ABC Results: publisher reaction

Below are statements about their ABC results from: Bauer Media, Condé Nast, Dennis, Future, Hearst UK, Immediate Media, London Review of Books, New Scientist, Platinum magazine and TI Media.

Bauer Media

Bauer Media confirms lead as UK’s biggest magazine publisher

Highlights

• Bauer Media retains its position as the UK’s biggest selling magazine publisher according to the latest ABC audited figures, with total circulated copies of almost 145 million in the last twelve months.
• No 1 in TV listings (the UK’s biggest magazine category by volume) with TV Choice and Total TV Guide.
• that’s life! takes the No 2 position for the first time in the Real Life market.
• In the Women’s Classics Bella (weekly) retains its No 1 position.
• Grazia, Closer and heat have all increased market share YOY.
• Garden Answers posts 13th successive ABC increase by 7.5% while Garden News is the No 1 weekly gardening title.
• Country Walking magazine sees its 4th consecutive year of ABC growth.

Commenting on the results, Rob Munro-Hall, CEO of Bauer Publishing UK & Co-Head of Global Publishing Business Bauer Media Group, said: “As Bauer strengthens its position as the UK’s biggest publisher, we are extremely proud to deliver a strong performance this period and continue to be No 1 across key markets. With TV Choice leading TV Listings, Take A Break in Real Life, Bella in Women’s Weekly Classics and Garden Answers and Country Walking delivering impressive year-on-year growth within their specialist markets; these results reinforce Bauer’s ability to consistently attract highly engaged and loyal audiences and deepen readers interests across a diverse range of subjects and passions. In 2019 we continued to innovate and successfully launched a number of brand extensions out of our popular brands. Our commitment to invest in producing exceptional content across all platforms for the best possible value, further demonstrates we are delivering what readers and advertisers want.”

TV Listings

TV Choice (6 monthly) 1,101,077; Total TV Guide (6 monthly) 87,990

• TV Choice (weekly) remains the UK’s No 1 selling title, averaging over 1.1 million copies and outperforms the market trend YOY.
• Total TV Guide (weekly) is the best performing title YOY, circulating 87,990 copies on average. Looking at the premium sector in isolation this is a significant outperformance against the other titles.
• Once again market share for both TV Choice and Total TV Guide has increased YOY.

Real Life

Take a Break (6 monthly) 416,695; that’s life! (6 monthly) 173,472

• Take a Break (weekly) leads the Real Life market, circulating 416,695 copies and has shown a market beating performance both YOY and POP.
• that’s life! (weekly) has also shown a market beating performance both YOY and POP, circulating an average of 173,472 copies. It has now claimed the official number 2 slot in the sector as it outsold its closest competitor.
• Take a Break monthly delivers another strong ABC of 175,030, up +0.3% POP.

Women’s Classics

Bella (6 monthly) 147,762

• Bella (weekly) retains its No 1 position in the Women’s Classics market, circulating 147,762 copies on average, and outsells its nearest competitor by almost 32,000 copies.

Celebrity Weeklies

Closer (6 monthly) 155,368; heat (6 monthly) 112,778

• Closer continues to hold its No 2 position within the Celebrity Weekly market with an average of 155,368 copies circulated.
• heat and Closer have both grown market share in the Celebrity Weekly market YOY and heat has outperformed the market trend YOY.

Glossies

Grazia (6 monthly) 102,427

• Grazia (weekly) has outperformed the constant Glossies market both POP (+2.3%) and YOY (-0.2%); it also increased market share both POP and YOY, circulating an average of 102,427 copies.
• Grazia circulated over 2.5m copies in total this period.

Gardening

Garden Answers (6 monthly) 43,319; Garden News (12 monthly) 33,526; Landscape (12 monthly) 29,780

• Garden Answers (monthly) continues outstanding growth with its 13th consecutive ABC rise, with an average circulation of 43,319 copies on average, up 7.5% YOY.
• Garden News (weekly) retains its position as the No 1 weekly Gardening title posting a circulation of 33,526.
• Landscape (monthly) goes from strength to strength with its mix of gardens, travel, craft, cookery and heritage and boosts Bauer’s Gardening portfolio posting a circulation of 29,780, YOY growth of 3.1%.

Maturity

Yours (6 monthly) 220,475

• Yours (fortnightly) circulated 220,475 copies on average.
• Yours circulated over 3m copies in total in this ABC period.

Music

Mojo (12 monthly) 55,913; Q (12 monthly) 28,359

• MOJO continues to lead the monthly Music market with a circulation of 55,913, circulating nearly 18,000 more copies on average than its closest competitor.
• Q has posted a circulation of 28,359 and seen growth in its digital edition to 3,792.

Film

Empire (12 monthly) 81,221

• Empire remains the highest circulating magazine in the market with almost 50k more copies than its closest competitor.
• In 2019 Empire celebrated its 30th Anniversary with its biggest content project ever. The 30th story was told throughout the year across magazine, digital, podcast, video and through a series of live events.

Hobbies

Country Walking (12 monthly) 33,148; Bird Watching (12 monthly) 15,428;

• The Country Walking brand continues to grow. Over 90,000 people have signed up to its #Walk1000Miles initiative and the magazine has achieved its 4th successive ABC increase with a total ABC of 33,148, up +2.0% YOY.
• Bird Watching also continues to deliver growth for the 4th year in a row. Capitalising on growing participation amongst all age groups the magazine has a total ABC of 15,428, up +1.2% YOY.

Motorcycling

MCN (12 monthly) 48,525; Classic Bike (12 monthly) 30,776; Practical Sportsbikes (12 monthly) 19,041; Bike (12 monthly) 31,813; RiDE (12 monthly) 28,057;

• MCN, the weekly voice of British motorcycling, continues to lead the UK motorcycling category as the biggest-selling title with a circulation of 48,525. MCN has also extended its unrivalled reach to motorcyclists via the motcyclenews.com website and a nationwide portfolio of events.
• Stablemate Practical Sportsbikes continues its position as the ultimate magazine for sportsbike enthusiasts in the Modern Motorcycling market, delivering an outstanding circulation increase of 21.5% to 19,041.
• Classic Bike, the market-leading Classic Motorcycling publication, consolidated its lead by increasing its circulation to 30,776.
• Bauer’s Bike magazine remains the UK’s best-selling Biking monthly at 31,813 copies.
• RiDE underwent a design re-fresh and remains the best-selling monthly Modern Motorcycle title on newsstands.

Motoring

Classic Car Weekly 21,439 (12 monthly); Classic Cars (12 monthly) 31,003; Practical Classics (12 monthly) 37,014; Car (12 monthly) 44,764; LRO (12 monthly) 23,008;

• Classic Car Weekly (weekly) circulated nearly 1.1m copies in total in this period.
• Practical Classics (monthly) continues to hold its No 2 position within the Classic Car market, circulating 37,014 copies on average.
• Classic Cars (monthly) has a unique content package that continues to resonate with readers and has delivered a market beating UK newsstand performance YOY.
• Influential, inspirational and internationally respected, CAR (monthly) has outperformed the market averaging 44,764 copies per month.
• Land Rover Owner International retains its No 1 position in the 4 x 4 Motoring market, circulating 23,008 copies each issue.

Condé Nast

Condé Nast Britain today releases its latest set of ABC figures combining total print and digital circulation for the period July to December 2019, with solid performance over the majority of the portfolio.

“These are a strong set of numbers in a difficult newsstand environment. Even while we see record growth across digital, events and video, print remains stable - a testament to the power of Condé Nast brands and the quality of our magazines.", says Albert Read, Managing Director Condé Nast Britain.

Vogue: British Vogue posts an increased ABC of 192,242. Total print and digital circulation are consistent period on period and year on year. The September Issue of British Vogue guest edited by Meghan, Duchess of Sussex was the fastest selling issue in the magazine’s 103-year history selling out in 10 days.

GQ: British GQ posts an ABC of 102,517. Total print and digital circulation decreased 0.6% period on period and 6.9% year on year. Whilst the newsstands remain particularly difficult for the entire men’s market, GQ’s website welcomed 38.7 million readers in 2019 and traffic increased 29% year on year. British GQ remains the market leader in men’s magazines with strong performance relative to our peer group.

House & Garden: House & Garden posts an increased ABC of 112,114. Total print and digital circulation are consistent period on period and year on year.

Condé Nast Traveller: Condé Nast Traveller posts an increased ABC of 81,078. Total print and digital circulation are consistent period on period and up 0.1% year on year.

Tatler: Tatler posts an increased ABC of 79,116. Total print and digital circulation are consistent period on period and up 0.1% year on year.

Vanity Fair: Vanity Fair posts an ABC of 69,131. Total print and digital circulation have decreased 1.4% period on period and year on year.

The World of Interiors: The World of Interiors posts an increased ABC of 55,110. Total print and digital circulation are up 0.1% period on period and consistent year on year.

WIRED: WIRED posts an increased ABC of 50,033, meanwhile traffic to its website continues to outperform with a 27% traffic increase year on year.

Dennis

The Week Junior celebrates its fifth consecutive ABC increase

The Week Junior has had another fantastic year with the magazine’s average weekly circulation growing by 19.36% YOY, rising from 60,542 to 72,263. It also boasts a 21% increase in paid subscriptions taking it from 55,080 to 66,678.

Anna Bassi, Editor-in-chief of The Week Junior said: “Our fantastic ABC results clearly demonstrate that the editorial team’s absolute dedication to providing children with a truly engaging, trustworthy and age-appropriate read, really works. In a sector that continues to be dominated by big entertainment brands and plastic covermounts, The Week Junior proves time and time again that outstanding editorial content is way more inspiring and covetable than gimmicks or famous faces.”

MoneyWeek, part of The Week Junior family of titles, also reported an ABC increase of 6.5% POP, taking it to 35,957. With investment in the website and an increasing portfolio of events the brand is strengthening its position in the market.

Dennis’ Specialist Titles

With a focus on subscription growth the specialist portfolio has delivered stable ABC figures, with Computeractive reporting a 21.7% increase in digital subscriptions taking it to 67,672 combined.

Computeractive – 67,672 combined

Dennis’s second largest audited title once again delivered a robust set of subscriptions numbers, retaining its position as the UK’s biggest selling tech magazine.

Viz, ABC – 44,562 combined

The brand’s 40th anniversary year delivered an ABC figure of 44,562, with the focus on driving new subscriptions via social channels, reigniting the passion for the popular brand.

Dharmesh Mistry, Managing Director, Specialist Division, said: “We have a set of solid results with the focus on subscriptions particularly delivering strong numbers. With a clear subscriptions strategy and numerous plans for building out brands outside traditional channels, our special interest brands are being set up for continued success.”

Dennis Automotive

The portfolio held its position in the market, despite difficult trading conditions. Auto Express saw an impressive increase in digital subscriptions, growing 121.4% YOY.

Auto Express – 36,792 combined

Auto Express retains its position as the UK’s number one weekly automotive magazine, with Auto Express outperforming the market trend by a considerable margin. It saw an incredible increase in digital subscriptions of 121.4% YOY.

evo – 34,418 combined

The latest ABC results show as a strong performance from evo and a continued solid subscriptions base. This performance has been supported by the expansion of live events which is set to drive growth for the brand into 2020 and beyond.

Octane – 32,495 combined

Octane has outperformed market trends year-on-year with a strong performance both in the UK, and international markets reflecting the wide global footprint for the UK edition complementing the six international licensing agreements.

Nicola Bates, Chief Brand Officer, Dennis said: “Our automotive titles have outperformed category trends, and retained our market leading position. With more brand extensions in 2020 we are future proofing our brands by strengthening the loyalty with existing fans, while also showcasing them to new audiences.”

Future

Period Living and Real Homes register ABC rises for the second consecutive year

Future plc, the international media group and leading magazine publisher, today announces ABC increases for Period Living and Real Homes following the release of the Audit Bureau of Circulation’s (ABC) January-December 2019 data.

Period Living grew 5.6% year-on-year to become the fastest-growing nationally distributed monthly title in the Home Interest sector for the second year in a row, while Real Homes registered an equally impressive 5.5% increase. It is the second year in succession that the titles have achieved ABC increases and comes against the backdrop of a declining newsstand market for consumer magazines.

The ABC results follow hot on the heels of Future’s recent announcement of record-breaking audience growth for its Home Interest websites, with RealHomes.com, the online home of both Period Living and Real Homes, growing 505% year-on-year in January 2020.

Among the key factors driving circulation growth for Period Living in 2019 were exclusive supermarket promotions, such as the partnership with leading lifestyle brand Sophie Allport and Waitrose in July 2019, and the success of RealHomes.com as a marketing platform. Real Homes consolidated on a redesign in late 2018 with the launch of a compact format ‘Travel Edition’ in July and also benefited from audience growth on RealHomes.com.

Paul Newman, brand director of Future Home Interest, says, “Our brands are going from strength to strength on all platforms. There’s no doubt publishing consumer magazines in 2020 is a tough business, but it’s a testament to the talented teams on Period Living and Real Homes and the support departments at Future that we’ve achieved our second successive year of circulation growth. What is particularly pleasing about these results is the way we’ve generated organic growth in both newsstand sales and subscriptions on both titles, proving it’s still possible to reach new readers if you get the formula right.”

Melanie Griffiths, editor of Period Living, adds, “I am immensely proud of Period Living and the talented team behind its success. That we are the fastest-growing homes magazine for the second year in a row is testament not only to the quality of the content and exciting retail activity, but in the resurgence of interest in all things original, vintage, antique and reclaimed. I believe the British public are becoming more nostalgic and want to live in homes full of history and character, rather than new, homogeneous boxes. This year, Period Living is celebrating its 30th anniversary, and this fantastic news is the perfect way to mark the occasion. Hopefully it heralds many more years to come.”

Hearst UK

Hearst maintains market leadership position in each of its monthly magazine competitive sectors

Hearst UK, the leading premium content and experience business, has announced its latest set of ABC figures for the period Jul-Dec 2019. Hearst has posted a healthy set of numbers, retaining the market leadership position in each of its monthly magazine competitive sectors, and seeing five brands in period-on-period (pop) growth and one in year-on-year (yoy) growth.

Highlights

• Good Housekeeping has posted a strong performance with a combined ABC of 433,661, up 2.6% pop, and extends its position as the highest-circulating monthly women’s lifestyle magazine
• Harper’s Bazaar is up 0.1% yoy with a combined ABC of 116,400, and its UK actively purchased copies plus dynamically distributed figures are up 1.8% pop and 6.8% yoy, demonstrating the strength of the brand
• Prima is up 1.9% pop with a combined ABC of 218,944 and is the third highest-circulating monthly women’s lifestyle magazine
• Women’s Health has recorded a combined ABC of 128,239, up 1.9% pop. The brand engages its audience across a number of platforms, and launched its inaugural Women’s Health Live festival last year
• Country Living continues to be the best-selling home interest title with a combined ABC of 190,539 up 1.6% pop. Country Living was crowned Media Brand of the Year at the 2019 Media Week Awards
• House Beautiful has posted a combined ABC of 90,509 up 1.1%. The well-loved homes title is a truly modern homes brand, and has a number of highly successful brand extensions, including a collection of contemporary sofas with leading retailer DFS

ELLE has posted an ABC of 125,141 following Hearst’s recent strategic decision to enhance its luxury positioning in the market. The magazine has an improved paper stock, increased pagination and is now aimed at an even more tightly-targeted luxury audience.

Esquire, which repositioned itself as a super-luxury magazine at the start of 2019, posted an ABC of 49,765. Esquire is now published bi-monthly with an increased cover price to attract high-net-worth readers.

James Wildman, CEO of Hearst UK, says: “Our trusted brands are beacons of positivity which have the enduring ability to uplift and inspire their highly engaged audiences. I am encouraged to see that we have once again retained market leadership positions in each of our monthly competitive sectors. To also have a number of brands increasing circulation is a fantastic achievement.

“As we continue to evolve our business across a multitude of platforms including print, digital, events and brand extensions, we are proud to have a total audience reach of 13.9m per month.”

Full ABC results for Hearst UK are listed below.

Hearst UK: monthly brands

Cosmopolitan: Total combined ABC of 205,363, -0.6% pop, -14.6% yoy

Country Living: Total combined ABC of 190,539, +1.6% pop, -3.2% yoy

ELLE: Total combined ABC of 125,141, -18.1% pop, -22.9% yoy

ELLE Decoration: Total combined ABC of 59,157, -14% pop, -14% yoy

Esquire: Total combined ABC of 49,765, -11.2% pop, -15.7% yoy

Good Housekeeping: Total combined ABC of 433,661, +2.6% pop, -4% yoy

Harper’s Bazaar: Total combined ABC of 116,400, -1% pop, +0.1% yoy

House Beautiful: Total combined ABC of 90,509, +1.1% pop, -8.6% yoy

Men’s Health: Total combined ABC of 120,273, -7.5% pop, -18.1% yoy

Prima: Total combined ABC of 218,944, +1.9% pop, -3.6% yoy

Red: Total combined ABC of 160,925, -8.5% pop, -9.1% yoy

Runner’s World: Total combined ABC of 60,641, 0.00% pop, -10.1% yoy

Women’s Health: Total combined ABC of 128,239, +1.9% pop, -3.9% yoy

Hearst UK: weekly brands

Best: Total combined ABC of 101,755, -4% pop, -10.3% yoy

Inside Soap: Total combined ABC of 80,581, -7.7% pop, -14.9% yoy

Real People: Total combined ABC of 98,699, -0.1% pop, -11.8% yoy

Hearst Content Agency

Asda Good Living: Total combined ABC of 1,787,333, -4.9% pop, -9.3% yoy

Immediate Media

Immediate Media Co’s market-leading titles deliver strong ABC results

Immediate Media Co, the special interest content and platform company, has posted a combined ABC-audited print and digital circulation of 2,393,272, up 31.1% period-on-period and up 0.3% year-on-year, for titles reporting July to December 2019.

• Immediate’s ABC-audited print circulation is 2,330,251, an increase of 29% period-on-period and 1% year-on-year.
• Immediate’s ABC-audited digital circulation recorded a total circulation of 63,021, up 291% period-on-period
• With 957k subscribers, Immediate remains the leading magazine publishing company for subscriptions.

Tom Bureau, Immediate CEO, says: “These results show the continued strength and value of our special interest brands on the newsstand, as Immediate maintains its market-leading position in TV premium, gardening, food and Youth and Children’s. In addition to strong performances in print, our titles continue to extend their reach through record-breaking digital growth for Radio Times, BBC Gardeners’ World magazine, Olive and BBC Good Food. Immediate continues to develop new ways to attract and engage audiences with new podcasts, digital subscriptions, digital products and live events launched across our brand portfolio in the last twelve months.”

Highlights

• Radio Times remains the UK’s biggest-selling quality magazine, with a weekly combined ABC of 529,263, up 1.9% period-on-period. The magazine generated £48.02m in Retail Sales Value in 2019, retaining its position as the most valuable brand on the UK newsstand. Radio Times is also the UK’s biggest weekly subscription brand, with 242,415 subscribers. The brand continues to reach new audiences, with a 35% year-on-year growth in visitors to RadioTimes.com, including a record-breaking 18.2 million monthly unique visitors in July 2019. Radio Times total brand reach is 3.6m, the highest of any weekly magazine brand.
• Immediate remains the UK’s leading Food publisher, with a strong performance across its portfolio, including BBC Good Food, Easy Cook, Home Cooking Series, and olive, outperforming the market in terms of both volume and value.
• In the first full year of Immediate ownership, BBC Good Food retains its position as the nation’s number one food media brand, reporting a combined ABC of 181,251, up 15.3% period-on-period. The brand’s portfolio of multi-platform products continues to serve a highly valuable, growing audience: bbcgoodfood.com had a record-breaking January, securing a staggering 104 million global page views, an increase of 17% year-on-year, and 27.9 million unique global users. In 2019 it also launched a new podcast series with Tom Kerridge, which received over 50,000 listens in its first eight weeks.
• olive delivered its best ABC performance for two years, up an impressive 16.3% period-on-period and up 3.5% year-on-year to 29,369, outperforming the rest of the food market. The brand continues to increase its reach across all platforms, with olivemagazine.com their best ever month in December 2019, with a record breaking 7.1 million page-views, up 99% YoY.
• Immediate’s market-leading gardening portfolio, including BBC Gardeners’ World magazine and Gardens Illustrated, grew in volume and value in the last 12 months. Gardens Illustrated was up 1.4% on the year, posting a combined ABC of 38,438.
• BBC Gardeners’ World magazine maintained its number one market position with a combined ABC of 170,295, up 0.1% on the year and remains the brand with the biggest monthly readership in the general interest magazine market*. gardenersworld.com also continued to grow reach, increasing its audience by 20% in 2019.
• Immediate is also the number one publisher in the Children’s market, reflecting the strength of its titles and breadth of portfolio, with a combined ABC circulation of 871,900 up 16% year-on-year and 26% period-on-period. Highlights include: * Girl Talk posting an ABC of 36,379 up 11.2% period-on-period and up 1.05% year-on-year. * Pokémon up 19.7% year-on-year to 42,348

London Review of Books

LRB increases circulation by 3.6% in 2019 for twentieth consecutive year of growth

New data released today (13th February) by the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) has revealed that the London Review of Books continues to achieve sustained growth, with its total circulation rising to 78,478 in 2019, up from 75,725 in 2018.

The newspaper achieved the increase of 3.6% in its 40th anniversary year, outstripping the gains delivered in 2018 when it attracted 2.5% more subscribers than in the previous year. The LRB has achieved year-on-year growth for twenty years (and has added 30,000 new subscribers in the last ten), bucking the trend of declining print sales in recent years.

In 2019 the LRB delivered agenda-setting opinion and insight on Brexit and the General Election, from contributors including David Runciman (on the podcast Talking Politics, presented in partnership with the LRB, and in the paper), James Meek and William Davies. It broke news when, for example, Chris Mullin named two of the IRA’s Birmingham pub bombers, and provoked cultural conversation on many occasions, with pieces such as Tiananmen student organiser Chaohua Wang’s reflections on Hong Kong and Colm Tóibín’s account of his cancer treatment, Patricia Lockwood’s survey of John Updike’s oeuvre and Katherine Rundell’s considerations of creatures ranging from the narwhal to the golden mole.

94% (71,207) of the LRB’s sales were through paid subscriptions in 2019, while 2,524 single copies were sold in the year. Full rate subscriptions rose by 10.37%.

Reneé Doegar, Commercial Director for the London Review of Books, commented: “The London Review of Books keeps going from strength to strength. We are pleased that 94% of our file still consists of people who actively purchase the LRB, and our subscriber base continues to grow: not only an increase in circulation, but an increase in quality circulation of new and long-standing readers who genuinely value our incredible product. The LRB just celebrated its 40th birthday, and our strategy of consistent, quality growth is still the core of our business.”

The LRB marked the anniversary with a month of celebrations that included events at the London Review Bookshop and beyond; the first ever history of the LRB, a coffee table book published by Faber and Faber (London Review of Books: An Incomplete History); two special issues of the magazine; and the relaunch of the LRB website.

New Scientist

New Scientist celebrates first circulation rise in 12 years

New Scientist, the world’s leading science and technology magazine, grew its weekly circulation to 118,008 in 2019 according to the latest ABC figures. This represents a 3.29 per cent increase in circulation, the magazine’s first circulation rise in 12 years.

New Scientist, which was first launched in 1956, became a private media company in May 2017.

Since the acquisition, the owners have brought in an almost entirely new senior team to run the company. Appointments have included Nina Wright as CEO, Emily Wilson as the magazine’s first female editor and Jo Adams as the company’s marketing director.

Together the team has embarked on a five-year plan to steadily grow the magazine’s subscription base, and recent changes at the company have included the hiring of a new editorial digital team, the launch of a range of new editorial products, including daily and weekly newsletters from editorial staff, and the creation of a new range of live events.

Nina Wright, CEO, said: “Sustainable long-term paid circulation growth is one of our primary strategic ambitions at New Scientist, and so we are delighted with our 2019 result. Our mission is to produce high value, evidence-backed stories about the world around us, and last year our content was superbly promoted by our first-class marketing team. We believe this is just the start of a long-term success story for our very trusted brand.”

Jo Adams, marketing director, said: “Our success last year came through a combination of expert file management, data-driven insight, a test-and-learn mentality and also, crucially, company-wide collaboration to deliver outstanding products. But this really is just the start of what we all hope to achieve here.”

Editor Emily Wilson said: “We have an amazing team of journalists here at New Scientist, and what is helping to take us forward now is that we are all learning to collaborate as a company, across all departments, from technology through to our live events team. Together we are finding ways to get our journalism to new audiences, such as with our new weekly science news podcast, and that’s really exciting.”

Platinum magazine

New women’s lifestyle title, Platinum, has announced an audited sales figure of 105,545.

The biggest women’s magazine launch in over a decade, Platinum was launched to redefine the offering for women over the age of 55. Research carried out by publisher DC Thomson Media prior to launch, revealed that two-thirds of women 55+ felt misrepresented by the media. Platinum has set out to tackle issues close to its audience with passion and authority, inspiring them to live, look and feel fabulous.

Ali Kirker, Editor of Platinum, said: “We’ve had such great feedback. Women have told us they are inspired to see a magazine that reflects the lives they are leading and which equips them to live life to the full. These women are a force to be reckoned with and it’s fabulous to see Platinum resonating so strongly with them. We have been passionate about creating a brand that’s become a trusted source of information and entertainment.”

The magazine has also been a hit with advertisers looking to reach the grey pound, attracting a variety of premium brands. AGA, Laura Ashley and Farrow & Ball have advertised in the magazine.

Andy Williams, Chief Revenue Officer at DC Thomson Media, said, “Advertisers have been looking for new ways to tap in to this valuable, yet sometimes overlooked audience for years. There has been a lot of interest from clients and agencies around the launch of Platinum. We’ve had fantastic advertising support securing some really strong brands that speak to the Platinum reader. In a short space of time Platinum has become an exciting place to market for this advertising base.”

Part of the appeal of Platinum is its celebratory style of representing the busy, diverse lives of women 55+ with thought-provoking content that’s as stylish as they are. As well as powerful cover interviews, with stars such as Shirley Ballas and Jane Seymour, the magazine covers a range of issues relevant to readers.

Maria Welch, Head of Magazines at DC Thomson Media, said: “It was an ambitious decision to launch Platinum however, DC Thomson Media has an unparalleled history in women’s magazine publishing, and we have clearly brought all of this passion and expertise to Platinum. Women in the over 55 demographic are in the prime of their lives and having the time of their lives. They are both committed magazine readers and powerful consumers. No-one understands them better than the team at DC Thomson Media.”

Experts and regular columnists include Dr Dawn Harper, stylist Gail Rolfe, technology journalist Maggie Philbin and columnist Jane Moore. Each issue also features a ‘she-ro’, celebrating inspirational women from all walks of life.

TI Media

TI Media today announces highlights from its latest set of ABC results for the Jul-Dec 2019 period.

Angie O’Farrell, group managing director, women’s weeklies, lifestyle, home interest, real life and TV, says: “The latest ABC results reflect a really solid performance by brands operating in a number of our key markets. At the newsstand, TI Media remains the most valuable publisher in the TV weeklies sector, with our portfolio enjoying healthy revenue growth during 2019 to increase our share of total print by 0.6%. Once again, What’s On TV proved to be the title of choice at Christmas with its ever popular festive double issue outselling its competitors with 1.66m copies sold.

“While the Women’s Weeklies sector remains one of the most competitive, we’ve stayed true to our belief that this audience will pay a premium price for quality editorial and that’s reflected in our £24.7m RSV for 2019 and our increased volume share of the market. Woman’s Weekly once more outpaces its competitors to be the biggest selling title for 21 periods in a row while both Woman and Woman’s Own outperform the lifestyle sub-sector year-on-year.

“2019 saw the launch of our award-winning Heart of Britain research into the valuable but often overlooked audience previously referred to as mass-market women. We’re now looking at multi-platform innovations to deepen the unrivalled relationship we have with this key audience and enhance the role these brands play in their lives, from cover choice to new editorial franchises.

“In the Lifestyle sector, woman&home continues to deliver stand-out content month-in, month-out – on seven occasions in the last year the title outsold its competitors to be the biggest selling title at the newsstand – while our strong focus on editorial redevelopment in the Homes portfolio continues to pay off. Ideal Home remains the biggest selling title in the mainstream market, alongside solid performances at the newsstand from Country Homes & Interiors, up 1.5% on the period, and Livingetc, which was the top-seller in its sub sector.”

Highlights

What’s On TV retained its number two position in the TV sector posting a combined ABC of 767,786 and delivered a 7.2% uplift in RSV period-on-period and 1.3% year-on-year following a cover-price increase and a market-leading Christmas Double issue.

TV Times performed in-line with the market, posting a combined ABC of 140,867, down 0.5% on the period and maintained its number four market position. The title grew RSV by 10% period-on-period, and had a 17% hike in subscriptions on the year.

In the women’s weeklies market, TI Media grew share by 0.2% on the period and 0.6% on the year to 48.4%. Woman’s Weekly has retained its number one position and has outperformed the traditional sub-sector, down just 0.5% period-on-period and 4.2% year-on-year to post a combined ABC of 226,422. Woman and Woman’s Own both outperformed the lifestyle sub-sector year-on-year, posting a combined ABC of 116,062 and 108,401 respectively. Woman’s Weekly boasts a 32% uplift in subscriptions year-on-year and Woman’s Own increased its subscriptions by 28% on the year.

woman&home posts a combined ABC of 259,372 and is the second biggest title in the Women’s Lifestyle market, representing 24.2% of the sector.

Ideal Home continues to be the biggest selling title in the mainstream homes market, leading the sub-sector in terms of volume and has a combined ABC of 118,729. The stand-alone Ideal Home Christmas Special had a great performance in 2019 with an ABC of 62,929, up 16% year-on-year. Country Homes & Interiors increased copies sold at the newsstand by 1.5% on the period and posts a combined ABC of 63,608. Livingetc again continues to outsell its competitors in the modern sub-sector at the newsstand.

Country Life, the instantly recognisable and quintessentially English magazine brand, is celebrating a decade of print increases with a total print ABC of 39, 829, up 0.7% on the year and UK subscription copies up 7.1% year-on-year, testament to the strength of the title’s editorial and loyal audience.

TI Media CEO Marcus Rich says: “In a challenging newsstand environment, TI Media brands continue to perform robustly with a continued focus on creating quality content across all formats that entertains and connects people to their passions. At the same time, we are investing in developing our direct customer sales, with new marketing activities driving significant increases in subscriptions on a number of our brands. These include TV Times, Woman’s Own and Woman’s Weekly, all of which are showing double digit increases in subscription copies year-on-year.”