NRS National Newspaper Round-Up: September 2006
Daily Newspaper Market
National daily newspapers saw their readership figures fall year on year for the six months to September, sliding 5.2% overall, with the Popular and Mid-Market titles all suffering declines.
The Daily Star saw the largest percentage decrease in readership, losing almost 17%, or almost 300,000 readers, whilst the majority of the Quality titles actually boosted their readership.
The Daily Telegraph saw a 5.6% rise in its readership, going up by 117,000 to give it a total readership of more than 2.2 million. The Guardian also bolstered its readership year on year for the period, up almost 30,000 to leave its readership at more than 1.2 million.
Quality Daily Titles
Most of the Quality titles bolstered their readership year on year for the six months to September, with the exception of the Times, which shed readers.
The Daily Telegraph was the best performing title, gaining 117,000 new readers, or 5.6%, to give it a total readership of just over 2.2 million.
The Guardian and the Independent also added readers, with the Guardian adding 29,000 and the Independent adding 21,000. The papers now command readerships of around 1.2 million and 730,000 respectively.
The Times was the only title in the Quality sector to lose readers, dipping 8.5%, or more than 160,000 readers, year on year for the period. The paper’s readership now rests at around 1.7 million.
Mid Market Daily Titles
Both the Daily Express and the Daily Mail shed readers year on year for the period. The Daily Express was the worst affected, losing just over 250,000, or almost 13%, to leave it with a readership of around 1.7 million.
Market leader the Daily Mail dipped by 185,000 readers to leave its readership at 5.3 million.
Popular Daily Titles
The Popular titles felt readership declines across the board, with the Sun feeling the most significant loss in real terms. The title’s readership suffered a downturn of 370,000, however it remains the most read daily paper in Britain with more than 7.6 million readers.
The Daily Mirror, lost more than 260,000 readers, leaving its readership at more than 3.7 million. The Daily Star shed nearly 300,000 readers, almost 17%, whilst the Daily Record dipped by 123,000 (9.6%). The papers now command readerships of around 1.5 million and 1.1 million respectively.
| National Newspaper NRS Figures – September 2006 | ||||
| Daily Titles | Apr 05-Sep 05 | Apr 06-Sep 06 | Actual Change | % Change |
| Quality | ||||
| Daily Telegraph | 2,102,000 | 2,219,000 | 117,000 | 5.6 |
| Guardian | 1,193,000 | 1,222,000 | 29,000 | 2.4 |
| Independent | 711,000 | 732,000 | 21,000 | 3.0 |
| Times | 1,897,000 | 1,735,000 | -162,000 | -8.5 |
| Mid Market | ||||
| Daily Express | 1,968,000 | 1,717,000 | -251,000 | -12.8 |
| Daily Mail | 5,486,000 | 5,301,000 | -185,000 | -3.4 |
| Popular | ||||
| Daily Mirror | 4,028,000 | 3,765,000 | -263,000 | -6.5 |
| Daily Record | 1,276,000 | 1,153,000 | -123,000 | -9.6 |
| Daily Star | 1,785,000 | 1,486,000 | -299,000 | -16.8 |
| Sun | 8,045,000 | 7,675,000 | -370,000 | -4.6 |
| Total Daily | 28,491,000 | 27,005,000 | -1,486,000 | -5.2 |
Sunday Newspaper Market
The Sunday newspapers in the UK also felt a dip in readership year on year for the period, with an overall downturn of 2.9%.
Mid-Market and Popular titles in the Sunday market all felt declines, as did the Sunday Telegraph in the Quality sector. The Observer was the best performing Sunday title, gaining more than 180,000 readers year on year for the six-month period, to leave its readership at over 1.4 million.
Quality Sunday Titles
Most Quality titles in the Sunday market boosted their readership figures year on year for the six months to September, with the exception of the Sunday Telegraph, which suffered a marginal downturn.
The paper lost 17,000 readers for the six-month period to September to leave its readership at just under two million. The Observer pushed its figures up by more than 14%, or 181,000 new readers, leaving its total at more than 1.4 million.
The Independent On Sunday‘s readership grew by 70,000, to leave its total resting at 824,000. The Sunday Times also added significantly to its total readership, bolstering it by almost 80,000 to leave it at around 3.5 million.
Mid Market Sunday Titles
Both the Mail On Sunday and the Sunday Express saw a decline in readership for the period year on year.
The Mail lost 121,000 readers, almost 2%, whist the Express dipped by 109,000 or more than 5%. The titles now boast readerships of around 6.1 million and two million respectively.
Popular Sunday Titles
Worst affected in real terms in the Popular Sunday sector was the News Of The World, which shed around 390,000 readers or 4.6% of its total. The title remains the most read Sunday paper, however, with a total readership of more than 8.1 million.
The Sunday Mirror also lost a significant chunk of its readership, falling by 366,000 (8.1%), to leave its total readership at around 4.1 million.
The People dipped by 173,000 year on year for the period, or 8.7%, to leave it with a readership of over 1.8 million whilst the Daily Star Sunday lost 76,000 (7.2%). The title’s readership now rests at less than one million.
| National Newspaper NRS Figures – September 2006 | ||||
| Sunday Titles | Apr 05-Sep 05 | Apr 06-Sep 06 | Actual Change | % Change |
| Quality | ||||
| Independent On Sunday | 754,000 | 824,000 | 70,000 | 9.3 |
| Observer | 1,264,000 | 1,445,000 | 181,000 | 14.3 |
| Sunday Telegraph | 1,999,000 | 1,982,000 | -17,000 | -0.9 |
| Sunday Times | 3,441,000 | 3,520,000 | 79,000 | 2.3 |
| Mid Market | ||||
| Mail On Sunday | 6,265,000 | 6,144,000 | -121,000 | -1.9 |
| Sunday Express | 2,140,000 | 2,031,000 | -109,000 | -5.1 |
| Popular | ||||
| Daily Star Sunday | 1,059,000 | 983,000 | -76,000 | -7.2 |
| News Of The World | 8,554,000 | 8,162,000 | -392,000 | -4.6 |
| People | 1,992,000 | 1,819,000 | -173,000 | -8.7 |
| Sunday Mirror | 4,507,000 | 4,141,000 | -366,000 | -8.1 |
| Total Sunday | 31,975,000 | 31,051,000 | -924,000 | -2.9 |
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