ABC Jul-Dec 2003: IPC’s Chat Lifts Women’s Weeklies
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.
The latest ABC results for the six months to December 2003 reveal an impressive performance for IPC Media’s Chat, which saw its circulation increase by 9.4% year on year to just above the 600,000 mark.
The title’s blend of true life stories, puzzles and competitions continues to prove successful with its core readership and sales were no doubt boosted by a pre-Christmas promotion targeting Asda shoppers (see Chat Magazine Launches Pre-Christmas Promotion).
H Bauer’s more traditional Bella and Take A Break saw some upward movement with circulation improving by 0.3% and 1.9% respectively. Both titles also target older women and appear to be benefiting from a slowdown in the growth of celebrity-focused magazines.
Meanwhile, the increasing competition in the market for gossip-led titles caused IPC Media’s Now to suffer a sharp 6.1% year on year decline in circulation to 592,076. However, the title recently launched a £6 million television advertising campaign in an attempt to strengthen its position at the top of the celebrity pile.
Northern & Shell’s latest foray into the magazine market, New!, saw circulation dip by 1.4% in period on period analysis, but Emap’s recently launched Closer bucked the celebrity slowdown with a solid 15.1% increase during the same period to 385,036.
IPC Media’s flagship Woman continued to see circulation decline and its reliance on a formula of practical advice on every day life could not stem an 11.4% year on year drop to 565,393. Stablemates Woman’s Own and Woman’s Weekly also suffered declines suggesting the nature of the sector’s readership is changing.
| Women’s Weekly Magazines: Jul-Dec 2003 Year On Year Comparisons | |||||
| Title | Publishing Company | Jul-Dec 02 | Jul-Dec 03 | Actual Change | % Change |
| Bella | H Bauer Publishing | 427,855 | 429,226 | 1,371 | 0.3 |
| Best | National Magazine Company | 416,074 | 420,437 | 4,363 | 1.0 |
| Chat | IPC | 552,800 | 604,582 | 51,782 | 9.4 |
| Closer (R) | Emap | n/a | 385,036 | n/a | n/a |
| Lady | Lady | 39,264 | 37,044 | -2,220 | -5.7 |
| My Weekly | DC Thomson & Co | 273,703 | 256,985 | -16,718 | -6.1 |
| New (R) | Northern & Shell | n/a | 334,310 | n/a | n/a |
| Now (See also Celebrity Magazines) | IPC | 630,212 | 592,076 | -38,136 | -6.1 |
| People’s Friend | DC Thomson & Co | 382,550 | 376,627 | -5,923 | -1.5 |
| Take A Break | H Bauer Publishing | 1,204,577 | 1,227,305 | 22,728 | 1.9 |
| That’s Life! | H Bauer Publishing | 597,170 | 597,420 | 250 | 0.0 |
| Woman | IPC | 638,036 | 565,393 | -72,643 | -11.4 |
| Woman’s Own | IPC | 519,388 | 478,687 | -40,701 | -7.8 |
| Woman’s Weekly | IPC | 486,149 | 453,153 | -32,996 | -6.8 |
| Total | 6,167,778 | 6,758,281 | 590,503 | 9.6 | |
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