PPA Chief Counters Claims Of Industry Downturn

The chief executive of the Periodical Publishers’ Association (PPA), Ian Locks, has spoken out against speculation that the recent spate of magazine closures is indicative of a downturn in the magazine market (see Feature: Has The Consumer Magazine Industry Reached Saturation Point?), dismissing the claims as “selective and misleading.”

Locks stated: “If an industry is launching between 600 and 800 new consumer and business-to-business titles a year, that means at least three magazines are launched every working day. Innovation is the industry’s strength – but sadly titles also have to close.” To illustrate this, he said that recent closures of previously popular magazines Sky and Later (see Emap To Axe Sky While IPC Says ‘See You’ To Later) were part of an “inevitable spring clean in the industry”, adding that 66 new consumer magazines were launched in March alone this year.

The PPA backs its audience with figures from BRAD which show that in the last decade the number of consumer titles has risen by 44%, while the business market has grown by 20%. Magazines which did not exist ten years ago now generate 42% of present revenue. In addition, ABC figures show that along with a 15.7% increase in net circulation over the decade, two new sectors have begun to flourish in this time, with Men’s lifestyle magazines establishing a circulation base of 2.8m copies per month and Celebrity magazines gaining a circulation of around 1.8m copies per month.

PPA: 020 7404 4166 www.ppa.co.uk

Subscribers can access the Press database by selecting “Press” from the drop-down box at the top of this page.