BE Asia 2012: Business elites read social sites, but still favor traditional media news

Overall, the number of respondents accessing social-media sites has grown by well over a third since 2010 to 40 per cent. 

The study, released today in Hong Kong, surveyed more than 7,000 senior business executives across eight countries, namely Thailand, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia South Korea and the Philippines. Their annual incomes are estimated at almost US$200,000 with an average net worth of more than US$1.3 million

Sponsors include The Wall Street Journal Asia, The Financial Times, The Economist, Bloomberg Businessweek, Forbes, Newsweek, Time, Fortune, South China Morning Post, CNN, Bloomberg, Bloomberg Markets Magazine, Publicitas, John Ayling and Associates, ZenithOptimedia, Carat, Mediacom, Mindshare, MEC, MediaSphere and Starcom MediaVest.

The study also noted a trend to mobile, with two-thirds accessing online content via mobile devices, compared with half this number two years ago. This is unsurprising considering that nearly 90 per cent of business executives own smartphones and more than half (51 per cent) own tablets. 

The survey has also begun to ask respondents if they have downloaded new apps for their smartphones and tablets within the last month. Nearly half (46 per cent) said they have. 

Another new inclusion in this year's study is Bloomberg Businessweek which was omitted last year due to its change in title. Andrew Green, Ipsos global chief marketing officer, explained then that the research firm waits two years after a "significant change in brand" before publishing its results. 

The weekly publication makes its re-entry in fourth place with 10 per cent of respondents opting for the title, after Time (25 per cent), Newsweek (22 per cent) and The Economist (21 per cent). 

National Geographic (23 per cent) and Forbes (20 per cent) still retain their top two positions among the monthly titles, but Readers Digest (English) has lost third place, which it held last year, to Harvard Business Review (17 per cent).

For the daily titles, this year's ranking shows no change in place from the previous two years. The Wall Street Journal Asia cements its position further, rising a point from 20 per cent last year to 21 per cent this year. The Financial Times did likewise, increasing a percentage point to 17 per cent this year, while The International Herald Tribune held steady at 9 per cent. 

The international daily channels league table likewise held steady from last year with CNN (27 per cent) leading the list, followed by Discovery Channel (21 per cent) and National Geographic (18 per cent). This year's list, however, does introduce Fox News, which ranked eighth with 6 per cent. 

These steady figures indicate that despite the rising usage of social media, Asia's business elite still enjoy traditional media, with nearly all (98 per cent) having read the last issue of any print media this year, a number that's held steady from 2011 and 2010. 

"Their continuing very high consumption of international newspapers and television suggests that, despite the very fast growth of digital platforms, it is the trusted, traditional media brands that continue to take the lion’s share of their time and attention," commented Green.