NRS National Newspaper Round-Up: February 2005
The nation’s national daily newspapers continued to see readership decline year on year in the six months to February, with the market as a whole seeing a downturn of 2.9% on the same period last year.
There were glimmers of hope, however, with Mid Market titles notching up readership rises and the Daily Star bucking the trend for decline in the Popular sector.
However, the nation’s Quality titles saw readership decline across the board, as The Independent led the way, shedding 6.4% of its readership year on year in the six months to February. The news will disturb executives at the title, who recently announced a 10% rise in revenues since reducing the paper’s format last year (see Independent Profits Rising Despite Times Competition).
Elsewhere, The Independent‘s principal rival, The Times, saw its readership dip by 2.7% in the same period, falling to just above the 1.57 million mark. The Daily Telegraph also saw its readership total slip, losing 4.5% year on year but remaining the best-read quality title, with a total of nearly 2.1 million.
The Financial Times saw its readership decrease by 1.5% year on year in the six months to February, dipping to 462,000. However, February saw the paper’s publisher, Pearson, announce a solid increase of 69% in profits for the Financial Times Group, responsible for publishing Les Echos and Spanish title, Recoletos as well as the Financial Times, resulting from wide-ranging cost cuts (see Pearson Papers In The Pink As Stevenson Steps Down).
The Mid Market sector saw readership rising year on year in the six months to February, with the Daily Express adding 1.9% to 2.18 million, while the Daily mail added 3.8% in the same period to total 5.79 million.
Meanwhile, the nation’s Popular titles saw wide reaching decline, with only the Daily Star increasing its readership. The title added 9% year on year, taking its total to just under 1.92 million.
News International’s market leading Sun saw a significant 7.4% slip in readership year on year, pushing its total down to 8.21 million, although this remains the largest readership of any title, Popular or otherwise, within the UK’s daily newspaper market.
Arch rival to the Sun, the Daily Mirror, saw its readership dip by 5% in the same period, losing 234,000 in real terms to just under 4.42 million.
| National Newspaper NRS Figures – February 2005 | ||||
| Daily Titles | Sep 03-Feb 04 | Sep 04-Feb 05 | Actual Change | % Change |
| Quality | ||||
| Daily Telegraph | 2,195,000 | 2,096,000 | -99,000 | -4.5 |
| Financial Times | 469,000 | 462,000 | -7,000 | -1.5 |
| Guardian | 1,178,000 | 1,143,000 | -35,000 | -3.0 |
| Independent | 627,000 | 587,000 | -40,000 | -6.4 |
| Times | 1,616,000 | 1,572,000 | -44,000 | -2.7 |
| Mid Market | ||||
| Daily Express | 2,141,000 | 2,181,000 | 40,000 | 1.9 |
| Daily Mail | 5,579,000 | 5,793,000 | 214,000 | 3.8 |
| Popular | ||||
| Daily Mirror | 4,653,000 | 4,419,000 | -234,000 | -5.0 |
| Daily Record | 1,426,000 | 1,256,000 | -170,000 | -11.9 |
| Daily Star | 1,761,000 | 1,919,000 | 158,000 | 9.0 |
| Sun | 8,865,000 | 8,211,000 | -654,000 | -7.4 |
| Total Daily | 30,510,000 | 29,639,000 | -871,000 | -2.9 |
The nation’s Sunday titles also saw heavy readership declines in the six months to February, shedding 4.1% overall, although Mid Market titles were again able to secure readership increases.
The Mail on Sunday and Sunday Express became the only titles to add readers year on year in the six months to February, adding 6.9% and 1.3% respectively. The titles now command readerships of 6.56 million and 2.34 million respectively.
Elsewhere, the Quality market saw the Sunday Telegraph stave off a decline in readership, but fail to make any increase year on year. The Independent on Sunday, meanwhile, shed 14.2% of its total to mark the sector’s largest decline and push its total to 644,000
The Sunday Times also saw a decline year on year, losing 1.1% of its readership year on year to 3.41 million. However, the title is believed to be considering a tabloid-overhaul for much of its content, and while it is unclear whether the paper itself would switch to compact format, the title is understood to have produced dummy versions of tabloid travel, business, money and news review sections (see Sunday Times Considers Tabloid Overhaul For Supplements).
Meanwhile, The Observer lost 3.6% in the same period to push its readership down to 1.26 million. The Guardian Media Group is understood to be considering a sell off of the paper, following its recent inability to return a profit. Speculation surrounding the paper’s future came ahead of a massive £50 million investment in its week day stable mate, The Guardian (see GMG Considering Sell Off For Loss Making Observer).
All four of the nation’s popular Sunday titles saw a decline in readership year on year in the six months to February, with the People suffering worst and shedding 20.1% to push its total down to 1.9 million.
The Sunday Mirror was also hit hard, losing 6.6% year on year and dipping below the 5 million mark. The News Of The World also saw a depressed readership, losing 6% in the same period but remaining the most-read Sunday paper overall, with a total of 8.8 million.
| National Newspaper NRS Figures – January 2005 | ||||
| Sunday Titles | Sep 03-Feb 04 | Sep 04-Feb 05 | Actual Change | % Change |
| Quality | ||||
| Independent On Sunday. | 751,000 | 644,000 | -107,000 | -14.2 |
| Observer | 1,302,000 | 1,255,000 | -47,000 | -3.6 |
| Sunday Telegraph | 2,030,000 | 2,030,000 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Sunday Times | 3,450,000 | 3,412,000 | -38,000 | -1.1 |
| Mid Market | ||||
| Mail On Sunday. | 6,140,000 | 6,561,000 | 421,000 | 6.9 |
| Sunday Express | 2,311,000 | 2,342,000 | 31,000 | 1.3 |
| Popular | ||||
| News Of The World | 9,358,000 | 8,798,000 | -560,000 | -6.0 |
| People | 2,386,000 | 1,906,000 | -480,000 | -20.1 |
| Sunday Mirror | 5,108,000 | 4,769,000 | -339,000 | -6.6 |
| Total Sunday | 32,836,000 | 31,717,000 | -1,119,000 | -3.4 |
NRS: 020 7242 8111 www.nrs.co.uk