With a claimed 62 per cent of Australians now signed up for news subscriptions, marketing group ThinkNewsBrands has updated its audience profiles to reflect their financial status.

The group – which represents publishers News Corp Australia, Nine Entertainment and Seven West Media (but not Ten or ACM) – commissioned Roy Morgan to research readership between January and December last year. It found 97 per cent of Australians engaged with “total news publishing” in the course of a month.

“News is relevant to everyone,” a new factsheet asserts, adding it “doesn’t matter who you are or where you live, all Aussies read the news, especially those of high value.”

It emphasises the wealth factor, adding that paying news readers are “23 per cent more likely than the general population to be homeowners and 25 per cent more likely to be big spenders”. Some 72 per cent of these readers intend to travel in the next 12 months,” it says.

If you haven’t got the point yet, the update adds, “paying news readers are more likely than the general population to hold twice the level of wealth ($162,000 in savings/investments vs. $73,000 for the average Australian).

They “spend more on travel – spending more than $2,000 on their last trip (20 per cent more likely) – and are more likely to be early adopters for new cars, buy the latest sporting equipment or apparel, new season colours in cosmetics, new models of kitchen and/or laundry appliances, or try a new hotel or resort (more than 40 per cent more likely.

Researchers also found that ‘home grown’ news transcended state borders (though we’re still struggling with the detail). “Many news titles are popular in both their state of origin as well as in others across the country thanks to their omnichannel presence. These provide more than just local reach. They provide an important outlet for high value, extended national coverage.”

A chart shows “extenaion” of home state reach of between 70 per cent (in Queensland) and 424 per cent Northern Territory. Or ‘extension’, perhaps.