National Newspaper ABC Round-Up – December 1999
Month On Month
According to the latest figures from the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC), released today, all but four of the national newspapers showed falling circulations in the last two months of 1999, with the overall sector dropping just under 890,000 copy sales (3.2%) between November and December.
Only the Financial Times, Sunday Business, Sunday Express and Sunday Telegraph show positive monthly figures in this audit and the growth for each of these titles is still relatively small.
| National Newspaper December 1999 ABC Monthly Comparisons | ||||
| Title | Nov-99 | Dec-99 | Actual Change | % Change |
| Daily Mail | 2,370,534 | 2,310,781 | -59,753 | -2.5 |
| Daily Record | 640,251 | 626,482 | -13,769 | -2.2 |
| Daily Star | 519,783 | 505,882 | -13,901 | -2.7 |
| Daily Telegraph | 1,030,777 | 1,022,937 | -7,840 | -0.8 |
| Express | 1,043,681 | 1,012,573 | -31,108 | -3.0 |
| Financial Times | 436,771 | 440,381 | 3,610 | 0.8 |
| Guardian | 397,991 | 386,767 | -11,224 | -2.8 |
| Independent | 227,480 | 222,350 | -5,130 | -2.3 |
| Independent On Sunday | 255,899 | 245,503 | -10,396 | -4.1 |
| Mail On Sunday | 2,309,886 | 2,251,905 | -57,981 | -2.5 |
| Mirror | 2,276,783 | 2,178,398 | -98,385 | -4.3 |
| News Of The World | 4,062,194 | 3,861,193 | -201,001 | -4.9 |
| Observer | 409,794 | 406,151 | -3,643 | -0.9 |
| Racing Post | 72,801 | 71,684 | -1,117 | -1.5 |
| Sport First | 97,093 | 86,246 | -10,847 | -11.2 |
| Sun | 3,549,470 | 3,395,273 | -154,197 | -4.3 |
| Sunday Business | 62,062 | 64,356 | 2,294 | 3.7 |
| Sunday Express | 959,902 | 967,815 | 7,913 | 0.8 |
| Sunday Mirror | 1,980,723 | 1,867,820 | -112,903 | -5.7 |
| Sunday People | 1,554,688 | 1,543,674 | -11,014 | -0.7 |
| Sunday Sport | 212,004 | 195,899 | -16,105 | -7.6 |
| Sunday Telegraph | 816,612 | 820,353 | 3,741 | 0.5 |
| Sunday Times | 1,374,641 | 1,298,566 | -76,075 | -5.5 |
| Times | 720,049 | 709,556 | -10,493 | -1.5 |
| Total | 27,381,869 | 26,492,545 | -889,324 | -3.2 |
Year On Year
Quality Market Year on year, the quality papers sector shows an overall increase in circulation of 34,000 copies or 0.6%. However, this is mainly due to a strong performance from the FT, up 47,000 copies or 12.9%, and the fact that the Sunday Business (59,000 copies) was not being audited at this time last year.
The Observer managed to put on just under 4,000 extra copies and the Independent gained almost 3,000 copies year on year. The Times and Sunday Times, on the other hand, saw sales drop away, by 30,000 and 15,000 copies respectively.
| Quality Market Jul-Dec ’99 ABC YoY Comparisons | ||||
| Title | Jul 98 – Dec 98 | Jul 99 – Dec 99 | Actual Change | % Change |
| Daily Telegraph | 1,054,418 | 1,035,688 | -18,730 | -1.8 |
| Financial Times | 366,969 | 414,469 | 47,500 | 12.9 |
| Guardian | 391,919 | 391,387 | -532 | -0.1 |
| Independent | 221,398 | 224,391 | 2,993 | 1.4 |
| Independent On Sunday | 253,907 | 247,486 | -6,421 | -2.5 |
| Observer | 398,983 | 402,776 | 3,793 | 1.0 |
| Sunday Business | n/a | 58,885 | n/a | n/a |
| Sunday Telegraph | 829,032 | 822,094 | -6,938 | -0.8 |
| Sunday Times | 1,349,925 | 1,334,410 | -15,515 | -1.1 |
| Times | 751,862 | 721,160 | -30,702 | -4.1 |
| Total | 5,618,413 | 5,652,746 | 34,333 | 0.6 |
Mid Market For the first time in a while, only one of the Mail titles showed circulation growth. Whilst the Daily Mail put on an extra 17,000 copies, its Sunday sister, the Mail On Sunday, saw sales drop by 0.5%. Both Express papers continue to suffer failing sales, with the Sunday Express dipping below the million mark.
| Mid Market Jul-Dec ’99 ABC YoY Comparisons | ||||
| Title | Jul 98 – Dec 98 | Jul 99 – Dec 99 | Actual Change | % Change |
| Daily Mail | 2,350,364 | 2,367,315 | 16,951 | 0.7 |
| Express | 1,118,700 | 1,058,900 | -59,800 | -5.3 |
| Mail On Sunday | 2,312,329 | 2,299,641 | -12,688 | -0.5 |
| Sunday Express | 1,027,049 | 980,411 | -46,638 | -4.5 |
| Total | 6,808,442 | 6,706,267 | -102,175 | -1.5 |
Popular Market A bleak Christmas for the popular tabloids according to these figures as all but the Racing Post show sales falling away. The whole sector is down by 2.4% or 370,000 copies year on year. The News Of The World, Sun and Sunday People are particularly hard-hit here.
| Popular Market Jul-Dec ’99 ABC YoY Comparisons | ||||
| Title | Jul 98 – Dec 98 | Jul 99 – Dec 99 | Actual Change | % Change |
| Daily Record | 676,411 | 637,353 | -39,058 | -5.8 |
| Daily Star | 554,465 | 522,295 | -32,170 | -5.8 |
| Mirror | 2,338,049 | 2,317,459 | -20,590 | -0.9 |
| News Of The World | 4,225,599 | 4,074,474 | -151,125 | -3.6 |
| Racing Post | 73,400 | 74,529 | 1,129 | 1.5 |
| Sport First | n/a | 89,802 | n/a | n/a |
| Sun | 3,675,286 | 3,596,212 | -79,074 | -2.2 |
| Sunday Mirror | 1,988,579 | 1,985,470 | -3,109 | -0.2 |
| Sunday People | 1,717,277 | 1,581,847 | -135,430 | -7.9 |
| Total | 15,249,066 | 14,879,441 | -369,625 | -2.4 |
Industry News
- ABC Announces New Council Members
- Sport First Creates New Distribution Partnerships
- ABC To Review Audit Process Following False Circulation Figures
- Daily Mail & General Trust Profits Up 9.5%
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