Consumer ABCs: Women’s Weeklies

H Bauer Publishing’s Take A Break Series – the publisher’s special editions – shone out in an otherwise sad and struggling women’s weekly market for the January to June 2017 period, with an 11.8% yearly increase in circulation.

The special editions were also down by just -2.9% period-on-period (PoP) – one of the smallest declines in a loss-heavy market (the regular Take a Break magazine suffered with the rest and was down -5% PoP and -8.4% YoY).

Meanwhile, in a sign that people still Love It! (sort of), ACH Publishing’s Love It! – although at the bottom of the table with a circulation of around 82,800 – was the only title in the weekly market to post both period and yearly increases in circulation, up 0.1% and 3.5%, respectively.

Unfortunately, there is little positive news to report elsewhere, with the majority of titles continuing to post declines – many of them steep – in circulation.

Now reported the biggest decrease in combined print and digital circulation – down -17.3% PoP and -20.8% YoY.

The Time Inc-owned mag currently has a circulation of just over 86,800 – the second-lowest figure of all the weekly titles recorded.

Time Inc titles performed badly elsewhere as well, with Woman down -11.7% PoP and -17.6% YoY, Pick Me Up down -10.4% PoP and Chat – the third most popular title in the market (not including Northern & Shell Titles Group, which combines all N&S titles) – down 9.2%.

Woman’s Weekly, however – which ranks second in the table with a circulation of around 267,100 – posted one of the smaller declines over the period, down -3.3%.

Northern & Shell titles are also on a slippery slope, with Star down -12% PoP, New! down -10.7% PoP and OK! Magazine down -10% PoP. Overall, Northern & Shell Titles Group was down -10.8% PoP and -11% YoY with a combined circulation of nearly 462,100.

Bauer titles haven’t escaped lightly either – with Closer’s circulation declining -12.2% over the period and -19.8% YoY, and Heat down -12% PoP and -16.6% YoY.