ABC Results Jan-Jun 2004: House Beautiful Comes Out Top

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 National Magazine Company’s House Beautiful was the best performer in an unsettled home interest sector, with its circulation increasing by 24.4% year on year, according to the latest ABC results for the six months to June 2004.

The increase helped the veteran lifestyle title, which launched in the late eighties, strengthen its position near the top of the sector, with its mix of ideas and information about home products remaining popular with its target readership of upmarket females aged 30 and over.

There has been a marked increase in the number of home improvement and interior design programmes being screened by terrestrial broadcasters over the last few months. However, the recent arrival of shows like Honey I Ruined The House and ITV’s The Block have arrived too late to boost the sector in this period.

The success of Channel 4’s longrunning Grand Designs series recently prompted Media 10 Publishing to launch a monthly spin-off title dedicated to some of the most ambitious building projects featured on the programme. However, initial figures put the tile at the lower end of the sector with a circulation of just over 50,000.

Meanwhile, IPC’s design and interior titles, Ideal Home and 25 Beautiful Homes, put in less than impressive performances, with their respective circulations declining by 0.9% and 8.3%% in year on year analysis. Cabal’s Real Homes Magazine also performed poorly with circulation dipping by 22.1% during the same period to 90,423.

BBC Homes & Antiques performed poorly, with circulation declining by 24.3% year on year to 114,580. However, things were more positive for the BBC’s Good Homes magazine, which increased its circulation by an impressive 13.2% to 119,983.

Conde Nast’s portfolio of highbrow interiors titles also performed well, with House & Garden increasing its circulation by 0.2% year on year to 148,954 and World Of Interiors rising by 2% during the same period to 65,858.

The National Magazine Company’s Country Living, covering all aspects of country homes and gardens, increased its circulation by 5.4% year on year to 179,396. However, IPC’s style-focused Country Homes & Interiors failed to replicate its rival’s success, dipping by 9.3% to 92,058.

Homebase Ideas, published by Publicis Blueprint, remained perched at the top of the pile of home interest titles with a circulation of 447,500, despite suffering a 10% drop in circulation. However, the title is not strictly comparable with other consumer magazines as it is given away free in Homebase stores.

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