European newspaper industry facing structural changes: AMEC

Sep 28, 2004. /Lesprom Network/. European newspaper industry is facing long-term structural changes, CEPIPRINT reported quoting the research prepared by the British AMEC. According to the research the traditional business model consolidated on the European market is currently facing a number of problems: the reduction of newspaper circulations and readers, especially among younger people the continuing migration of advertising to the Internet free of charge print media Since 1997 European newspapers reduced circulations 5.2%. The circulations were on the rise in Ireland (+7,1%), Spain (+0.8%) and Italy (0.3%). The main tendencies in the newspaper business are the decrease in sales and the reduction of the number of readers, the decline of involvement in the advertising market and the free distribution of the newspapers. Therefore the publishers are likely to reduce the number of pages, close certain media projects and open new sections in the existing newspapers. According to AMEC newsprint demand in 2003-2013 will increase 0.25% to 8.485 million tons in case the negative forecast comes true, up 0.7% to 8.875 million tons in case of the neutral forecast, up 1.3% to 9.415 million tons in case of the positive forecast (including the new EU member-states). AMEC analysts believe, that European newsprint manufacturers should become more innovative in cooperation with the newspaper publishers. The manufacturers are advised to hold conferences, exchange information and ideas, as well as to fund the propaganda of reading among schoolchildren and students. In 2003 over 6.4 thousand newspapers were registered in Europe, including daily, non-daily and free newspapers. The European newspaper market is the world's second large, accounting for $35 billion and 30% of world's newspaper expenses. About half of the European newspapers are located in Germany and the UK.