ABC Jul-Dec 2002: Gaming Titles Boosted By PlayStation 2

The figures listed in NewsLine’s ABC reports are those reported by the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) as at Thursday 13 February 2002. 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 July – December 2002

ABC results for the six months ending December 2002 reveal the changing face of computer, gaming and internet magazine sector, which is evolving with the technological landscape.

Overall, computing magazines suffered from a broad-based decline in circulation, with the majority of titles seeing circulation fall year on year between July and December 2002. However, one bright-spot was provided by Paragon Publishing’s PC Basics, which increased its circulation by 7.3% year on year to 16,585. Crimson Publishing’s What Laptop And Handheld PC also saw its circualtion rise by 2.1% year on year to 25,549.

In the computer gaming sector, Future Publishing’s Official PlayStation 2 magazine recorded the largest increase in circulation, up 56.8% year on year to 197,348. However, this was at the expense of Official PlayStation Magazine, which saw its circulation decline by 51% during the same period to 50,185.

Elsewhere, Emap Active’s Nintendo Official Magazine continued to suffer from increasing competition in the market. The title’s circulation declined by 7.1% year on year to 51,096. More general gaming titles also a significant amount of movement, with Future Publishing’s PC Gamer dropping by 3.2% year on year to 76,059 and Dennis Publishing’s Computer and Video Games magazine declining by 10.8% to 33,033.

ABC results also brought less than impressive news for Paragon Publishing’s internet magazines, which caused the sector to decline by 19.5% year on year.

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