ABC National Newspaper Round-Up – October 2004

The Times saw its circulation dip by 0.7% during October to a total of just over 650,000 ahead of the paper’s switch to tabloid-only publication, according to the latest figures from the Audit Bureau of Circulations.

The newspaper claims that its compact edition has brought an increased audience of young readers to the traditionally older-focussed newspaper, with a recent study claiming 12% of those who do not currently read the title are more likely to pick it up since the launch of the compact edition (see Compact Times Proves Successful In Attracting New Readers).

The Times‘ main compact rival, the Independent fared better, notching up a 0.5% circulation increase in October, although it remained firmly behind the Times with a circulation of just over 266,000.

The two compact newspapers recently joined forces to conduct research into the new format, aiming to provide definitive answers for advertisers and boost confidence in the medium. The two newspapers are currently canvassing the UK’s major media agencies in order to hone the research brief and the results of the study should be released early next year (see Times And Independent Join For Tabloid Research Project).

Elsewhere the Guardian saw its circulation increase by 0.6%. The newspaper now commands a total of almost 380,000 but will soon launch a mid-size ‘berliner’ format. The move will see it follow in the footsteps of both the Independent and the Times in reducing its format, although the Guardian will remain larger than its compact rivals, somewhere between tabloid and broadsheet size.

The Financial Times also managed an increase, with circulation inching up by 0.2%. Rumours recently surfaced that the paper, which currently circulates to just under 440,000 readers, is considering plans to close its weekly Creative Business media supplement. The move would form part of an extensive £7 million cost cutting drive (see Financial Times Could Close Creative Business).

Richard Desmond’s Daily Express saw one of the largest circulation decreases in October, losing 4.7% to a total of just over 915,000. The newspaper mogul is understood to be considering radical plans to relaunch the paper as a national free-sheet in an attempt to boost flagging circulation figures and compete more closely with mid-market rival, the Daily Mail.

Tabloid rivals the Sun and the Daily Mirror also saw decreases in October, losing 1.7% and 1.3% respectively. However, the Sun remains the UK’s best selling weekday tabloid with a circulation of 3.3 million, compared with the Mirror‘s total of 1.77 million.

Quality Titles

The Times and the Independent were the only mainstream quality dailies to see circulation rise in the six months to October. The former rose by 3.5% year on year and the latter jumped by 18.6% following its compact success. The Business saw circulation grow by 45.5% during the same period to 214,445.

At the other end of the scale, Financial Times suffered a 3.3% decline in the six months to October ahead of recent reports that it is considering plans to close its weekly Creative Business media supplement, as part of an extensive £7 million cost cutting drive. The Guardian dipped by 3.1% during the same period and the Telegraph slipped by 1.9%.

Mid-Market

Richard Desmond’s Sunday Express was the only mid-market title to see any upward movement in the six months to October, with circulation rising by a healthy 3.6%. However, its daily sibling dipped by 2.9% during the same period, whilst the rival Daily Mail slipped by 1.3% during the same period.

Popular Titles

Things were pretty bleak for the tabloid titles in the six months to October with not one seeing circulation increase. The Daily Mirror suffered a sharp 7.4% year on year decline and even News International’s market-leading Sun dipped by 4.8%. The Sunday titles also suffered with Sunday Mirror dropping by 2.2% year on year and News of the World falling by a slightly more severe 3% during the same period. Sunday Sport was the worst hit with circulation declining by 14.7% to 156,350.

Metro Titles

The Metro titles continued to perform strongly during October with total certified distribution rising by a solid 5.2% year on year following the recent launch of a new edition in the North East. However, the most growth was experienced in London where distribution rose by 9.8% year on year to 496,093.

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