creates a brand-safe environment.”
A print ad in the magazine lives in an uncluttered environment. In recent 200-page books, the ad page count was around 15, not counting house ads.
Yet Abbey was careful to note the print product is just part of the story.
“The journey we’ve been on to diversify formats and revenue means things like events, vodcasts, podcasts, our socials, and digital offerings … all of those channels have meant that we can create ecosystems of content.
“In terms of our evolution, we’re so far beyond just the print pages. We are continuing to create ecosystems that marketers and advertisers can be involved with because they’re reaching audiences that are high-value, high-intent, big spenders, at a time when they’re making a decision.”
