ABC Results Jul-Dec 2004: Fickle Teen Market Deals Blow To Mizz Celebrations
The figures listed in NewsLine’s ABC reports are those reported by the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) as at Thursday 17 February 2005. 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.
IPC’s Mizz reported a less than impressive performance at the end of 2004, shedding almost a third of its circulation in the six months to December according to the latest ABC results.
The downturn in sales will cast a shadow over the title’s celebrations at the end of last year, which saw it produce a bumper, party-themed edition to mark its five hundredth issue (see Mizz Celebrates Nearly Twenty Years With Bumper Edition). The magazine now commands a total circulation of 70,000, dipping below the 100,000 mark.
However, there were some circulation rises in the teen sector, with Emap’s Bliss enjoyed a solid increase of 18% (43,397) year on year, pushing its total to just over 285,000, moving it to just behind market leader Sugar, with just 10,000 copies separating the two.
Part of Emap’s success with Bliss can be attributed to a re-design and editorial overhaul carried out in July 2004, focussing the title on more glamourous content, as well as providing more ‘grown up’ features for aspirational teens. The number of pages dedicated to celebrity gossip, real-life stories and boys were also increased (see Bliss Gets A Facelift To Compete In Tricky Teen Market).
Sugar will soon echo the facelift given to Bliss last year, with a redesign planned following the appointment of Annabel Brog as editor in October 2004 (see Sugar Appoints New Editor Ahead Of Redesign).
Market newcomer, Elle Girl, made its debut ABC appearance with a circulation total of 90,334, bolstering a sector that would otherwise have seen a year on year decline overall.
| Teenage Magazines: Jul-Dec 2004 Year On Year Comparisons | |||||
| Title | Publisher | Jul-Dec 03 | Jul-Dec 04 | Actual Change | %Ch |
| Bliss | Emap Elan | 241,664 | 285,061 | 43,397 | 18.0 |
| CosmoGirl! | National Magazine Company | 198,324 | 213,311 | 14,987 | 7.6 |
| Elle Girl (N) | Hachette Filipacchi | n/a | 90,334 | n/a | n/a |
| It’s Hot | BBC Magazines | 116,515 | 101,547 | -14,968 | -12.8 |
| Kiss | Minjara Publishing | 10,799 | 12,739 | 1,940 | 18.0 |
| Mizz | IPC Media | 100,298 | 70,320 | -29,978 | -29.9 |
| Shout | DC Thompson & Co | 84,600 | 67,466 | -17,134 | -20.3 |
| Sneak | Emap | 104,174 | 90,946 | -13,228 | -12.7 |
| Smash Hits | Emap Performance | 114,383 | 126,100 | 11,717 | 10.2 |
| Sugar | Hachette Filipacchi | 291,794 | 295,364 | 3,570 | 1.2 |
| Top Of The Pops | BBC Magazines | 230,493 | 200,907 | -29,586 | -12.8 |
| TV Hits | Hachette Filipacchi | 130,164 | 103,658 | -26,506 | -20.4 |
| Total | 1,623,208 | 1,657,753 | 34,545 | 2.1 | |
ABC: 01442 200 732 www.abc.org.uk
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