ABC Results Jul-Dec 2005:Women’s Weeklies Market Fuelled By Gossip
The women’s weekly magazines market continues to thrive, with the latest set of ABC figures for July to December showing sizeable gains across the market, indicating the nation’s thirst for celebrity news.
Natmags Reveal enjoyed the largest percentage increase, pushing its circulation up by 44% year on year, with the title now commanding a circulation of 345,502.
This success was mirrored in Emap’s rival gossip magazine, Closer, seeing a 14.7% rise, adding almost 74,000 to its circulation and reaching a total of 578,337.
OK put in a strong performance for Northern & Shell, with the publication enjoying the largest actual increase in circulation. The 22.7% year on year rise resulted in an extra 120,285 being added to its circulation, currently standing at 649,777.
H Bauer’s Take A Break retained its position as the market leader, with the real-life magazine commanding a circulation of 1,155,886, despite suffering a year on year drop of 5.5%.
The German publisher’s other offerings, Thats Life! continued its downward trend, dipping by 8.6% year on year, while Bella also performed poorly, dropping by 11% year on year.
IPC Media saw declines in the women’s weekly magazine sector, with Chat, Woman, Womans Own and Womans Weekly all losing circulation.
Woman saw the biggest decline in the market, down by 13.5% year on year, losing 71,240 to command a circulation of 456,524. Chat, Womans Own and Womans Weekly lost 5.3% 8.9% and 7.4% year on year, respectively.
Emap, with its newest offering, Grazia continued to do well, adding 15,626 to its circulation from the January to June ABCs, with the publication now commanding a circulation of 170,783. Heat also managed to push its circulation up, enjoying a year on year increase of 4.2%.
Elsewhere, My Weekly dipped by 13% year on year, with DC Thompson & Co’s other offering, Peoples Friend, continuing the downwards trend, losing 3.7% year on year.
The figures listed in NewsLine’s ABC reports are those reported by the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) as at Thursday 16 February 2006. Late submissions and changes may be made after this date, and will thereafter be amended in MediaTel’s Press database.
| Women’s Weekly Magazines: Jul-Dec 2005 Year On Year Comparisons | |||||
| Title | Publishing Company | Jul-Dec 04 | Jul-Dec 05 | Actual Change | % Change |
| Bella | H Bauer Publishing | 428,028 | 380,973 | -47,055 | -11.0 |
| Best | ACP Natmag | 411,060 | 400,807 | -10,253 | -2.5 |
| Chat | IPC | 636,310 | 602,308 | -34,002 | -5.3 |
| Closer | Emap | 504,350 | 578,337 | 73,987 | 14.7 |
| Full House | Hubert Burda Media UK | n/a | 235,787 | n/a | n/a |
| Grazia | Emap | n/a | 170,783 | n/a | n/a |
| Heat | Emap Entertainment | 552,215 | 575,267 | 23,052 | 4.2 |
| Hello! | Hello! Ltd | 382,391 | 390,622 | 8,231 | 2.2 |
| The Lady | The Lady | 35,013 | 33,107 | -1,906 | -5.4 |
| My Weekly | DC Thompson & Co | 244,218 | 212,574 | -31,644 | -13.0 |
| new! | Northern & Shell | 396,079 | 426,161 | 30,082 | 7.6 |
| Now | IPC | 619,186 | 577,818 | -41,368 | -6.7 |
| OK | Northern & Shell | 529,492 | 649,777 | 120,285 | 22.7 |
| Peoples Friend | DC Thompson & Co | 372,743 | 359,104 | -13,639 | -3.7 |
| Pick Me Up | IPC | n/a | 491,669 | n/a | n/a |
| Reveal | ACP Natmag Ltd | 239,907 | 345,502 | 105,595 | 44.0 |
| Star | Northern & Shell | 211,551 | 213,594 | 2,043 | 1.0 |
| Take A Break | H Bauer Publishing | 1,222,774 | 1,155,886 | -66,888 | -5.5 |
| Thats Life! | H Bauer Publishing | 601,806 | 550,036 | -51,770 | -8.6 |
| Woman | IPC | 527,764 | 456,524 | -71,240 | -13.5 |
| Womans Own | IPC | 449,688 | 409,616 | -40,072 | -8.9 |
| Womans Weekly | IPC | 447,696 | 414,778 | -32,918 | -7.4 |
| Total | 8,812,271 | 9,631,030 | 818,759 | 9.3 | |
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