With recent Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC) figures showing many magazines facing a slide in numbers, the publishing world has been anxiously awaiting the most recent results. And the news was not good for weekly magazines, with many experiencing losses in terms of circulation and readership.
In the last quarter alone, FAMOUS dropped 0.27 per cent from 30,122 to 30,038, while NW experienced a loss of 4.3 per cent from 73,143 to 69,995. Who dropped 0.32 per cent from 101,405 to 101,077 and Woman’s Day 2.8 per cent from 316,006 to 307,126.
OK! was one of three magazines audited that experienced an increase, rising 0.6 per cent from 70,342 to 70,757. Take 5 and Yours also saw a rise in numbers.
When looking at year-on-year figures, the results show a loss for all 10 weekly magazines audited. NW’s sales fell furthest, a total of 14.56 per cent, with Take 5 proving most immune, losing only 0.47 per cent in overall sales.
Despite the recorded drop in print sales on the whole, media analyst Steve Allen told Mumbrella the results are a direct result of a tough market, and are not as bad as they have been in the past. He says: “It was an improvement from recent audits and at least there was a stemming of the losses.”
For Pacific Magazines chief executive Peter Zavecz, the results also reflect a growing need to produce on all platforms. He says: “The remit to the team is to create quality content that engages consumers in whatever environment it’s delivered in.”
