ABC Consumer Jul-Dec 2012: Overview
This article will update over the next hour
Today’s ABC release, for the July to December 2012 period, charts the continuing downward trend for the consumer magazine print market, with just a few exceptions.
By Sector
The Women’s Lifestyle sector recorded negative growth of -3.8% over the previous year. Free title John Lewis Edition remains at the top of the sector, recording growth of 3.3% over the previous period – and up 2.3% year on year (YoY).
Last period – January to June 2012 – the Women’s Lifestyle sector was seeing a fairly bleak picture with just eight titles in our analysis seeing a YoY circulation uplift.
By comparison, this period sees ten titles post YoY increases and twelve PoP increases. ASOS.com, John Lewis Edition, U Magazine, and RSVP all saw reasonable to good positive gains over the year.
The Women’s Weekly sector, which is down -13% on last year, has seen almost no positive gains for the period or the year. Take a Break is still leading with 749,526 copies, and looks most resilient in the sector, down -4.7% for the period and -5.2% YoY, but this is one of the smallest decreases for major the titles.
Almost 50% of all Men’s Lifestyle titles experienced a loss during the six-month period, with bi-monthly magazine Healthy for Men taking the biggest hit, -20.5% PoP and a huge YoY sales decrease of -35.8%.
The Home Interest consumer magazine market is down -2.2% overall since the last year on year (YoY) period. The majority of titles experienced YoY losses with the biggest YoY sales decrease hitting Kelsey Publishing Ltd’s Coast, down -21.4%.
Overall, TV Listings magazines were down -4.5% year on year (YoY). Though down on both PoP -3.7% and YoY -5.7%, H Bauer Publishing’s magazine TV Choice remained in poll position.
The Domestic News and Affairs market has largely seen little change after it completely bucked the downward consumer magazine trend in the last period. Private Eye still tops the list with 224,796 copies, but was down -0.6% for the period and -1.5% year on year.
ABC Top 100 Actively Purchased Magazines (UK&RoI)
The TV listings sector continues to lead the way in the ABC Top 100 Actively Purchased Magazines – with TV Choice, What’s on TV and the Radio Times remaining in the top three positions for the entire year.
Six of the top 20 actively purchased titles posted period on period (PoP) increases, while only Slimming World Magazine enjoyed a year on year (YoY) rise (up 11.2%).
Hardest hit, in the top 20, were New!, down -21% YoY and -8.6% PoP, followed by Cosmopolitan, down -17.5% YoY and -11.9% PoP.
Note: Sector-by-sector figures reported elsewhere on Newsline are total figures and will include all global sales.
ABC Top 100 Magazines – Total Average Net Circulation/Distribution
Customer magazines still claim the top two spots for the ABC Top 100 Magazines by Total Average Net Circulation/Distribution – with Asda Magazine in pole position, reaching just under two million people – down only 0.2% PoP (but up 0.6% YoY).
Tesco Magazine comes in second place but is followed by The National Trust Magazine (delivered to paying National Trust members), which boasts a total circulation of almost 1.9 million copies (a 0.0% change YoY).
Out of the top 10 magazines, five are actively purchased (or are included in a wider membership subscription) while five are free titles – Asda Magazine, Tesco Magazine, Tesco Real Food, Morrisons Magazine and the RSPB’s Birds.
After the choice to distribute Time Out for free late last year, the magazine’s PoP change is up a huge 485.3% and 455.2% YoY, placing it in 37th place overall.
Publishers
Mixed fortunes for consumer print publishers as Bauer Consumer Media see a -10.9% YoY decline, Hearst Magazines UK -11% while Egmont Magazines see 23% growth.
MediaTel subscribers can get quick access to all the latest circulation figures in our ABC Circulation: Consumer Magazines report.