Australia has one of the world’s most concentrated media markets — with none of the benefits of concentration, as our media companies struggle in the face of the global shift of audiences and advertising revenue to the tech giants. In another instalment of Crikey’s Paint by Numbers series, we pick out the key data points in a media landscape that increasingly looks lifeless for the Australian companies that once dominated it, while social media and tech giants accumulate eye-watering revenue and user numbers.
The estimated number of Australian newspaper employees in 2010-11: 23,472
The estimated number of Australian newspaper employees in 2023: 12,531
Total number of unique newspapers in Australia in 2010: 520
Total number of unique newspapers in Australia in 2018: 430
Additional newspaper closures 2020-22: 74
Australia’s global media concentration ranking in 2011: third most concentrated in the world
News Corp’s control of metropolitan and national print media markets in 2020: 59%
Nine Entertainment’s control of metropolitan and national print media in 2020: 23%
Nine Entertainment’s share price in July 2018, before its purchase of Fairfax: $2.52
Nine Entertainment’s share price in April 2024: $1.52
Seven West Media’s share price in April 2014: $1.88
Seven West Media’s share price in April 2024: $0.22
2010 government appropriation to the ABC in 2023 dollars: $1.29 billion
2023 government appropriation to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation: $1.14 billion
Australia’s ranking in the World Press Freedom Index in 2018: 19th
Australia’s ranking in the World Press Freedom Index in 2023: 27th
Number of public policy articles published in the Australian media in 2010: ~70,000
Number of public policy articles published in the Australian media in 2018: 51,000
Most trusted news source in Australia: ABC News (66% trust)
Facebook users in Australia in early 2024: 16.65 million
Australian Instagram users in early 2024: 13.95 million
Tiktok users in Australia (aged 18 and above) in early 2024: 9.73 million
Global Meta revenue in 2013: US$7.9 billion
Global Meta revenue 2023: US$134.9 billion
Meta share price in April 2013: US$57.31
Meta share price in April 2024: US$441.38
Global Google advertising revenue in 2013: US$50.55 billion
Global Google advertising revenue in 2023: US$237.86 billion
Google share price in April 2014: US$26.72
Google share price in April 2024: US$157.95
Global ByteDance revenue in 2018: US$8.4 billion
Global ByteDance revenue in 2023: US$110 billion
