ABC National Newspaper Round-Up- July 2003

Month on month analysis of the latest ABC circulation figures for July reveals a mixed picture of national newspaper circulation, which rose by 1.2% to just over 26.5 million.

July proved to be a positive month for the tabloid market as the so-called summer silly season got into full swing. Richard Desmond’s recently launched Daily Star Sunday continued to make its mark on the sector with a notable 10.8% month on month rise in circulation. The Daily Star also benefited from its continued reliance on the trusted formula of celebrity gossip, sport and salacious kiss and tell stories. The title experienced a solid 4.9% increase in circulation to 912,767.

Elsewhere, Andrew Neil’s The Business saw circulation improve by 7.6% month on month to 110,423 following its investment in a comprehensive free distribution campaign. This has prompted critics to claim that the paper’s success is partially due to its increased usage of bulk sales. Meanwhile, rival pink paper, the Financial Times, was less fortunate. The title, which has been hard hit by the downturn in the City, saw its circulation slip by 5.4% during July to 437,944.

The wider broadsheet market continued to suffer from the seasonal downturn as consumers turned their backs on newspapers in favour of foreign holidays and the continuing British sunshine. Both the Independent and the Independent On Sunday experienced declines, with circulation falling by 1.2% and 1.3% respectively.

The Observer and the Guardian also suffered, with circulation dropping by 0.2% and 0.4% month on month during July. However, one bright spot in the somewhat gloomy broadsheet sector was provided by the Telegraph Group’s titles, which appear to have benefited from the £6 million “read a best-seller everyday” marketing campaign. The Daily Telegraph rose by 0.7% month on month to 921,741, while the Sunday Telegraph rose 0.4% during the same period to 703,035.

Quality Market

The latest ABC results brought less than positive news to the broadsheet sector, which saw its overall circulation decline by 4.4% year on year during the six months to July 2003.

The notable exception to the malaise of the sector was the The Business, which recorded an impressive 21.3% year on year increase in circulation to 99,516. However, there was bad news for the Telegraph titles, which have continued to suffer following their decision to axe bulk sales. The Daily Telegraph saw circulation fall by 7.9% year on year to 924,334, while the Sunday Telegraph slipped by 8.3% during the same period to 714,753.

News International’s quality titles also experienced significant losses, despite the volume of high profile news stories in the February to July 2003 period. The Times saw its circulation decline by 8.4% year on year to 645,116, while the Sunday Times dropped by 2.3% year on year during the same period.

Meanwhile, the Guardian and the Observer escaped the big losses suffered by their main rivals and both saw circulation inch down 0.1% year on year.

Mid-Market

In contrast to the notable declines seen in the broadsheet market, the mid-market continued to perform strongly in the six months to June 2003, with its overall circulation improving by 1.6% year on year.

The Sunday Express saw the sector’s biggest increase in percentage terms, with a 6.5% year on year increase in circulation. The Daily Express also received good news with a 1.8% year improvement during the same period to 947,021. Both titles appear have benefited from a range of exclusive interview deals and shared content with Richard Desmond’s flagship celebrity title, OK!.

The Daily Mail and the Mail On Sunday also continued to see circulation increase. The former improved by 0.9% year on year to 2,432,221 and the latter climbed by 0.4% during the same period to 2,366,120.

Popular Market

The latest ABC results for the six months to July 2003 paint a mixed picture of the tabloid market and although the sector saw its overall circulation increase by 0.6% year on year, there were a number of large declines at key titles.

The Daily Mirror, which recently announced a number job cuts as part of a wider strategic review of its parent company, Trinity Mirror (see Jobs Go At The Daily Mirror As Cost Cutting Continues), saw circulation fall by 6.8% year on year. The figures will place the paper under further pressure to stem the declines, which some analysts believe were exacerbated by its hardline anti-war stance.

Meanwhile, News International, which recently appointed former Barclays marketer Belinda Furneaux-Harris as its new marketing director (see News Group Appoints New Marketing Director), welcomed a 1.7% year on year increase in circulation at The Sun. However, things were less positive for the News Of The World, which saw circulation decline by 1.6% year on year during the six months to July.

Elsewhere, the Daily Star continued to twinkle with a 28.2% year on year increase in circulation to 863,567. However, Trinity Mirror’s People saw a 16.4% year on year decline in circulation to 217,296 during the same period.

The sector’s biggest decline in percentage terms was experienced by Sport First, which suffered a sharp 50.7% year on year drop in circulation.

Metro Titles

July was an impressive month for the Metro titles, which saw their overall circulation improve by 4.9% year on year to 886,912. The most notable increase was seen at Metro London, which saw circulation climb by 10.4% to 450,797. However, Metro (NorthWest) experienced a 1% year on year decline during the same period to 107,601.

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