ABC Jul-Dec 2003: Sneak Continues To Rise In Teen Sector

The figures listed in NewsLine’s ABC reports are those reported by the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) as at Thursday 12 February 2003. Late submissions and changes may be made after this date, and will thereafter be amended in MediaTel’s Press database. For full notes on how NewsLine’s reports are compiled please see NewsLine.

Emap’s teen gossip magazine, Sneak, continued to gain ground in the notoriously unpredictable teenage magazine market with an impressive 20.4% year on year increase in circulation to 104,174.

The latest ABC results for the six months to December 2003 show that the title for 13 to 19 year-olds, which launched less than two years ago, is quickly making its mark on the sector with its reliance on celebrity news and gossip.

However, Sneak faces tough competition from Natmags’ baby glossy, CosmoGIRL!, which saw circulation increase by almost 40% year on year to just under the 200,000 mark. The title recently relaunched with a series of new editorial features and the handbag-sized format made popular by Condé Nast’s Glamour (see CosmoGIRL! Relaunches With New Handbag Size).

The BBC’s entertainment-focused It’s Hot was the only other teenage title to see circulation increase in the six months to December. The magazine for 10 to 11 year-olds improved by 12% year on year to 116,515.

However, increasing competition in the sector prompted Emap’s teen stalwart Smash Hits to see circulation decline by 21.2% year on year to 114,383. The title’s poor performance has been partially attributed to the lacklustre pop industry and the decision not to include covermounts with every issue.

The BBC’s Top Of The Pops magazine was also hit by an absence of new teenage coverstars and the magazine dipped by 5.6% year on year to 230,493 and celebrity-focused Shout dipped by 16.2% to below the 100,000 mark.

Hachette Filipacchi’s Sugar maintained its position as market leader despite a 9.2% year on year decline in circulation to 291,794. The title recently secured Durex as the exclusive sponsor of a special section promoting the importance of safe sex to young people (see Sugar Secures Safe Sex Sponsorship Deal With Durex).

Competition looks set to increase in the teenage sector after ELLEgirl went on sale as a monthly title for the first time last week. The decision to increase the magazine’s frequency from bi-monthly to monthly was taken last year as part of Hachette’s ongoing strategy to strengthen its teenage portfolio (see ELLEgirl Goes On Sale As Teen Style Monthly).

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