Zimbabwe Sunday Mail Still Rules the Roost

Zimbabweans reading the Sunday Mail which reported on the peaceful national run-off elections in June 2008 which were won by President Robert Mugabe. Mugabe then headed to Egypt for the African Union Summit., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

The Sunday Mail still rules the roost

Sunday, 30 September 2012 00:00
Sunday Mail Reporter

The Sunday Mail has maintained pole position on the local newspaper market with the latest Zimbabwe All Media and Products Survey (Zamps) showing that about one million people read the publication each week.

The results of the third quarter survey presented by Zimbabwe Advertising Research Foundation (ZARF) show that the leading family newspaper is still the most important weekly by miles. It commands 26 percent of the market share, translating into 658 166 readers.

The survey also revealed that The Sunday Mail’s readership grew 2 percent between October and December last year. It also emerged that 80 percent (527 976) of the newspaper’s readers are high-density suburb residents while 20 percent (130 190) live in low-density areas.

The Sunday Mail also attracts all age groups from 15 to over 65 years. Its core market comprises males, representing a 36 percent of those between the ages of 20 and 29 years while the 30 to 40 years bracket represents 38 percent.

Female readers are mainly between the ages of 15 to 25 years, representing 23 percent.

According to the survey results released last week, the newspaper’s main competitor, The Standard, is way behind with a readership of 168 261, translating to 7 percent. Another Zimbabwe Newspapers publication, Sunday News, came in second after The Sunday Mail with 198 039 readers.

This translates to 8 percent.

Zimpapers’ Kwayedza performed remarkably, commanding a readership of 99 607 (4 percent).

Financial Gazette and Zimbabwe Independent have a readership of 92 215 and 72 833, respectively.

Another Zimpapers publication, Manica Post, and The Daily News on Sunday are read by 78 623 and 38 985 people respectively while The Patriot has a readership of 16 449.

The Masvingo Mirror was the least read weekly with a readership of 9 977 followed by The Voice whose readers numbered 7 393 and The Business Connect, which had a total of 2 413 readers.

The survey also shows that The Sunday Mail’s sister paper, The Herald, leads the daily category where it is read by 31 percent (799 950) of urban adults.

In second position is the Daily News with a readership of 571 581 followed by NewsDay with a readership of 558 678. Zimpapers’ H-Metro remained stable, attracting 21 percent of urban adults (542 211 readers). Chronicle is read by 13 percent, representing a total of 335 164 readers in the adult urbanites age group.