Paper Boy – the irreverent insider
Sunday 17 July was the big one – the once in a quarter of a century opportunity for newspaper publishers to grab a larger circulation base and market share following the closure of the News of the World the week before.
Sales were up and the Mail on Sunday was dubbed the biggest benefactor. This week tells a different story – circulation was down 300,000 on 17 July, despite two major breaking news stories – Norway and Amy Winehouse – and further promotions and price cuts.
The Sunday Mirror, which ran with ‘Please Save Us’ stories from Oslo, enjoyed a boost but the Mail on Sunday and the Star dropped back from last week.
| Newspaper | June (ABC) | Share | 17th July | Share | 24th July | Share | Variance on June | Variance % | Share Movement |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| News of the World | 2,667,428 | 38.1 | – | n/a | – | n/a | -2,667,428 | -100.0 | -38.1 |
| Mail on Sunday | 1,927,791 | 27.5 | 2,600,000 | 36.6 | 2,400,000 | 35.3 | 472,209 | 24.5 | 7.8 |
| Sunday Mirror | 1,087,796 | 15.5 | 1,900,000 | 26.8 | 2,000,000 | 29.4 | 912,204 | 83.9 | 13.9 |
| Sunday Express | 539,478 | 7.7 | 700,000 | 9.9 | 700,000 | 10.3 | 160,522 | 29.8 | 2.6 |
| People | 474,549 | 6.8 | 900,000 | 12.7 | 900,000 | 13.2 | 425,451 | 89.7 | 6.5 |
| Daily Star on Sunday | 305,978 | 4.4 | 1,000,000 | 14.1 | 800,000 | 11.8 | 494,022 | 161.5 | 7.4 |
| Total | 7,003,020 | 100.0 | 7,100,000 | 100.0 | 6,800,000 | 100.0 | -203,020 | -2.9 | 0.0 |
Source: ABC June 2011 / MediaTel estimates
Source: ABC
Source: MediaTel estimates
