National newspaper ABCs: Quality market sales slide after Brexit boost

Daily market

The absence of Brexit coverage and sporting events clearly had a negative impact on the quality market, with the Telegraph, Financial Times and Guardian recording the biggest circulation declines of all the daily titles.

The Guardian saw sales slide -3% in July, while the FT was down -2.3% and Telegraph down -1.6%.

The i, however, was up 1.1% compared with the previous month and a solid 7.7% year on year. The paper now records a circulation just shy of 300,000.

While The Times recorded little change over the month, it was up an impressive 14.2% year on year – an extra 56,000 copies.

Over in the popular market, The Sun also recorded a decline in circulation over the month, down -1.2% to lose 21,700 copies.

All other monthly changes were marginal; however, the Daily Star has managed to increase its circulation by a massive 25.5% year on year, taking its total circulation to 517,000.

Overall the daily market was down -0.3% month on month and -1.7% year on year.

London Free Press

The London free press market remained stable over the month, with an increase to the Evening Standard’s circulation just about managing to offset declines from City A.M. and Metro.

Despite City A.M.’s larger -8.9% decline over the year, the London free press market was actually up 1.7% year on year after a good performance from the Evening Standard (up 4.2%).

The market currently records a combined circulation of almost 1.8 million.

Sunday market

In line with their daily counterparts, Sunday titles in the quality market were also down over the month – with the Observer (-5.4%) and Sunday Times (-3.9%) hit hardest.

However, amid a sea of hefty declines elsewhere in the market, all quality market titles managed to increase their circulation over the year.

The Sunday Mail and Sunday Express were the only titles to record an increase in circulation compared with the previous month, up 0.7% and 0.4%, respectively.

Mid-market title Sunday Post was hardest hit over the year, down -21%, followed by popular market titles Sunday People (-15%), Sunday Mirror (-14.6%) and Sunday Mail (-13.2%).

The Daily Star Sunday, however, put in a stellar performance and managed to increase its circulation by a massive 27.8% year on year.

Overall the market was down -1% month on month and -4.4% year on year.