Times Extends Availability Of Compact Edition
The Times is extending the availability of its recently launched compact edition to areas outside of the original London trial zone.
From next Monday News International will distribute the tabloid version of the paper throughout the Carlton, Anglia, Meridian, Central and Granada television regions, in a move that will take its total print run to over 250,000.
The announcement comes just weeks after the paper decided to follow in The Independent‘s footsteps with the launch of its own tabloid edition for commuters in the London metropolitan area.
Other broadsheets have been considering tabloid launches for some time and this latest move looks set to encourage the Daily Telegraph to follow suit with its own scaled-down edition, which is understood to be ready to go to press.
Clive Milner, managing director of Times Newspapers, commented: “New readers have been attracted to our compact by the accessibility of the format. The compact has created a significant new audience for The Times and it has been extremely well received by industry and readers alike.”
The first full month of audited sales of the compact version will not be available until the end of January. However, industry estimates suggest that title has seen circulation increase by around 25,000 copies a day since the launch of the tabloid edition (see Independent Claims Tabloid Times Has Not Effected Sales).
The Independent‘s editor, Simon Kelner, recently claimed the compact Times had not eaten into sales of his paper, saying: “As long as the effect is so small I’m quite happy for it to sell as many as it wants – let a thousand flowers bloom.”
News International’s decision to extend the reach of the compact Times looks set to provide a much needed boost to its circulation, which slumped by 8.6% year on year to 630,131, down from 689,382 in the same period the previous year, according to the latest ABC results for November 2003.
Long term analysis over a ten year period shows that the Times has been effected by the wider malaise of the broadsheet sector, which has been hit by declines at the majority of key titles.
News International: 020 7782 3922 www.newscorp.com
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