News Corp supports leading businesses with $8M for Covid community service announcements

As Australia experiences unprecedented community, health and business uncertainty due to the coronavirus crisis, News Corp Australia has invited leading Australian companies to utilise print advertising at no charge to communicate critical information to customers, staff and suppliers.

The community service announcement (CSA) initiative will provide full page print advertising, valued at $8m, to leading companies including those in the travel, airline, retail, banking, sport, telco, utility and insurance sectors.

In a letter to CEOs from News Corp Australiasia executive chairman, Michael Miller, he said the offer will provide much-needed support for business: “Australians are being flooded with information, and in some cases misinformation. Our news brands will remain focused on being a trusted source of accurate information as well as important community service announcements from our business partners.

“Our leading companies will be able to show how they are helping manage this crisis and how it may personally impact the public and the customers they serve.

“This is a crisis that seems to respect no boundaries – it affects everybody – and it’s imperative we work together in a unified way to do what we can to help.”

News Corp Australia’s brands are experiencing a surge in consumer demand with the latest data showing audiences for News Corp’s metro mastheads and The Australian surging by 48 per cent in the past week. Sales of newspapers in supermarkets as well as digital subscriptions have also spiked.

The community service-style full page advertisements will appear in printed newspapers and, recognising many readers are now working remotely and accessing news online, in the digital editions on the news brands’ websites and apps.