U.S. Newspaper Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Type (Digital, Print), By Revenue Generation (Circulation, Advertising, Others), By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2022 - 2030

Report Overview

The U.S. newspaper market size was valued at USD 19.67 billion in 2021 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of -6.5% from 2022 to 2030. Consumer and advertising dollars are expected to continue migrating the internet, forcing publications to compete with the growing number of professional and mature-only outlets. Nevertheless, the industry’s decline is expected to slow as publishers adapt to the digital transition in the long term.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a rise in digital readership and subscriptions as consumers seek the most up-to-date information on the pandemic. Readership has increased most dramatically among the younger demographics. A Press Gazette analysis earlier this year found that America’s top 25 largest newspapers have lost 20% of their weekday print circulation since the COVID-19 crisis began. 

Newsletters have become a prime driver of print and digital subscriptions, filing email databases with a wealth of valuable opt-in customers and attracting new advertisers while retaining the current ones. Subscribers/readers are already voicing their satisfaction with the limited content in newsletters. For example, USA Today alone offers more than 30 newsletters. They have a dedicated audience team with newsletter specialists to ensure their automated newsletters are on point.

America’s largest newspaper brands have switched much of their focus to building the digital subscription business in recent years. A trend that has become more pronounced over the past 18 months. But print remains an important revenue stream for the industry, both for circulation and advertising income. For instance, USA Today, owned by the regional press giant Gannett, launched a paywall recently and is seeking to build its digital revenues as print sales decline.

The Wall Street Journal remains America’s largest newspaper by some distance, with an average weekday circulation of nearly 800,000 between October 2020 and March 2021. But it has lost 21% of its print circulation since 2020. Like USA Today, the Journal’s circulation has been lost significantly by lost hotel sales.

The research by the Financial Times revealed that half of the US daily newspapers are now controlled by private equity, hedge funds, and other investment groups. In 2019, Gannett, US’s largest newspaper publisher, was acquired by New Media Investment Group, run by asset manager Fortress Investment Group. This practice of buying up the struggling newsrooms helps them turn a profit.

Type Insights

The digital media segment registered a higher CAGR during the forecast period from 2020 to 2030. The digital editions of the newspaper are exact reproductions of the actual paper with the same features. Eventually, they have clear advantages like – they are instantly available and no missed deliveries, much better for the environment like no photo chemicals or no gas consumption for deliveries, type sizes can be enlarged as per requirement.

The print segment held the largest market share of 74.67% in 2021. This segment is witnessing a change in the customer mindset due to changing consumer preferences for digital news. The digital segment has helped a few newspapers to stay afloat.

Revenue Generation Insights

The advertising segment led the market and accounted for a 55.47% share of the market revenue in 2021. Advertising emerged as the largest revenue-generating category within the US newspaper market. The digital outlets it has grown by almost 70% in two years. There is anticipated growth in the area of advertisement as bandwidth improves and smartphones become cheaper.

The circulation segment is anticipated to expand at the fastest CAGR of -3.5% from 2022 to 2030. In addition to the advertising revenue, many newspapers rely on circulation revenue. It is generated through paid print subscriptions and sold copies of the paper. Many newspaper readers have recent access to paywalls, which are those pop-up windows where one is allowed to read free. It gives full access to the article again after the purchase of the subscription.

Key Companies & Market Share Insights

The market includes both international and domestic participants. Key market players focus on strategies, such as innovation and new product launches in retail, about natural products to enhance their portfolio offering in the market.

• In March 2022, Media Matters Worldwide, a 100% women-owned media strategy, won the 2022 Female Frontier Awards hosted by the Campaign US. Media Matters Worldwide continuously invests in the latest media technologies to develop strategic, efficient, and transparent solutions.

• In February 2022, local newspapers found hints of success with online subscriptions. For an industry accustomed to doomsaying, the willingness of the people to pay for digital access is giving many publishers hope that they have found a way to survive. The newspapers that first found success emphasizing online subscriptions are The Wall Street Journal and the New York Times.

• In July 2021, newspaper circulation revenue surpassed the advertising segment in America. As per the Pew Research Center, circulation revenue from people buying or print subscriptions reached USD 11.1 billion in 2020, and advertising revenue was reported as USD 8.8 billion revenue.

Some of the key players operating in the U.S. newspaper market are:

• The Wall Street Journal

• Tribune Publishing

• Gannett Co. Inc.

• MediaNews Group. Inc.

• News Corporation

• New York Times Company

• The Washington Post

• New York Post

• Los Angeles Times

• Newsday

U.S. Newspaper Market Report Scope

Segments Covered in the Report

This report forecasts revenue growth at global, regional & country levels and provides an analysis of the latest trends and opportunities in each of the sub-segments from 2017 to 2030. For this study, Grand View Research has segmented the U.S. newspaper market report based on type, revenue generation, and region.

• Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Million; 2017 - 2030)

  • Digital

  • Print Media

• Revenue Generation Outlook (Revenue, USD Million; 2017 - 2030)

  • Circulation

  • Advertising