ABC National Newspaper Round-Up – February 2004

The Independent is continuing to see circulation rise as the success of its recently launched tabloid edition goes on denting the growth of its main rivals in the broadsheet sector.

The latest ABC results for February show that the paper’s decision to extend the reach of its compact version has paid off with circulation increasing by 3% to 256,378. Last month the Independent completely ditched its broadsheet edition in Wales, Scotland, Ireland and South-West England, in a move that many believe brings it a step closer to becoming fully tabloid (see Independent Ditches Broadsheet Edition In Some Areas).

The ongoing success of the Independent appears to be causing problems for closest broadsheet rival, the Guardian, which saw circulation decline by 3.5% last month to below the 400,000 mark. The paper’s Sunday sibling also faired poorly during February with circulation dipping by 1.8% month on month to 451,737.

The Times, which was quick to follow in the Independent‘s footsteps with the launch of its own compact version, suffered a slight 0.7% dip in circulation to 655,876. However, the title recently extended the availability of its compact edition to areas outside of the original London trial zone (see Times Extends Availability Of Compact Edition).

Meanwhile, in the tabloid sector, the Daily Mirror continued to see circulation slump with a 1% month on month decline to just over 1,900,000. The title recently announced plans to raise its coverprice of its by 3p to 35p and launched a new female targeted celebrity magazine to boost sales (see Daily Mirror Coverprice To Rise As Group Profits Increase).

News International’s Sun suffered a slightly less severe 0.4% dip during the same period to 3,397,472. However, Richard Desmond’s Daily Star continued to shine with a solid 0.8% increase in circulation to just below the crucially important one million mark.

Desmond’s mid-market titles also performed well during February, with the Daily Express and the Sunday Express seeing circulation rise by 0.5% and 5.3% respectively. Earlier this month Desmond sold off his soft porn titles for an estimated £20 million in an attempt to improve his chances of buying the Daily Telegraph (see Desmond Pawns Adult Magazines For Telegraph Bid).

Quality Titles

The Business was one of the few quality titles to experience any upward movement in the six months to February with circulation improving by 191.7% year on year to 265,548. However, the Mail On Sunday recently ended its distribution deal with the financial title in a move that could have a significant impact on sales (see Associated Ends Distribution Deal With The Business).

At the other end of the scale the Sunday Telegraph saw circulation decline by 7.8% year on year to 706,678 and the Independent on Sunday slipped by 5.7% during the same period to 210,958. However, the title is due to be redesigned later this month with a stronger focus on the arts and highbrow entertainment.

Mid Market Titles

Once again the Daily Mail was the only mid market title to see circulation increase in the six months to January with a slight 0.2% year on year improvement to 2,455,936. Richard Desmond’s Daily Express dipped by 2.4% during the same period to 957,223.

Popular Titles

The Daily Star continued to put in a strong performance in the tabloid market with a solid 13.2% year on year increase in circulation to 888,587. News International’s Sun proved less fortunate with a 4.6% decline during the same period, but this was overshadowed by a sharper 8.1% fall for the Daily Mirror.

Sport First was once again among the worst performers in the popular market with a 31.9% decline in circulation to below the 26,867 mark. Trinity Mirror’s People also suffered with a 10.6% drop to 1,078,354 in the six months to February.

Metro Titles

The six months to February 2003 proved another positive period for the Associated Newspaper-owned Metro titles, which saw their overall distribution increase by 8.5% year on year to just over 900,000. The London edition of the free-sheet once again saw the most upward movement with a notable 16.5% rise in distribution to 459,151.

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