ABC Jan-Jun 2003: Mixed Fortunes For Computer Titles

The figures listed in NewsLine’s ABC reports are those reported by the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) as of Thursday 14 August 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 Important Notes: ABC January – June 2003.

ABC figures for the six months ending June 2002 reveal a turbulent time for the fickle world of computer publishing.

Future Publishing’s market leading Official PlayStation 2 magazine saw circulation fall by 3.7% year on year to 188,079. Its stablemate, Official PlayStation Magazine, dipped by a sharp 57.3% year on year to 31,774.

Computec Media’s PlayStation World also experienced a decline, with circulation dropping by 40.2% year on year to 53,349.

The diminishing popularity of the original PlayStation magazines reflects the increasing proliferation of titles dedicated to the second PlayStation.

Elsewhere, there was a solid performance from Emap Active’s Nintendo Official Magazine, which saw circulation rise by 1.9% year on year to 47,013.

The circulation figures of computing titles appear to be following tech stocks downwards, facing a diminishing audience. The market for consumers requiring basic knowledge has been saturated.

Dennis Publishing’s Computer Shopper was the biggest decliner in the computing magazine sector, falling by 17.3% year on year to 100,135.

One bright spot in an otherwise bleak market was provided by Crimson Publishing’s What Laptop And Handheld PC magazine, which rose 18.2% year on year to 25,930.

Subscribers can access the Press database by selecting “Press” from the drop-down box at the top of this page.