This is a list of newspapers in Hong Kong. Hong Kong is home to many of Asia's biggest English and Chinese language newspapers. The territory has one of the world's largest press industries and is a major centre for print journalism.
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.[citation needed]
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.[1]
Most papers sell at a cover price of HK$9-10, except South China Morning Post (HK$9, while the Sunday edition, Sunday Morning Post, costs HK$10). 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.[2]
Newspapers in Hong Kong are considered to follow a particular political stance, with most being either pro-Beijing or pro-democracy. A few are neutral, or are oriented towards finance or religion. There has long been a lively tabloid sector, including Oriental Daily, The Sun and (formerly) Apple Daily.[3]
Hong Kong is also the base of regional editions of foreign English-language newspapers. The International New York Times and Financial Times are published in Hong Kong.
From 10 September 2007, The Standard switched to free, advertising-supported distribution. The South China Morning Post[10] announced on 11 December 2015 that the Alibaba Group would acquire the South China Morning Post from Malaysian tycoon Robert Kuok, who had owned it since 1993. As of 5 April 2016, the South China Morning Post's online content became free to read.[11]
