Reader loyalty unchanged over last decade

Media Asia, 05 October 2006, 08:23AM

Affluent Asians are remaining almost as loyal to regional print in 2006 as they were in 1997, despite growth in online over the last decade, according to the latest Pan-Asian Cross Media Survey (PAX) from Synovate.

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Released in conjunction with the company's regular quarterly survey results, the 10-year trend analysis is part of the survey's 10th anniversary.

The results showed that regional print media consumption had fallen from 24.6 per cent to 22.5 per cent, despite hefty increases in the penetration of online, which has jumped from 30.6 per cent to 71.1 per cent.

The 10-year results also indicated some significant shifts in consumer behaviour, with ownership of tech products such as laptop computers, PDAs and MP3 players growing strongly, along with household items such as video cameras and DVD players.

"The results show that media is in a healthy state in Asia, as we've also got local print and local TV doing well, too," said Craig Harvey, director of media research, Synovate Asia-Pacific.

"The key for media owners now is to embrace online properties to ensure that their channels and titles remain strong, especially with internet penetration increasing by 122 per cent," said Harvey.

"There is a real opportunity for continuation and brand extension in moving their properties online to maintain their audience."

The survey also reveals that 10 years ago the number of
affluent consumers regionally stood at six million, compared with today's estimate of 14 million.

This article was first published on Media Asia