Print media retained a monthly reach of 29.5 million people in the UK, just 1.8% down on 2022’s average of 30 million.

Weekly and daily reach were down just 2.3% and 2.1% on their 2022 averages.

Digital news and magazine brands’ daily readership figures plummeted 14.1% in the same period, with weekly numbers dropping 6.7%. 

Monthly digital figures remained more stable at a 2.9% drop in readership.

The figures demonstrate relative stability in the market for print, according to PAMCo CEO Simon Redican.

He told Printweek: “The fact that print is down about 2% overall is actually pretty robust.

“I think it’s holding up quite well – looking at the actual readership figures, it shows the resilience of the sector in the face of all the competition for peoples’ time and attention now.”

Redican added that while the long-term trend in print is for decline – just like broadcast television – the figures show this to be “relatively gentle, rather than dramatic”.

He added: “These are pretty encouraging figures.”

News Media Association chief executive Owen Meredith told Printweek: “These latest figures from PAMCo show that news publishers continue to reach huge audiences who seek out trusted news and information across a variety of different platforms. 

“The data also clearly shows that print is a very important medium for the millions of people who choose newspapers for their news, and is likely to remain so for some time to come.” 

The proportion of male to female readers remained steady from 2022 to the first half of 2023, with women making up 52% of readers.

PAMCo’s data is based on online and in-person interviews, with supplemental data from pollster Ipsos’ IRIS data service. All figures exclude niche and trade publications.