Newspaper sales have collapsed to tenth of century's start says watchdog

Italian newspaper sales have collapsed over the last 25 years and are now just a tenth of what they were at the beginning of the 21st century, Italy's media watchdog told parliament Tuesday. "The most painful note from the media system comes from newspaper publishing, which in 2025 saw print circulation plummet to 1.2 million units per day, almost a tenth of what was sold at the beginning of the century," said AGCOM President Giacomo Lasorella during his Annual Report to Parliament. "The decline was 9.3% compared to the previous year," he added. "Publishing companies' revenues are sharply declining (-7.9%), making public funding a vital support system that now accounts for almost 10% of the sector's total." Lasorella also said that streaming platforms now reach a quarter of the TV market.