The Australian Financial Review began the working year with the biggest readership growth of any national and metropolitan traditional news masthead, confirming the strength of its business model.

Defying falling readership for most other titles, the Financial Review's monthly audience bounced back from the seasonal holiday lull to reach nearly 1.7 million in February, up 5 per cent on the same month last year.

Print readership edged down less than 1 per cent through the year to 939,000, according to Enhanced Media Metrics Australia's latest monthly report released late last week.

The Financial Review's monthly digital audience on afr.com grew 9 per cent to 855,000, in February, the masthead's biggest monthly digital audience other than last year's federal budget-related May result. Dominic Lorrimer

But the Financial Review's digital audience on afr.com grew 9 per cent to 855,000 in February, the masthead's biggest monthly digital audience other than last year's federal budget-related May result.

The monthly print and digital audience of the other national daily masthead, News Corp Australia's loss-making The Australian, fell 4 per cent in February compared with a year before, according to the EMMA results.