The French press as a whole reached 2.7 billion copies for the year 2022. In the balance of power between the online press and the printed press, digital is taking up more and more space.
The Alliance for Press and Media Figures (ACPM) published this week its data on the distribution and use of press publishers’ titles and sites for the year 2022. On average, each day, 7.3 million copies of the French press were distributed last year, including general public, professional and free titles and sites. Last year, that figure was 8.1 million. Press sites and applications generated 72.6 million visits each day.
Digital, powerful on the regional daily press
If we dwell on the distribution of press families, we see that the regional daily press (PQR) retains its leading position, with 40% market share of the total circulation volume. It is ahead of the magazine press (32%), the national daily press (16%), the seventh day daily press (6%), the free daily information press (3%), the regional weekly press (2 %) and the trade press (1%).
What can be said about the digital versions? As far as paid circulation is concerned (per-issue sales, subscriptions, etc.), digital technology has largely taken the lead over paper for national daily press titles (The world, Le Figaro, etc.), with 68% of sales. In the professional press, the share of digital versions reached 25%.
It is important to note that the regional daily press, which is the one that generates the most paid sales, is still struggling to federate on digital. 85% of the sales of the PQR are still made in paper version. Same thing for the magazine press (79% of sales in paper version).
The power of mobile, where 8 out of 10 visits take place
Of the 2.5 billion copies of newspapers sold in 2022 in France, 668 million were in digital version. Individual digital versions also account for 21% of French mainstream press sales today.
The paper press continues to decline, and some press titles have been forced to increase their prices in recent years and months to absorb the soaring cost of paper and energy. The economic model of the press continues to change (even if it does not always benefit information and ethics).
The use of digital media exceeded 25.1 billion visits, including press sites and applications, with 8 out of 10 visits (83%, 20.9 billion exactly) coming from a mobile. It should be noted that for the moment, press applications are not part of the uses of users, who prefer them for only 16% of them (15% on mobile, 1% on tablet). Mobile sites (58%) and fixed sites (17%) remain more powerful.
Source : CMPA
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