According to DDM figures, total print revenue was €10.7 billion last year, a 0.4 percent increase from 2006. Of the overall revenue, 56.8 percent is from newspaper sales while 43.2 percent is from advertising revenue. However, eight years ago newspaper sales accounted for 55.2 percent of the total revenue, Le Figaro reported.

The DDM research deduced that the rise is largely due to an increase in subscriptions, accounting for 22.7 percent of profits in 2007 and only 19.5 percent in 2000.

Even though the increase in subscription points to “readership loyalty,” there is still speculation over the delivery policy of newspapers following an agreement between the French state, the Post and representatives of various publications.

National publications accounted for 13.8 percent of the profit in 2007, with newspapers having a 3.9 percent growth and news magazines augmenting by 8 percent. Meanwhile, regional publications were responsible for 28.7 percent of the total revenues, the DDM report stated, according to Le Figaro.

The publications oriented towards the general public and the professional sphere constituted 48.6 percent of profits. Free publications only made up 9 percent of the total revenues, with the information-focused ones only making up 1.5 percent.

“For the first time, the erosion of the advertising market is also touching free newspapers,” the DMM stated, according to Le Figaro.