MEDIA MARKET DATA - World Association of Newspapers

Oriental Daily News and the Sun also boosted their circulation by issuing cash coupons forsupermarkets and restaurants. Apple Daily's circulation suffered most in the price war, fallingan average 11 per cent to about 300,000 copies a day. "We don't think that the price rise willhave any impact on us, and we need to take three to four weeks to observe the marketresponse on it," said a source close to Apple Daily. BOC International also says Apple Dailyhas performed worse than expected in the competition, adding that the daily would need toboost marketing expenses to follow rivals in their coupon campaigns. "The price cut shouldnot be a long-term strategy as the cost pressure is increasing," said a newspaper publishingexecutive, citing newsprint costs which had risen to about US$620 a tonne. The Sun last yearcut its cover price when two new free dailies entered the crowded newspaper market lastsummer. "The market competition remains fierce as the free dailies' circulation is going up,"said free daily am730 marketing director Agnes Chan. She said the three free dailies -- MetroPublishing Hong Kong's Metro, Sing Tao News Corp's Headline Daily and am730 -- hand outa combined 1.2 million copies. "Advertisers will allocate more budget for free dailies thisyear," said Ms Chan. Free dailies now account for about 8 per cent of local newspaperadvertising budgets. http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=45085; May 9, 2006Distribution Ways & ChannelsGeorgiaThe Press Distribution Service decided to close down the booths selling the newspapers andmagazines due to the changes made to Georgian Tax Code. Head of Tax Department KobaAbuladze made comments in connection with that issue on February 8. The persons carryingout economic transactions should register the receiving of monetary sums through cashregister. This rule concerns press booths too. Management of Tax Department called upon thenewsstands to purchase cash registers otherwise they will be fined from March 1, the amountof the fines will vary from 1000GEL to 5000 GEL. Internews Georgia;http://media.ge/eng/news_detailed.php?id_numb=405* * * * *Ten leading Georgian newspapers made a joint statement in which they call upon theParliament to correct the mistake in Tax Code due to which the newsstands have been closedfor four days now in Tbilisi. According to 2004 Tax Code the distribution of newspapers andmagazines as well as their selling are exempt from income taxes and VAT. Therefore, usageof cash registers in newsstands is absolutely unnecessary. The Georgian parliamentariansdon’t deny that the newly made changes indeed include that mistake and they say they’reready to correct it. http://media.ge/eng/news_detailed.php?id_numb=421* * * * *On February 17 the Georgian Parliament approved an amendment to Tax Code with 133 votesagainst 1, according to which the newsstands will not have to have cash registers installeduntill January 1, 2007. The decision concerns only those newsstands that sell newspapers andmagazines only. http://www.media.ge/eng/news_detailed.php?id_numb=451JapanMembers of the Japanese Newspaper Association NSK adopted an unprecedented emergencyresolution on 15 March demanding that the Fair Trade Commission maintain the newspaperindustry's protected trade status. The resolution, the first of its kind ever adopted by thegeneral membership, criticized the FTC moves to review the so-called "specific designation"50