Star Remains Most-Read Newspaper in Canada

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - March 30, 2011) - The Toronto Star has maintained its dominant positions as the most-read newspaper in Canada and the most-visited newspaper website in the Greater Toronto Area, according to the latest newspaper readership study released today by the Newspaper Audience Databank (NADbank).

At the same time, a new report released today by the Canadian Circulation Audit Bureau (CCAB) indicates that total circulation of the Toronto Star in the GTA remained stable in 2010 despite heavy pressure from growing digital media sources and a generally weak economy.

The NADbank survey, which measures full-year 2010 readership results, showed that the Star's combined and online readership within the Greater Toronto Area was steady, with a total weekly readership of 2.3 million adults. The results are more than twice as large as any other newspaper in the GTA.

"We are delighted with these results," said John Cruickshank, Publisher of the Toronto Star and President of Star Media Group. "They show that our readers value the quality of our journalism, both in print and online. Given the declines seen in recent years by other major metropolitan newspapers, both in Canada and the United States, these results are proof of how we are able to meet the needs of both our readers and our advertisers.

"We are particularly pleased that the Toronto Star has retained its strong leadership position in Greater Toronto, especially among key readership demographic groups."

In the NADbank 2010 survey, the weekday Star was read by an average of 948,100 adults a day in the GTA. On Saturday, the Star reached 1.2 million readers and on Sunday 757,000 readers. According to the survey, the cumulative 7-day readership of the Star was virtually unchanged at 2.01 million.

Metro Toronto, the free newspaper that is jointly owned by Star Media Group which includes the Toronto Star, was the second-most read paper in the GTA.

Overall, readership of newspapers in the Greater Toronto Area declined 1.5 per cent in 2010 compared to 2009.

The NADbank results also showed that thestar.com is by far the most popular newspaper website for readers in the GTA, with 712,200 visitors a week. 

Together, the Star's print and online products reach almost 50 per cent of the Greater Toronto Area's adult audience each week.

About the Toronto Star and thestar.com

The Toronto Star, founded in 1892, is read in print and online (thestar.com) by 3.0 million readers. The Toronto Star is a division of Star Media Group, which includes Toronto.com, Torstar Syndication Services, Eye Weekly, Real Estate News and The Canadian Immigrant. Star Media Group also includes the jointly owned Metro free daily newspapers in Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and Halifax, and the Chinese language newspaper Sing Tao. Star Media Group is a division of Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, which is a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation.