Nine Publishing

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Aspirational luxury travel supplement ‘Highflyer’ takes off

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The Australian Financial Review today announces the arrival of Highflyer, an aspirational and luxurious travel magazine aimed at where we all want to be: up the front of the plane.

Helmed by the Financial Review’s travel editor, Fiona Carruthers, Highflyer is out tomorrow (Friday 23 February) as a supplement insert in the March issue of AFR Magazine as well as on afr.com.

For anyone who has always wondered which airline has the longest beds, who does a sliding privacy door in business class, or how the various champagnes they pour compare, Highflyer is unashamedly aimed at the luxury travel market.

The new annual 44-page guide in print will be regularly updated on afr.com, and seeks to make frequent fliers’ lives easier by curating a “one stop shop” guide to the front end of the plane specifically designed for the Australian market, focusing on the airlines most relevant to us.

Fiona Carruthers, Financial Review Travel Editor, said: “Flying up the pointy end tops many aspirational travel lists these days. Australians are hostage to the tyranny of distance – when we take to the air, we want to do it in style. A 24-hour flight can end up comprising a reasonable chunk of your overall holiday experience; the time and research consumers put into understanding what the various airlines offer reflects that.”

In a nod to how hot the travel and aviation sectors are, the Financial Review welcomes back Rear Window’s Joe Aston as a guest columnist in Highflyer. Aston’s trademark style will be applied to the topic of how you can survive landing at LAX or Heathrow. He also shares his tips for where to eat, stay and dine in Los Angeles (where he lived for a number of years) and in London, a city he visits regularly. Drinks writer Max Allen’s guide to the best drops in the sky is also not to be missed.

With the luxury travel and aviation booming, Highflyer has allowed Nine to strengthen its offering in those sectors. Brands that feature in Highflyer include Silversea as our media sponsor, as well as other valued partners including Virgin Australia, Scenic, Captain’s Choice, Celebrity Cruises, Orlebar Brown and Paspaley.

Amanda Upton, Nine Publishing’s head of luxury, said: “I am so proud of this new venture. From a commercial standpoint as soon as Fiona proposed the idea I knew it would be an outstanding success. Knowing how well airline content resonates with our audience, there is an insatiable appetite for content about the pointy end of aviation and this magazine and digital collection will not disappoint!”

With Highflyer, the Financial Review cements itself as the home of “news you can use” when it comes to aviation, and especially to turning left on boarding your flight. The first issue also covers how the big airlines that fly to the US, UK and Europe stack up at the front of the plane; route maps with handy hacks such as the best stopover locations; expert tips on packing; road testing airline amenity kits and how best to use frequent flyer points.

Highflyer will appear as a 44-page bound supplement in the March issue of AFR Magazine tomorrow Friday, February 23.

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The Sydney Morning Herald remains Australia’s No.1 most read masthead

The Sydney Morning Herald has cemented its position as Australia’s most read news brand, with a cross-platform readership of 7.385 million readers, according to the Total News readership figures released by Roy Morgan today.

With one in three Australian readers choosing the Herald to stay informed, the masthead nearly doubles The Daily Telegraph readership (7.38 million versus The Telegraph’s 3.96 million) in Total News, in the latest figures in the 12-month period ending December 2023.

The Monday to Friday print edition recorded an average issue readership of 401,000, while Saturday’s print edition recorded annual growth of 6% with 510,000 readers.

The Sun Herald print edition increased its annual readership, up by 5% year-on-year and is read by 437,000 people every Sunday. In the last four weeks, 1.67 million people on average have read a print edition of the Herald.

Across the Herald and The Age, the prestigious Good Weekend has grown its audience and continues to be Saturday’s most read magazine insert across New South Wales and Victoria, attracting an average issue print readership of 767,000, which is up 6% on this time last year.

Sunday Life recorded an average issue print readership of 395,000; Domain recorded annual growth of 2% with an average issue print readership of 521,000, while the country’s most prestigious food news brand, Good Food, recorded a Total News readership of 1.7 million.

Nine’s Total Publishing assets reach a de-duplicated audience of 16.2 million* Australians across print and digital.

The Total News readership figures are produced by Roy Morgan for ThinkNewsBrands.

*Source: Roy Morgan Research, All People 14+. All audience data is based on the last 4 weeks averaged over the 12 months to December 2023. This figure includes: Nine.com.au, SMH Print & Digital, The Age Print & Digital, AFR Print & Digital, Brisbane Times, WA Today, Domain Digital, Good Weekend VIC & NSW, Sunday Life VIC & NSW, Domain NIM VIC & NSW, AFR Magazine, Fin!. Good Food data is based on July 2023 – December 2023 due to the relaunch of the site.

The Age maintains its lead as Victoria’s most read masthead

The Age has once again maintained its lead as Victoria’s most read masthead, with a cross platform readership of 4.8 million, according to Total News readership figures released by Roy Morgan today.

The Age has cemented its place as the nation’s second most read news brand after The Sydney Morning Herald and is ahead of its main competitor The Herald Sun by more than 800,000 people.

The Monday to Friday print edition recorded growth of 2% year-on-year – a faster acceleration than its competitor – to record a readership of 281,000, while the Saturday edition saw annual growth of 3% with 431,000 print readers. In the last four weeks 1.152 million people on average have read a print edition of The Age.

Across The Age and the Herald, the prestigious Good Weekend has grown its audience and continues to be Saturday’s most read magazine insert across News South Wales and Victoria, attracting an average issue print readership of 767,000, which is up 6% on this time last year.

Sunday Life recorded an average issue print readership of 395,000; Domain recorded annual growth of 2% with an average issue print readership of 521,000, while the country’s most prestigious food news brand, Good Food, recorded a Total News readership of 1.7 million.

Nine’s Total Publishing assets reach a de-duplicated audience of 16.2 million* Australians across print and digital.

“Our own readership analysis shows Victorians are highly engaged with our unique coverage of Victoria on both our print and digital platforms,” said Patrick Elligett, editor of The Age.

The Total News readership figures are produced by Roy Morgan for ThinkNewsBrands.

*Source: Roy Morgan Research, All People 14+. All audience data is based on the last 4 weeks averaged over the 12 months to December 2023. This figure includes: Nine.com.au, SMH Print & Digital, The Age Print & Digital, AFR Print & Digital, Brisbane Times, WA Today, Domain Digital, Good Weekend VIC & NSW, Sunday Life VIC & NSW, Domain NIM VIC & NSW, AFR Magazine, Fin!. Good Food data is based on July 2023 – December 2023 due to the relaunch of the site.

The Financial Review’s growth outpaces competition to remain Australia’s most read premium business title

The Australian Financial Review is the country’s most read premium business masthead recording a cross platform readership of 3.5 million people, according to Total News readership figures released by Roy Morgan today.

In the last four weeks, 1.1 million people have read a print edition of the Financial Review, with the masthead’s print & digital quarterly growth of 3% outpacing The Australian, which recorded no growth for the same period.

The Monday to Friday print edition continued to record massive annual growth of 31% year-on-year, for an average issue readership of 261,000, while quarterly growth of 7% marks the Financial Review’s highest quarterly result since 2019.

The AFR Weekend Saturday print edition has a readership of 183,000, posting annual growth of 13%.

Highlighting the strength of the Financial Review’s digital offering, 76% of AFR readers engage with the masthead’s online publication, which has grown since last quarter.

The Australian Financial Review Magazine continues to dominate Australia’s monthly magazine insert figures, with a print readership of 519,000, which has seen quarterly growth of 4% – its fifth consecutive quarter of growth – and annual growth of 21%. This is the highest quarterly growth result since December 2019.

Nine’s Total Publishing assets reach a de-duplicated audience of 16.2 million* Australians across print and digital.

The Financial Review’s Editor in Chief, Michael Stutchbury, said the masthead had posted two successive quarters of quarterly growth, driven by award-winning journalism such as its PwC and Qantas coverage.

Premium digital subscriptions also grew strongly over the second half of 2023, as highlighted by Nine Entertainment’s results last week.

“Notwithstanding last year’s talk about news fatigue, we’ve started 2024 with record digital readership according to our internal dashboard,” Stutchbury said.

The Total News readership figures are produced by Roy Morgan for ThinkNewsBrands.

*Source: Roy Morgan Research, All People 14+. All audience data is based on the last 4 weeks averaged over the 12 months to December 2023. This figure includes: Nine.com.au, SMH Print & Digital, The Age Print & Digital, AFR Print & Digital, Brisbane Times, WA Today, Domain Digital, Good Weekend VIC & NSW, Sunday Life VIC & NSW, Domain NIM VIC & NSW, AFR Magazine, Fin!

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All such rubbery figures. Really is a joke, akin to what the TV data has become.

No credibility in the currency for clients.

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This is why I don’t buy Nine publishing titles (nor News Ltd), journalists are listing for bias.

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Launching in Sydney and Melbourne this week, the campaign, entitled “All Yours” and developed in collaboration with Publicis Worldwide Australia and Taxi Film productions, features flagship content for the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, including sport and puzzles, as well as notable figures like Kate McClymont and celebrity chef Adam Liaw.

The campaign was inspired by research conducted by the outlets which showed that “audiences are looking for more than core news from their subscriptions”.

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The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age unveil new campaign

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The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age have unveiled a major new campaign that showcases the breadth and depth of journalism featured in Australia’s two most read mastheads.

Launching across Sydney and Melbourne this past week, the campaign entitled “All Yours” features flagship content for the mastheads, including a focus on sport, puzzles, Good Food and Traveller, alongside some familiar faces in investigative reporters Kate McClymont and Nick McKenzie, as well as celebrity chef Adam Liaw.

The campaign is a response to research which showed audiences are looking for more than core news from their subscriptions, and increasingly want to be engaged with content that reflects their passions or helps them learn and discover new things.

Tory Maguire, Managing Director – Publishing, said: “While our mastheads continue to be the destination of choice for trusted, quality journalism and investigations, ‘All Yours’ celebrates the wider range of engaging content that readers are seeking out, and encourages them to discover more with us.

“Our journalists are driven to deliver the best, extending beyond traditional news — to the way we live-blog the Taylor Swift tour or provide access to the country’s best recipes and reviews with Good Food, we’re passionate about enriching the news experience.”

The campaign was developed in collaboration with Publicis Worldwide Australia and Taxi Film productions, and creatively seeks to replicate the immersive and endless content experiences available to explore with the Herald and The Age through readers’ devices.

Brought to life through the work of director Tristan Houghton, a proud Yindjibarndi man from the Pilbara region of WA, the films reflect the respective markets as the protagonist, actor Joshua Sasse, dives from content to content within the Herald/Age app.

Vera Straubinger, Head of Brand and Acquisition for Publishing, said:

“We recognise that our readers want to immerse themselves in content they enjoy anywhere, anytime. We’re excited to bring this to life creatively, showcasing the engaging experience readers can expect as we continue to invest in new ways to bring quality journalism and exciting content to our audiences.”

Over the coming eight weeks, “All Yours” can be seen across broadcast TV and BVOD, cinema, OOH, transit, retail, print and social, as well as Spotify, LiSTNR and our own Nine podcasts.

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This is one of those billboards that has been criticised for being plonked in the middle of a high traffic pedestrian area. Very annoying at busy times. It’s opposite my office building. :laughing:

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Jessica Sier replaces Michael Smith as the AFR’s North Asia correspondent. Smith is returning to Sydney to become health editor.

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Is there another plant in Perth that can print AFR locally? If not, then readers will have to subscribe to AFR online or rely on friends to bring in copies from interstate.

EDIT: according to the AFR article, on April 23 (the day Nine relaunched WAToday website) Tory Maguire received an email from Seven’s chief financial officer Shane O’Connor, saying his company wanted to end the current printing deal between the two companies with 28 days’ notice. From the 29th day, the cost of printing AFR would double from $3000 to $6000 a day. No exact reason was given. While the article suggested it was a targeted decision, a Seven spokesman responded by saying it was “a commercial decision” and that “to suggest anything else would be inaccurate and disingenuous.”

EDIT 2 13/5: the current print run of AFR in Perth is about 2000 copies per weekday, or 10% of its national print circulation.

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Press release this morning says no other facility, digital is the future anyway. This move is just accelerating that.

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The Financial Review to go digital only in Western Australia

The country’s most read premium business masthead, The Australian Financial Review, will be a digital-only news title in Western Australia after the costs of printing are set to double.

The proposed 100 per cent increase in the printing price will bring to an end seven decades of the Financial Review distributing a printed newspaper in that state.

Focusing instead on enhancing the digital offering for WA readers and subscribers on afr.com, this will include an upgrade to the ‘today’s newspaper’ which is digital version of the physical paper. Distribution of the premium magazines produced by the Financial Review will continue.

“This decision is specific to Western Australia and has no impact on our papers and magazines in the rest of the country,” said Tory Maguire, Managing Director of Nine, Publishing.

“We work very constructively with the printers of our newspapers and magazines to ensure the long-term sustainability of our print products, which continue to be profitable. Fortunately the Financial Review is an incredibly successful digital publication, which has allowed us to make this decision in the best interests of our business.”

With no alternative printing operations in WA, Nine will ensure print subscribers who wish to continue receiving hard copies of the award-winning monthly magazine, The Australian Financial Review Magazine and quarterly Fin! Magazine, will continue to do so. The glossy magazines will also be sold separately in news agencies.

With a cross platform readership of 3.5 million people nationally, The Australian Financial Review has led coverage of the rise of Western Australia’s mining and energy sectors since its inception in 1951. The masthead will continue to focus on the state and its contribution to Australia’s prosperity.

“Our WA coverage was recognised most recently with our journalists winning the business award at this year’s Quill Awards for Journalistic Excellence,” said Editor in chief Michael Stutchbury. “The Financial Review digital readership is disproportionally the biggest of any newspaper brand in Australia and we are confident we can serve all West Australians interested in our award-winning journalism.”

The last Western Australian print edition of The Australian Financial Review will be on May 22 and will also be the day of the Financial Review Mining Summit being held in Perth.

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Former ACCC boss Graeme Samuel said that Seven West Media’s decision to increase the cost of printing The Australian Financial Review in Western Australia so high it has forced the cancellation of hard copies in the state appears to breach competition laws.

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Interesting…

Before this blowup - AFR told WA newsagents about price changes for the Saturday edition and maintained the retail margin lower than what they pay on the east coast.

https://www.newsagencyblog.com.au/2024/04/17/why-is-nine-media-paying-wa-newsagents-a-lower-percentage-to-sell-the-australian-financial-review-and-at-what-point-is-the-paltry-margin-not-worth-it/

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The same blog has published Nine’s notice to newsagents about the AFR print edition not available in WA.

https://www.newsagencyblog.com.au/2024/05/08/afr-out-of-western-australia/

I wonder if the shops in Perth Airport may try to sneak in copies of AFR from interstate from May 23 onwards?

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The AFR hasn’t become contraband in WA, yet

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  • In short: Australian Ballet artistic director David Hallberg has slammed a Sydney Morning Herald review of one of the company’s latest productions, which described dancers as looking “unusually thin”.
  • Hallberg says the ballet company welcomes critique of the art form, but not of dancers’ bodies.
  • What’s next? The Australian Ballet says it remains committed to prioritising the health and welfare of their performers, while the SMH says it stands by the review.
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