Millions still buying glossy magazines during cost-of-living crisis
In the middle of a cost-of-living crisis, what could be more luxurious than to kick back for an hour or three and leaf through a glossy magazine, packed with carefully curated editorial, photography, and other assorted fun?
The answer to that seemingly rhetorical question has been answered by the latest Roy Morgan figures, which show that millions of Australians are still buying magazines, and, in particular, those produced by the Are Media stable.
These latest results (for the September quarter) show a 7% increase in readership year-on-year across all Are Media magazine titles, with over six million readers each month. This marks the fifth consecutive quarter of growth for what is roundly — and wrongly — considered a declining industry.
Better Homes & Gardens remains the most-read paid print magazine in Australia, with 1.81 million readers for an average issue, up 11% year-on-year.
The Australian Women’s Weekly has also grown with an 8% year-on-year increase to 1.34 million readers. Woman’s Day’s readership was up 4%, to 783,000 readers, while Australian House & Garden jumped 20%, to 696,000 readers.
Home Beautiful was up 28%, to reach 391,000 readers, while marie claire was Are Media’s fastest-growing title, up an impressive 30%, to 307,000 readers. TV Week also climbed, up 9% to 395,000 readers.
As CEO Jane Huxley points out, “magazines are an affordable ‘luxury’ and provide a break from the worries and pressures of day-to-day life. At the same time, they represent a way to escape the digital and social media noise.
“The connection and community offered by magazines are very powerful and keep people coming back every week or every month. We’re thrilled with the consistently strong results we have seen over the past five quarters. It’s a huge achievement and I’d like to congratulate all of our teams, who deliver the most engaging content for women in Australia.”
It comes after Are Media’s general manger of fashion and beauty, Nicky Briger, compared the resurgence of magazines to the popularity of vinyl records with younger generations in an interview with Mumbrella.
“It’s that tangible product to have home and also sit proudly on your coffee table you know, something that you’ve got for in perpetuity to have for not a lot of money let’s be honest,” Briger said.
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Nathan Jolly is the Deputy Editor of Mumbrella. He joined the team in July, 2023.
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