readership
n.the group of people who regularly read a specific book, magazine, or newspaper. It describes the total number or type of people who follow a publication.
n.the collective body of readers of a particular publication or author. Often used to refer to the demographic profile or the total size of an audience.
“The magazine has a very loyal readership.”
“The newspaper is trying to attract a younger readership by increasing its coverage of technology and social media.”
“While the print circulation has declined, the digital readership has grown exponentially, suggesting that the publication's core audience is simply migrating to new platforms.”
Often used with a qualifying adjective like 'wide', 'loyal', or 'niche'.
“Blackie’s books are something of a secret among a growing, largely female, readership across the world (as evidenced by rapturous quotes on the covers).”
“In an article in The Guardian asking its international readership which country or culture they thought had the most lax attitudes towards swearing people named Americans, Scots, Australians, Czechs and Jamaicans.”
From reader + -ship.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.