ABC Results Jan-Jun 2004: Computing Titles Continue To Crash
The figures listed in NewsLine’s ABC reports are those reported by the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) as at Thursday 12 August 2004. 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 June 2004 reveal that the majority of computing and gaming magazines saw circulation decline in what was another unsettled period for the rapidly evolving sector.
FXM International’s XBox Gamer suffered the largest overall decline with circulation dipping by 42.3% year on year to 20,037. However, the title covers a games console that is now nearly three years old and it is unsurprising that interest is beginning to wane.
Future Publishing’s NGC Magazine, which targets those with Nintendo Game Cube consoles, also performed poorly with circulation dipping by 26.2% year on year to 23,804. However, the downturn was not solely confined to the console market and Dennis Publishing’s mixed format title, Computer and Video Games, experienced a staggering 40.2% decline during the same period to 19,162.
Only a handful of titles managed to increase circulation, with Future’s PSW (PlayStation World) proving that console fans have not yet tired of Sony’s games machine. The title saw circulation rise by 6.5% year on year to achieve a healthy circulation of 56,834.
| Gaming Magazines: Jan-Jun 2004 Year On Year Comparisons | |||||
| Title | Publisher | Jan-Jun 03 | Jan-Jun 04 | Actual Change | % Ch |
| Computer and Video Games | Dennis Publishing | 32,069 | 19,162 | -12,907 | -40.2 |
| Cube | Highbury Entertainment | 31,736 | 29,172 | -2,564 | -8.1 |
| Cheatzone* | Future Games | n/a | 7,205 | n/a | n/a |
| Edge | Future Publishing | 27,315 | 27,464 | 149 | 0.5 |
| Games Master | Future Publishing | 59,222 | 55,254 | -3,968 | -6.7 |
| NGC Magazine | Future Publishing | 32,253 | 23,804 | -8,449 | -26.2 |
| Nintendo Official Magazine | Emap Active | 47,013 | 46,108 | -905 | -1.9 |
| Official Playstation 2 | Future Publishing | 188,079 | 177,450 | -10,629 | -5.7 |
| Official UK Xbox Magazine | FXM International | 80,179 | 83,549 | 3,370 | 4.2 |
| Official Xbox – Special Edition Series | FXM International | 15,959 | 13,273 | -2,686 | -16.8 |
| P2 | Highbury Entertainment | 19,048 | 18,929 | -119 | -0.6 |
| PC Gamer | Future Publishing | 65,573 | 57,748 | -7,825 | -11.9 |
| PC Zone | Dennis Publishing | 50,050 | 41,073 | -8,977 | -17.9 |
| Play | Highbury Entertainment | 64,686 | 54,109 | -10,577 | -16.4 |
| PSW (PlayStation World) | Future Publishing | 53,349 | 56,834 | 3,485 | 6.5 |
| PSM2 | Future Publishing | 58,527 | 45,147 | -13,380 | -22.9 |
| XBM | Highbury Entertainment | 32,163 | 29,559 | -2,604 | -8.1 |
| XBox Gamer | FXM International | 34,710 | 20,037 | -14,673 | -42.3 |
| Xbox World (N) | Future Publishing | n/a | 23,753 | n/a | n/a |
| Total | 891,931 | 829,630 | -62,301 | -7.0 | |
| *No data for Jan-Jun 2003 period | |||||
PC and business focused titles fared slightly better than their gaming counterparts, but they were not immune to the downturn gripping the sector. VNU’s Personal Computer World suffered the largest decline with circulation dipping by 16.8% year on year to 101,171. However, a 13.4% decline for Dennis Punlishing’s MacUser proved that the downturn had extended to all computing platforms.
Only a handful of titles experienced growth in the six months to June 2004, with Dennis Publishing’s Computer Shopper proving that the market for techno-titles is still alive. The title which provides purchasing advice to readers saw a healthy 7.6% year on year increase in circulation to 107,726.
| Computing Magazines: Jan-Jun 2004 Year On Year Comparisons | |||||
| Title | Publisher | Jan-Jun 03 | Jan-Jun 04 | Actual Change | % Ch |
| Computer Buyer | Dennis Publishing | 38,321 | 34,892 | -3,429 | -8.9 |
| Computer Shopper | Dennis Publishing | 100,135 | 107,726 | 7,591 | 7.6 |
| Custom PC (N) | Dennis Publishing | n/a | 20,078 | n/a | n/a |
| MacUser | Dennis Publishing | 24,289 | 21,038 | -3,251 | -13.4 |
| PC Pro | Dennis Publishing | 117,150 | 106,064 | -11,086 | -9.5 |
| Personal Computer World | VNU | 121,566 | 101,171 | -20,395 | -16.8 |
| PC Live* | Scope | n/a | 10,616 | n/a | n/a |
| PC Utilities | Live Publishing | 25,670 | 23,501 | -2,169 | -8.4 |
| Total | 427,131 | 425,086 | -2,045 | -0.5 | |
| *No data for Jan-Jun 2003 period | |||||
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