Popularity The Chinese language newspapers
Headline Daily and
Oriental Daily News have the highest shares in the Hong Kong newspaper market, while the
Hong Kong Economic Times is the best-selling financial newspaper.
The Standard, a free tabloid with a mass market strategy, is the most widely circulated English newspaper by a significant margin. Its rival,
South China Morning Post, has the most paid subscribers among English-language papers in Hong Kong.
Apple Daily had one of the highest circulations before its closure in 2021. It had a feisty, tabloid style, concentrating on celebrity gossip and
paparazzi photography, with sensationalist news reportage and a noted anti-government political position. The Chinese language publications were written to some degree with colloquial Cantonese phrases.
Media landscape and pricing The number of newspapers in the market has been stable for a long time. Occasional attempts to establish new types of newspaper and themed papers generally cannot compete with the established brands. However, the entry into the market of free newspapers
Metropolis Daily,
Headline Daily,
am730, and
The Epoch Times spurred competition. In September 2007,
The Standard changed its business model from a traditional daily into a free-sheet, distributed in commercial districts like
Central and
Admiralty. Most papers sell at a cover price of HK$12, except
South China Morning Post (HK$16) and
Hong Kong Economic Journal (HK$15). The economic recession brought about by
SARS in 2003 led to some resellers pricing at $1 below the recommended price. According to the HK Newspaper Hawkers Association, the situation lasted through to 2008, when around 10% of sellers maintained the cut price despite the change in the prevailing economic climate. The Association urged a return to
resale price maintenance. ==Chinese-language newspapers==