A recent study of trends in news consumption by the University of Oxford’s Reuters Institute has found that commuters are more likely to get their daily news fix on a smartphone or tablet rather than in print.
In Britain, 2,000 people were questioned for the study and it showed that although the way news is consumed is indeed changing, traditional news brands remain more trusted than blogs or social media. However, moving from print to online hasn’t changed what these digital news subscribers choose to read. In the main they continue to read the same publications, just now via a downloadable app rather than in print form.
However, print media is still leading the way over smart devices in London largely due to the availability of free newspapers and lack of internet access on the Tube.
The study also showed some interesting comparisons with other countries. Did you know that the Brazilians are the only nationality more partial to a bit of celebrity gossip than us Brits?
As a B2B PR agency, we’re encouraged to see that people still have an appetite for news but worrying times must be on the horizon for print media as the sales of newspapers and other print media start to drop alongside advertising revenues. Next time I take the train, tram or bus into Manchester, I might just buck the trend and take up a double seat so I can stretch out with my sizeable broadsheet and enjoy it while I still can.
