The Sport New Zealand annual media and gender report revealed the newspaper topped the national media organisations in print and online gender balance coverage last year.
The ODT’s print coverage balance rose to 30.8% in 2024, up 5% from 2023, and online coverage rose to 35.3% in 2024.
While all other organisations’ visibility reduced from 2023 to 2024, the ODT continued to climb to 31% for overall visibility. Nationally visibility dipped from 24% to 23%.
"Notably, the Otago Daily Times has consistently and incrementally increased both gender balance and visibility in all four years of the study," the report said.
The newspaper sits second nationally for overall gender balance at 32.6% and third for female bylines at 37%.
The study found overall 27% of sports stories focused on women’s sport in 2024, a minor increase from 26% in 2023.
Coverage naturally peaked during the Olympics, Paralympics — both saw a 3% increase in gender balance compared to Tokyo — and the Women’s T20 World Cup.
Netball continued to be the top female sport covered, but dropped slightly from 16% to 15%, while football had a big drop from 29% — when the Fifa Women’s World Cup was held in New Zealand in 2023 — to 9% last year.
Cricket, tennis and golf all had 3% increases in their coverage and rugby union made a 1% increase.
Lydia Ko was the most covered female athlete after her gold medal Olympic heroics, followed by Lulu Sunn’s Wimbledon run and Lisa Carrington’s dominant Paris campaign.
