NewsLine Feature: Sunday Star Hopes To Shine
Last weekend Express Newspapers launched the Daily Star Sunday into the fiercely competitive tabloid market, in an attempt to pick up the 400,000 Daily Star readers that don’t currently buy a Sunday Newspaper. The title, which is the first tabloid to be launched in more than 12 years, bears more than a passing resemblance to its daily sibling. The paper’s owner, Richard Desmond, will no doubt be hoping that the Sunday spin-off enjoys the same success.
Long-term analysis of ABC figures shows that the Daily Star, which launched in 1978, is the only tabloid title to have seen circulation increase over the last five years, with a 6.4% improvement between 1997 and 2002. The Sun, which sells more than five times as many copies as the Star, has seen circulation decline by 9.3% and the Mirror, which recently rebranded with a more serious focus, has seen circulation slip by 10.2% since 1997 (see below).
The situation is much the same among the popular Sunday titles, with the News Of The World experiencing an 11% decline in circulation over the last five years and the Sunday Mirror falling by 22.1% between 1997 and 2002. The People, which circulates at just over 1.3 million, is also faltering, and all eyes will be on the Trinity Mirror-owned title following its recent £2 million relaunch.
Whether the success of the Daily Star‘s no nonsense approach to news and sport will translate to its Sunday sibling remains to be seen. However, Desmond, who also owns the ailing Daily and Sunday Express titles, is taking no chances.
The Daily Star Sunday launched with a reduced 35p cover price, almost half that of its 65p rivals in the tabloid market. Trinity Mirror, which publishes the Sunday Mirror and the People, and News International, which owns the News Of The World, have made no move to match the price, possibly because they’ve both recently been involved in a rather vicious price war.
In terms of content, many of the Daily Star‘s credentials feature heavily in the 72-page Sunday Star, which includes a gossip and TV listings magazine called StarWorld, the Daily Star Bitches feature and other Daily regulars including the Stirrer column.
Unsurprisingly, the Sunday Star is aimed at a predominantly male readership, which, like that of its rivals, comprises 60-65% BC1C2s (see below). There’s no doubt that the title will have to battle to lure readers away from the market heavy-weights and Express Newspapers is investing £500,000 a week in a launch campaign to promote the paper to its core audience.
It’s still early days, but the paper has made an impressive debut into a notoriously difficult market. The heavily discounted first issue reportedly sold over 850,000 copies, outselling its weekday sister title and no doubt causing its rivals to take note. Desmond was said to be “proud and delighted” with the paper’s debut.
Subscribers can access ten years of media news and analysis in the Archive