Below are statements from: Bauer Media, H Bauer, Condé Nast, Content Marketing Association, Dennis Publishing, Egmont Magazines, Future, GoodHomes Magazine, Grand Designs Magazine, Haymarket Consumer Media, Hearst Magazines, Immediate Media Co, IPC Media, PPA, Shortlist Media, Slimming World Magazine, The Sunday Times Travel Magazine.
Bauer Media
Today’s ABC circulation figures see Bauer Media reinforce its commitment to deliver world class editorial products with its magazine brands delivering market-beating performances in several sectors in continuing tough economic conditions.
Bauer Media has spent the past six months extending its brands to reach wider audiences through investment in multiple platforms, including the launch of heat TV and iPad editions for Empire U.S. and MCN Sport. Still to come in 2012, there are upcoming iPad editions for Grazia and Q magazine, amongst others. Bauer also continues to seek out targeted, and hitherto unserved, audiences with the launch of Wonderpedia and LandScape.
Paul Keenan, chief executive, Bauer Media, said: “Bauer’s multi-platform brands continue to perform well and are reaching new audiences through innovative new digital launches, an integral part of our strategy to deliver content to consumers whenever, wherever and however they want it. Our magazine brands are influential amongst consumers, as evidenced by the Anatomy of Influence study, and with our consistent focus on investment in our products and brands, the reach and relevance of our brands will continue to grow.”
Celebrity Weeklies
Closer (w) – 430,918
Nicky Holt, publisher of Closer, commented: “Closer has dominated newsstand performance this period, leading the celebrity weekly market in 21 out of 25 weeks. We continue to produce a strong and consistent editorial product built on celebrity, real-life and fashion content, backed up with sustained investment in more exclusive content and added-value supplements than ever before.”
heat (w) – 290,003
Nicky Holt, publisher of heat, commented: “heat has outperformed the market again this period as our continued investment in the product, on-going editorial development and innovative digital activity has deepened engagement with consumers. The heat brand continues to grow in size and influence with record audience figures for heat radio and heatworld.com. With the recent launch of heat TV, heat is now one of the only truly multi-platform brands connecting with consumers across print, online, radio, mobile and TV.”
Women's Lifestyle
Grazia (w) – 190,053
Abby Carvosso, managing director, Lifestyle, Bauer Magazines, commented: “Grazia reaches significant numbers of upscale and influential women, selling more in a month than any other glossy. Advertiser demand in this premium environment is at an all-time high and our September fashion issue will be the biggest ever in total pages due to unprecedented advertiser demand.
Grazia continues to innovate the market as evidenced by our recent announcement of the launch of the Grazia i-Pad edition, our involvement in the Hatwalk project around the Olympics and our award winning Grazia Live Fashion Week special.”
Yours (f) – 280,804
Abby Carvosso, managing director, Lifestyle, Bauer Magazines, commented: “Yours is outperforming the market both period-on-period and year-on-year, connecting with a large audience of incredibly loyal, passionate 50+ magazine readers. With initiatives such as the newly-launched Travel Club, continued marketing investment and extension of the brand through the launch of Yours Puzzles and the ongoing success of Yours Live, we believe the Yours brand will go from strength to strength.”
Film
Empire (m) – 167,096
Rimi Atwal, publishing director of Empire, commented: “Empire is the world’s biggest and most influential movie magazine, outselling Total Film by almost 100,000 copies. Having recently launched into the home of movies with a bespoke U.S. edition on the iPad, Empire’s international footprint now extends to six global markets. Empire already reaches 2.5 million consumers a month across all platforms, continuing to attract upscale consumers and mainstream advertisers. The recent refresh of the magazine will be followed by further investment in the product at one of the most exciting times in the magazine’s history.”
Men's Market
FHM (m) – 123,844
Rimi Atwal, publishing director of FHM, commented: “FHM remains the biggest monthly lifestyle title aimed at a mainstream audience of modern young men and is an attractive multi-platform brand for advertisers. FHM continues to deliver compelling and influential content for young men including exclusive shoots with England captain, Scott Parker, and world-record holder, Usain Bolt. We will continue to invest in the brand across all its platforms.”
Music Market
Kerrang! (w) – 40,203
MOJO (m) – 85,149
Q (m) – 64,596
Rimi Atwal, publishing director, Kerrang!, Mojo and Q, commented: “Bauer’s influential music brands continue to perform well with MOJO remaining the biggest title in the music market, attracting a highly loyal audience of music connoisseurs.”
“Q remains the voice of mainstream music under new editor, Andrew Harrison. As we look forward to the Q Awards this quarter, the on-going investment into the brand is demonstrated by the imminent launch of an enhanced iPad edition which will deliver Q in tablet form with a host of multimedia benefits.”
“Kerrang! has delivered another strong performance and the brand continues to attract a growing audience of passionate, young, brand savvy consumers across its radio, TV and social media platforms. Kerrang! is one of only a handful of brands that offers advertisers a route to a lucrative young audience.”
Motoring
Car (m) – 54,171
Practical Classics (m) – 47,501
Classic Cars (m) – 33,726
Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2012, CAR remains the benchmark motoring title in its class.
Managing Director for Bauer Media’s motoring portfolio, Niall Clarkson, comments: “CAR has grown its year-on-year ABC, bucking the market trend. That's because CAR is on top of its game, with brilliant coverage of a broad mix of cars, peerless design and photography, and a real sense of fun and passion for cars, car people, motorsport and much, much more.”
This winning formula will be showcased in CAR’s biggest ever, 300-page 50th anniversary celebration issue, on sale 19th September.
H Bauer
Women’s Weeklies
True Life Sector
Take a Break: Another Olympic performance from the UK’s no 1 women’s weekly
Take a Break ABC: 786,849 = POP -0.5%, YOY -2.1%
Overall market = POP -5.1% YOY -7.4%
H Bauer's Take a Break, the UK’s biggest selling women’s magazine, has delivered yet another gold medal performance in the latest round of ABCs. With an ABC of 786,849, Take a Break has gained market share with circulation figures virtually flat period on period (-0.5%) and down only -2.1% year on year, whilst other titles have seen double digit decreases in their year on year performance. Take a Break‘s Olympic-style performance shows that quality of editorial will always be a winner with readers at the UK newsstand.
that’s life!: Over 300,000 sales a week makes it a winner
that’s life! ABC: 305,074 = POP -6.6%, YOY -5.1% Overall market = POP -5.1%, YOY -7.4%
Meanwhile, that’s life!, the number three title in its sector has also put in a stellar bronze medal performance with an ABC of 305,074. That’s life’s entertaining package of inspirational, emotional and incredible true life reads along with fun puzzles and unique rude jokes is clearly resonating with readers in these difficult times.
Together, H Bauer’s true life magazines have increased share to nearly 50% of the overall market.
Classic Sector
Bella: Number one for UK full price cover sales
Bella ABC: 229,242 = POP -2.3%, YOY -4.3% Overall market = POP -3.1%, YOY -4.8%
In the traditional woman’s weeklies sector, H Bauer’s Bella demonstrates that quality editorial and a consistent pricing policy is the key to success at the UK newsstand. With an ABC of 229,242 Bella is steadily gaining ground and share in the classic market by delivering the most entertaining mix of daytime TV celebrity gossip, fashion, health, beauty and real life stories, week after week. Bella is now firmly established as the number one classic weekly for single copy full price UK newsstand sales. This puts Bella in a healthy state to consolidate its position, whilst its competitors struggle to shore up their circulation figures with multi-packing and discounting.
Food Sector
Eat In: Cooking up a storm with an ABC growth of 52.7% YOY
Eat In ABC: 22,029 = POP +0.1%, YOY +52.7%
In the food sector, H Bauer’s Eat In posts an ABC of 22,029 up a massive 52.7% YOY, proving that H Bauer has successfully established the first mass market UK cookery magazine to offer the modern household affordable, easy-to-cook, every day recipes on a family budget. Eat In will continue to offer readers a winning combination of recipes that are cheaper, healthier and tastier in the months ahead and this bodes well for further growth at the next set of ABCs.
TV Listings Sector
TVChoice: Ten out of ten for the Nation’s number one magazine
TVChoice ABC: 1,277,850 = POP -2.0%, YOY -5.7%
H Bauer’s TVChoice posts its 10th consecutive ABC as the nation’s number one paid for magazine, proving that it is firmly established at the heart of family television viewing in the UK. With copy sales of 1,277,850, TVChoice leads its nearest competitor by over 60,000 copies per week. As autumn sees the return of some of the most popular household TV shows to our screens, TVChoice should further consolidate its position as the best value TV viewing entertainment package.
Total TVGuide: Bauer’s premium listings title shows ABC growth
Total TVGuide ABC: 121,052 = POP -1.5%, YOY +3.1%
Total TVGuide, H Bauer’s premium multi-channel TV listings title is the success story of the TV listings sector. With an ABC of 121,052 it is the only listings title to show year on year growth. As other titles in the premium sector show a negative trend this is a particularly commendable performance. With the majority of UK households having switched to digital and the Tyne Tees region set to switch in September, Total TVGuide should continue to benefit as discerning readers look for a guide that will help them make the most of the vast array of multichannel TV viewing on offer.
Spiritual Sector
Spirit & Destiny: Market leader in the spiritual lifestyle magazine sector
Spirit & Destiny ABC: 46,580
Spirit & Destiny, H Bauer’s monthly spiritual lifestyle magazine for women posts an ABC of 46,580, making it the market leader in the spiritual lifestyle magazine sector. Spirit & Destiny is the only magazine to offer comprehensive information and inspiration on all matters to do with astrology, psychics, holistic therapies and alternative lifestyles.
Condé Nast
Vogue
Vogue announces a new circulation of 206,383, with total subscriptions up by 0.8% period on period. Vogue remains the dominant magazine in the fashion and luxury market. An enhanced monthly digital edition is now available, beginning with the September 2012 issue.
House & Garden
With a new circulation of 128,231, House & Garden has increased UK actively purchased copies by 2.3%, and print subscriptions are up 9.8% year on year.
Tatler
Tatler posts a new circulation of 88,158, a rise of 0.2%. Subscriptions are up by 5.8% period on period, and total actively purchased copies are up approaching 1% year on year.
The World Of Interiors
Announcing a new circulation of 62,854, The World of Interiors has grown 1% year on year.
GQ
GQ reinforces its position as the market-leading quality men’s monthly, posting a circulation of 129,791, an increase of 11.8% in total actively purchased copies and 8.7% in total circulation year on year.
Vanity Fair
A new circulation of 106,934 is announced for Vanity Fair, an increase of 7.6% in total actively purchased copies and 6.3% in total circulation year on year. This is a record-breaking circulation for the magazine.
Condé Nast Traveller
The world’s most discerning travel title, Condé Nast Traveller announces monthly sales of 81,554. Total circulation has increased by 1.7%, and total actively purchased copies are up by 1.4% year on year.
Glamour
Leading its sector, Glamour posts a new circulation of 473,302. Total circulation is up 1.3% and actively purchased copies are up 1.3% period on period. Glamour celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2011, and has entered its second decade with a confident print and digital strategy.
Easy Living
Easy Living announces a new circulation of 164,420, an increase of 22.6% in UK actively purchased copies period on period and 7.3% year on year.
This new circulation comprises a print ABC of 164,019 and ABC audited digital sales of 401 for the period Jan-June 2012. Easy Living now has 64,000 devoted subscribers, more than Elle and In Style put together.
New Editor Deborah Joseph has steered the magazine from the March 2012 redesign with great success. The new look magazine debuted with the simultaneous relaunch of the website, Easylivingmagazine.co.uk site, now receiving 302,530 page impressions and 71,037 unique users a month (Google Analytics Jan-June 2012.) Together the print magazine and site has targeted a younger reader (stylish, bright, in the know, 30 plus women) with fashion and beauty a key focus.
Chris Hughes, Publishing Director of Easy Living, comments “Growth for Easy Living is set against a backdrop of falling newsstand sales for many women’s lifestyle monthly titles with the sector as a whole down by -5.1% year on year. I’m particularly pleased our increasing sales have been achieved without the assistance of multi packs, free copies or additional bulks. The magazine is well positioned to maintain its share of the sector in the coming months, with consistent retention since the re-design.”
“I’m thrilled to see such a great result for Easy Living, even more so in light of the difficult market conditions. Our growth, combined with the continued loyalty of our subscribers, puts us in a strong position. The new circulation figures are a testament to the passion and hard work of my team, many of whom have been with the magazine since launch and have so successfully reimagined the editorial approach. We also have new colleagues on board, and the magazine is still evolving with further exciting changes to come,” adds Deborah Joseph.
Launched in 2005, Easy Living offers a glossy, glamorous treat for grown-up women. The beautiful and useful content mix recognises and reflects its readers’ lives – great fashion, beauty, health, food, homes and travel, celebrity and real women’s experiences.
Wired
Wired posts its sixth consecutive circulation rise with a total of 57,391, up 12% in overall circulation, and 14.9% in total actively purchased copies year on year.
Brides is the UK’s number one quality bridal magazine and is audited annually. It has a current circulation of 60,226 (Jan-Dec 2011). GQ Style, the definitive guide to men’s fashion in the UK continues to perform strongly, while bi-annual style magazine Love has just published its eighth issue, ‘A Costume Drama’, and is recognised as the leading and most authoritative title in the edgy style sector.
Nicholas Coleridge, Managing Director of Condé Nast, comments “It is encouraging to see so many of our titles rising in circulation, boosted by the growing number of consumers who choose to read their magazines in digital form. Print, meanwhile, continues to perform more robustly than many in the industry predicted. The result is one of our strongest circulation sets for several years.”
Content Marketing Association
The latest ABCs mark a stable and positive year for content marketing. The combined circulation of customer magazines within the Top 100 Magazines by Circulation, including titles such as Waitrose Kitchen, BA High Life and Virgin Media Magazine, has increased year on year by three per cent, with the customer titles featuring in the Top 100 now reaching in excess of 10 million people.
The combined circulation percentages tell a very different story for consumer newsstand titles, which have seen an overall decline of 13 per cent, with magazines such as More!, Readers Digest and Star suffering double digit drops.
Mirroring the increase in year on year circulation, recent research from the CMA to mark its rebrand from APA revealed that content marketing is demanding significant amounts of consumer attention rivalling traditional paid for media. A quarter of all time spent consuming media is now spent with branded content.
• 30 per cent of total time spent reading magazines is devoted to reading content marketing titles
• 20 per cent of total time surfing the internet is spent on content-led websites
• 25 per cent of total time spent using apps and online games is spent of brand produced apps and games
The research also showcased marketing directors' confidence in content marketing, despite the continued economic stranglehold, with the discipline now commanding over a fifth of the total marketing budget. And this trend looks set to continue as 73 per cent of the Marketing Directors said that their content budget would either stay the same, or increase over the next 12 months
Key content marketing stats from the latest ABC Concurrent Release include:
• Top two magazines by circulation are customer magazines: Asda magazine and Tesco Magazine
• Half of the Top 10 magazines by circulation are customer magazines
• Virgin Media Magazine realised the second highest period on period circulation increase (+25%) behind Moshi Monsters Magazine (+34.1%).
• Odeon Magazine also saw high period on period and Year on year growth (+23.2% and 18.6% respectively), outperforming Empire and Total Film, both suffering decreases in circulation
• BA's High Life topped the Leisure Interests: Holiday and Travel category seeing a 135 circulation increase
• Women's Interests: Cookery and Kitchen is dominated by customer titles with the top 5 magazines being those produced by supermarkets
• Ikea Family Life is the third most read magazine in the Women's Interests: Home Interests category, behind only Country Living and Ideal Home, both of which suffered readership dips
• John Lewis Edition topped the Women's Interests: Lifestyle/Fashion category ahead of magazine stalwarts Glamour and Good Housekeeping
• Holland and Barrett's Healthy magazine topped Women's Health and Beauty category
Comments Julia Hutchison, COO, the CMA: "It has been another strong report for the content marketing industry with a year on year growth of three per cent. With disposable income still being squeezed, it shows that magazine readers are increasingly turning to their favourite brands to keep them entertained and informed, giving brands a real opportunity to engage with customers outside of traditional display advertising. Content marketing remains a cost effective marketing channel and we are seeing increasing numbers of marketing directors investigate launching their own media vehicle instead of relying on advertising in someone else's"
Dennis Publishing
The Week
Up 4.2% YOY to 191,401
Another successful ABC for Dennis Publishing’s current affairs title, The Week, with its 28th consecutive ABC increase, rising by 4.2% YOY and 2.1% POP to 191,401. The Week continues to dominate the current affairs category with its strong subscription base of 159,372 subscribers.
The Week’s newly released tablet version has also been a resounding success with a consistent 32,000 active users each and every week on the iPad.
Kerin O’Connor, CEO of The Week, said: "The Week has delivered another outstanding ABC, rising to 191,401. Our substantial investment in subscription marketing and acquisition continues to yield dividends. With the addition of the iPad edition, our brand goes from strength to strength."
Men’s Fitness
Combined figure up 2.8% YOY to 69,639
Health and Fitness
Combined figure up 2.1% POP to 28,935
Dennis’ premium male fitness title, Men’s Fitness, sees a significant increase in its combined ABC with a 2.8% YOY rise, taking the magazine up to a readership of 69,639. This is also a period on period rise of 5.6% in sales of the print version.
Russell Blackman, Group Publisher, said: “’Men’s Fitness has performed exceptionally well within the last period. Our positive 5.6% growth POP reflects that we are delivering a product that resonates with our readers as they look for authoritative fitness advice from a trusted source. This sales rise has been driven by opportune publishing, targeted newsstand promotions and a successful editorial redesign.”
Octane
Up 1.1% YOY to 36,125
Classic car title Octane sees another increase of 1.1% YOY rising to 36,125 in its print version.
Dennis motoring titles have also seen considerable success on the iTunes store, with evo in particular generating over 5,000 sales a month via single copy sales and subscriptions. As the digital version of evo contains a raft of interactive features and video content, it cannot be included in the current audit due to it being more than 10% different to the print product. This is despite largely identical editorial and a £2.99 price point. Had this been included in the audit, evo would have been up substantially period on period, and level YOY.
James Tye, CEO of Dennis Publishing said, “It is impressive to see The Week continue to grow its overall print circulation as well as its iPad sales so dramatically over the last 6 months. I’m also encouraged to see that, where current auditing regulations allow, we are beginning to realise significant sales across our portfolio via the iPad. Nowhere is this more obvious than Men’s Fitness, which posts a substantial YOY increase.”
Egmont Magazines
Egmont Magazines, the children’s magazine division of Egmont UK, enjoyed a strong set of ABC results for the period January – June 2012, with success throughout its diverse portfolio, including circulation increases from Toxic magazine, the Thomas Portfolio, Egmont Girls Group and Egmont Disney Group.
Egmont’s circulation across its entire portfolio increased by 20.8% yoy boosted by exciting new launches Binweevils and We Love Pop. Like for like, the Egmont portfolio increased by 1.9% yoy and 1.3% pop which highlights the strength of its own brand and licensed magazines. During the current tough economic conditions, Egmont’s results demonstrate that the appetite for magazines within the children’s and teen market remains strong.
Toxic magazine celebrates its 10th anniversary this year and continues to reign as the UK’s number one tween boy’s magazine. A 6.2% growth year-on-year and a 3.6% growth period-on-period resulted in the second consecutive period of growth for the title. The Toxic website will be re-launched in Q4 2012, providing an additional platform for audiences to interact and engage with the brand.
Thomas & Friends benefited from a re-launch, with Thomas Express now being published once a month and Thomas & Friends continuing to be published every two weeks. The strategy worked successfully with a significant increase of 29% for Thomas Express and 18% for Thomas & Friends. In addition, Fireman Sam circulation increased by 16% period on period and 12% year on year, helped by increased investment in distribution through key retailers.
Egmont’s continued investment in the print and digital platforms of its new titles was rewarded, with high circulation figures for both Bin Weevils (47k) and We Love Pop (50k) recorded. We Love Pop magazine celebrated its first birthday this year and launched a bespoke mobile app which gives users the opportunity to interact with the brand throughout an augmented reality experience – the first time Egmont have used this technology within one of its titles.
Egmont’s Disney licensed products continue to perform well with the portfolio recording a year-on-year growth of 2.7% and a period-on-period growth of 2.5%. The portfolio was led by Disney Princess which enjoyed a 4.4% year-on-year growth and a period-on-period growth of 3.3%
Debbie Cook, Director of Magazines, Egmont Publishing Group said: “This is a great set of ABC results for Egmont showing strength and depth throughout our magazine portfolio, including an overall increase in circulation across all our titles.
It’s great to see that investment in our products, staying close to our readers through constant research, innovative retail promotions and the support of strong reader engagement through mobile apps, websites and social media platforms is paying dividends.
Our magazines are buoyant. They are bought, read and enjoyed because we make sure they’re fun and relevant to children’s lives. All of this has put Egmont in a strong position to continue working with our advertisers in creative ways to connect with children and teen audiences across all of our brands.”
Egmont will be further expanding its magazine portfolio in August, with the release of a new Disney Pixar title, Brave, to tie in with the Disney Pixar film. It has also recently announced that after gaining the rights to the Hello Kitty magazine, the publication will be re-launched on 8th August.
Future
Future, the international media business, today unveils the latest round of ABC figures for Total Film in the period January to June 2012.
Posting an ABC of 68,897, Total Film continues to extend its overall brand reach, with an online audience in phenomenal ascendance. For July www.totalfilm.com delivered a record 33.4 million global page views, up 226% year-on-year and 2.1 million global unique users, up 112% year-on-year (Global unique users measured by comScore Digital Analytix).
Total Film also launched its fully interactive iPad edition in May, which delivered an exceptional 75% increase in downloads on the standard edition with the first issue alone. Total Film plans to produce an ABC Digital Publications Certificate next period which will clearly audit the interactive editions circulation.
Lee Nutter, Publisher of Total Film, says: “With record website traffic and an extremely successful interactive iPad edition, Total Film continues to produce must-read content across all platforms. Although we face challenging conditions in a highly competitive print sector, it is extremely encouraging to see Total Film bigger than lifestyle brands such as Esquire and Wired. Our reach is bigger than ever and the brand continues to go from strength-to-strength.”
GoodHomes magazine
GoodHomes magazine is delighted to announce an ABC increase for the period January to June 2012.
The January to June 2012 ABC figure for GoodHomes is 78616. This is a 7% year-on-year increase and a 12% increase over the two year period since January to June 2010.
From the April 2011 issue, Kelsey Publishing reduced the GoodHomes cover price to stimulate copy sales growth. This cover price decrease was implemented as part of a new strategy to increase copy sales by giving GoodHomes readers even better value for their money in these tough economic times. The production quality of the magazine, editorial design, focus and content remain the same; targeting ABC1 homeowners.
Grand Designs magazine
Grand Designs magazine posted a strong ABC performance of 30,653, representing a 10.2% year on year increase, one of the highest year on year increases across the entire home interest sector. This represents the second consecutive year on year ABC increase for the title.
The magazine outperformed the entire home interest market by an impressive 11%, with paid subscription levels remaining above 12,000 per issue.
Grand Designs magazine has also been one of the first home interest magazines to successfully launch a digital version with sales standing at 1,205 for the ABC period.
Sarah Baldwin, deputy editor, commented, ‘We’re thrilled that, despite the tough economy, we have once again recorded a strong ABC performance. The GDM team has been working extremely hard to produce fresh and relevant content for our readers every issue. It is a very exciting time to be working in media, and we’ve kept ahead of the game by launching our digital edition this period.’
Haymarket Consumer Media
Haymarket Consumer Media’s flagship football title FourFourTwo has confirmed its position as one of the UK’s leading men’s magazine by posting strong growth in the latest Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) magazine sales figures, while innovating in the digital arena.
FourFourTwo was the star performer in the latest ABC results for the period between January and June 2012 with sales up 19.9% year on year to a total circulation of 96,240. These outstanding figures are the result of a deep understanding of the target audience allied with high-quality editorial content.
2012 is already turning out to be an astonishing year for FourFourTwo. Not only has the brand increased its market share, its innovative mobile app - Stats Zone - won three awards at this year’s AOP Digital Publishing Awards, including the coveted Grand Prix 2012.
Hugh Sleight, Brand Director, FourFourTwo commented: ‘We’re naturally delighted with these latest print results, which are just reward for all the hard work, teamwork and creativity of everyone involved. As a lover of magazines, it’s great to prove that print’s not dead. Combined with the great strides we’ve made with our digital products - FourFourTwo.com, FourFourTwo Performance and Stats Zone - we’re now in a very strong position to continue to grow our business both in the UK and globally.’
David Prasher, Managing Director, Haymarket Consumer Media, commented: ‘I am delighted with the exceptional performance of FourFourTwo on the newsstand for the first half of 2012. Such growth in a particularly challenging marketplace is a remarkable achievement and shows that a maintained focus on and investment in high quality, specialist magazines, pays off.
‘In our other sectors, despite a tougher newsstand environment, we’ve performed better as a publisher than all of our major competitors. On top of that, our brands are experiencing ongoing growth of their online and digital audiences and revenues.’
Hearst Magazines
Hearst Magazines UK, Hearst Corporation’s principal business in the UK, has announced its second set of ABC figures for both print and digital editions.
Hearst Magazines UK is one of the biggest media players in the country, reaching more than 8.3 million adults in print and 27 million monthly unique users online.**
Hearst Magazines UK continues to outperform its competitors with strong digital magazine sales and downloads, and remains one of the UK’s leading digital publishers. In addition, its diverse print portfolio continues to grow with outstanding performances from ELLE Decoration, Harper’s Bazaar and Women’s Health in particular.
Most notably, Women’s Health, which launched in February this year, has beaten all expectations with a record debut of more than 100,000 copies within only six months. This is the highest debut figure from any monthly glossy since 2005.
In addition, Hearst Magazines UK has sold more than 350k digital editions across the period with titles such as Cosmopolitan and Men’s Health regularly occupying up to half of the top 10 Apple Newsstand iPhone chart positions.
These strong combined print and digital sales prove that audiences are turning to Hearst UK brands for trusted, world class editorial content across multiple touch points, and that its strategy of creating ‘eco-systems’ around its print brands by providing content on Apple Newsstand as well as mobile, apps and websites, is a success.
Highlights include;
• Debut print ABC for Women’s Health at 100,289. This gives the brand combined print and digital sales of 101,467•
• Combined sales year on year growth for Men’s Health, up 3.8%
• Top performances for combined print and digital sales from Harper’s Bazaar - up 5.2%, Esquire - up 1.5% and ELLE Decoration - up 7.4%
• Highest ever ABC for ELLE Decoration, print 70,655 and combined sales of 75,501•
• Both Cosmopolitan & Men’s Health are now delivering more than 10,000 digital copies each per issue
• Average issue sales of digital editions across the portfolio have more than doubled period on period
• Country Living, Good Housekeeping, Inside Soap and Men’s Health continue to be market leaders in their competitive sets.
Arnaud DePuyfontaine, Chief Executive of Hearst Magazines UK, says: “Hearst UK is committed to publishing great content and making this available to our consumers on the platform of their choice, be it print, websites, mobile, apps or digital editions. And amid these challenging economic times, our strategy is paying off as witnessed by this latest set of figures. The majority of our brands continue to perform in line or ahead of their competitive markets, while a number of them have posted growth both for print ABC and print and digital combined sales. We have also released a truly impressive debut ABC for our newest brand, Women’s Health. Great testament to our strong brands and talented teams.”
* Publisher’s statement (combined print and digital sales)
** Non de-duped / Publisher’s statement / Sources: NRS Apr11-Mar12 (1 insertion in each magazine) / Omniture / Google Analytics June 2012
January – June 2012 ABC Title Highlights
Monthlies
Company
Total ABC – 143,269
Print ABC: 143,269 / Digital ABC: 2,841. Combined sale: 146,110*
2012 has been the biggest year for Company since launch - not just a re-design but a total re-invention of the brand with a new focus on street fashion, cool music and edgy beauty – always visual, always creative. Company allowed the content to speak for itself and reduced marketing promotion in the first half of 2012. Through the magazine and website, Company is reaching a new audience of young fashion influencers - 97% of readers who tried it for the first time in May have said they will buy it again.
Cosmopolitan
Total ABC – 353,413
Print ABC: 353,413 / Digital ABC: 13,298. Combined sale: 366,711*
With more than 1.5m readers, Cosmopolitan remains the leading title for young women with new print extensions Cosmo Body and Cosmo Beauty hitting the shelves in 2012. The award-winning brand has more than 1m unique users of cosmopolitan.co.uk and is regularly the UK’s number 1 top grossing brand in the Apple Newsstand. Cosmopolitan has nearly 14k users of the mobile shopping app and with over 13k digital copy sales each month, there is a rapidly growing demand for the brand through emerging digital channels.
Country Living
Total ABC – 190,177
Print ABC: 190,177 / Digital ABC: 2,196. Combined sale: 192,373*
Country Living continues to be the market leader by a mile in its sector posting an ABC of 190,177. The ongoing popularity and clout of this brand is demonstrated by a very strong subscription base, a large and growing adult readership of 805,000, launch of a new range of sofas exclusively available at DFS, and the hugely successful Country Living Fairs.
ELLE
Total ABC – 189,568
Print ABC: 189,568 / Digital ABC: 6,795. Combined sale: 196,363*
A strong performance for ELLE with a print ABC of 189,568 and a strong digital ABC up 178% period on period. ELLE continues to have a strong multi platform presence, with ELLEuk.com engaging with more than 450k unique users a month. As a digital edition on Apple Newsstand, ELLE is one of the most popular downloads with more than 41,000 sales in less than a year since launch.
ELLE Decoration
Total ABC – 70,655
Print ABC: 70,655 / Digital ABC: 4,846. Combined sale: 75,501.
ELLE Decoration continues its amazing success posting its highest ever combined print & digital ABC figure, up 7.4% year on year. Subscriptions are also at their highest ever level up 4.9% year on year, reflecting the success and strength of the brand and further reinforcing the fact that ELLE Decoration is the lifestyle bible for anyone with an interest in contemporary design.
Esquire
Total ABC – 54,702
Print ABC: 54,702 / Digital ABC: 5,205. Combined sale 59,907*
Esquire has had a fantastic performance posting its yearly highest combined sales figure of 59,907, up 1.5% year on year. Esquire continues to have a strong multi platform presence, with Esquire.co.uk engaging with more than 100k unique users a month. As a digital edition on Apple Newsstand, sales are at their highest ever level with an impressive 39% growth period on period.
Good Housekeeping
Total ABC – 408,569
Print ABC: 408,569 / Digital ABC: 3,155. Combined sale: 411,724*
The leading women’s lifestyle magazine, Good Housekeeping continues to lead this market with a subscription file of more than 50%, highlighting the strength of this brand. Good Housekeeping has a huge female readership of 1,332,000 which continues to grow (up 1.1% year on year and 4.1% period on period) and massive brand reach with its series of standalones, Good Housekeeping Institute approved products, licensed products and books. This new product development is set to extend even further with the imminent launch of Goodhousekeeping.co.uk at the end of September.
Harper’s Bazaar
Total ABC 119,274
Print ABC: 119,274/ Digital ABC: 6,242. Combined sale 125,516.* ? ?
Harper’s Bazaar continues to see impressive growth across all platforms with its highest ever combined print & digital ABC figure, up 5.2% year on year, and digital edition sales up 903% year on year to 6,242 copies. Subscriptions are at their highest ever level, up 15.9% year on year to 28,412. Harper’s Bazaar continues to have a strong multi-platform presence, with its newly-designed website, harpersbazaar.co.uk, engaging with more than 100k users a month.
House Beautiful
Total ABC – 126,497
Print ABC: 126,497 / Digital ABC: 1,015. Combined sale: 127,512*
In a very competitive market, House Beautiful maintains a healthy position, posting an ABC of 126,497. A strong subscription base and large female readership of 431,000, launch of a new range of sofas exclusively available at DFS, continues to highlight the strength of this brand.
Men’s Health
Total ABC 216,336
Print ABC: 216,336 / Digital ABC: 12,142. Combined sale: 228,478*
Men’s Health has recorded further success in the latest set of results, once again extending its lead at the top of the men’s lifestyle market. Combined sales grew 3.8% year-on-year for the Jan-June 2012 period and the brand proved once again that its readers are at the forefront of new technology with digital edition sales growing by nearly 600% against the previous year.
Prima
Total ABC – 264,312
Print ABC: 264,312 / Digital ABC: 504. Combined sale: 264,816*
Prima remains one of the highest selling women’s magazines in the UK with a very large, loyal and growing subscriber base and readership of 620,000 (up 9.5% year on year and 7.5% period on period). With two new standalone launches this year - the Prima Homemade Show and the already hugely successful Prima High Street Fashion Awards - the Prima brand is growing well beyond the pages of the magazine itself.
Red
Total ABC 226,116
Print ABC: 226,116/ Digital ABC 2,270. Combined sale 228,386*
Red remains the UK’s leading luxury lifestyle magazine with a very large, loyal subscriber base up 14.1% year on year. Red has a strong dual platform presence, with its award winning website, redonline.co.uk engaging with more than 250k users every month. The brand also debuted on Apple Newsstand this period with 2,270 copies. Its boutique style mail order business reddirect.co.uk, continues to grow with more than 350k page views a month.
Women’s Health
Total ABC 100,289
Print ABC: 100,289 / Digital ABC 1,178: Combined sale: 101,467
A stunning debut ABC performance from the new women’s glossy, Women’s Health. With total paid circulation over 100,000 copies, this is the highest ABC debut figure from any monthly glossy for 7 years. In just six months, Women’s Health has become the must-have read for upmarket, intelligent, health-conscious females.
Zest
Total ABC – 71,820
Print ABC: 71,820 / Digital ABC: 1,920. Combined sale: 73,740*
A 2.5% period on period print increase plus nearly 2,000 digital copy sales, is testament to Zest’s base of loyal readers. Audiences have responded to Zest’s expert tips and motivation, the warm encouragement to achieve personal well-being goals and the wide inclusion of real women.
Weeklies
Best
Total ABC – 261,634
Print ABC: 261,634 / Digital ABC: 122. Combined sale: 261,756
An improved performance from Best as Hearst UK’s classic weekly enters its 25th year. Hearst UK’s Weeklies have made rapid progress with Best content now available on Hearst UK’s highly successful allaboutyou.com and the production of a popular series of diet and lifestyle specials.
Reveal
Total ABC – 233,186
Print ABC: 233,186 / Digital ABC: 1,821. Combined sale: 235,007
Hearst UK’s celebrity weekly Reveal continues its rapid transition to a multiplatform brand. Reveal has switched price promotion for product investment and extended its audience across digital platforms including the newly launched reveal.co.uk with the strapline ‘Talking With You, Not At You’, across Apple Newsstand where there have been more than 213,000 Reveal App downloads, and via a shopping App.
Real People
Total ABC – 197,288
Print ABC: 197,288 / Digital ABC: 254. Combined sale: 197,542
True life stories and puzzles give Real People a stable and on-the-market ABC performance in this crowded sector. The launch of partner website realpeoplemag.co.uk has answered customer demand for an online competition and puzzle portal. The Real People brand has been extended to include two branded specials Puzzle Paradise and Crime Confidential which have been well received by this loyal audience.
Inside Soap
Total ABC – 154,657
Print ABC: 154,657 / Digital ABC: 246. Combined sale: 154,903
Inside Soap, the UK’s soap bible, continues to rule the roost. With Apple sales going from strength-to-strength in recent weeks we predict a bright digital future for the Inside Soap brand. Now in its 20th year and with the 2012 Inside Soap Awards recently launched, this is one brand ready to party!
All About Soap
Total ABC – 78,244
Print ABC: 78,244 / Digital ABC: 178. Combined sale: 78,422
All About Soap continues to offer fans their fortnightly fix of soap gossip and amusement and puts in a respectable performance.
Source: ABC
* Publishers Statement
Immediate Media Co
Immediate Media Company has delivered another strong performance in January to June 2012, posting an overall audited circulation of almost three million, delivering the strongest performance among the UK’s top publishing houses. In a challenging six-month period for the newstrade market, Immediate Media Co also retains its position as the No1 UK publisher for subscriptions, with 995,798 subscriptions in total, stable at -0.3% year on year.
Radio Times continues to lead the premium weekly listings market, with a strong circulation of 865,562 (see Kathy Day’s publisher statement below); BBC History Magazine is up almost 3% year on year, one of several titles in Immediate Media’s factual group to show growth; the Youth and Children’s portfolio has grown 13.3% year on year, helped by a strong debut from Girl Talk Art and continued strong performances from CBeebies Art and CBeebies Special.
Highlights from Immediate Media Co’s portfolio in the period January to June 2012:
• Radio Times delivered a strong performance during this period; the title’s average weekly circulation for the first six months of 2012 was 865,562, down 3.9% year on year but outperforming the UK listings market, which is down 5.4%. The title also retains its position as the UK’s biggest selling weekly title for subscriptions;
• Radio Times now outsells the rest of the premium titles put together by over 310k copies a week, with a share of 61%, generating £46.3m in retail sales value, up 7% on the same period last year;
• Specialist factual title BBC History Magazine is up 2.9% year on year, with a circulation of 71,403; Homes and Antiques delivers a very strong circulation of 61,536, up 4.8% year on year; Countryfile magazine is up 3.3% year on year, at 40,770; Gardens Illustrated is up 4.1% year on year, at 35,701; and Sky at Night is up 8.5% on last year, at 24,736;
• The children’s portfolio is up 13.3% year on year, with a strong debut from Girl Talk Art, at 59,000. The pre-school portfolio is up an impressive 19.3% year on year and 7.7% period on period, with notably strong circulations from CBeebies Art, up 8.8% year on year and 4.8% period on period, at 66,706; and CBeebies Special, up 6.6% year on year, and up 4.4% period on period, at 64,696;
• Gardeners’ World Magazine achieves a circulation of 254,530, up 17.5% period on period, down 4.1% year on year, but retains its strong market-leading position. Likewise, in a tough market Top Gear magazine is still the market-leading motoring title, with a circulation of 155,017; and BBC Good Food magazine is still the UK’s market-leading paid-for food title, at 267,164.
Immediate Media Co’s CEO, Tom Bureau, said: “In such a tough economy, I am delighted that Immediate Media Co's magazines continue to perform strongly, delivering high quality targeted content to our consumers and outperforming our key competitors. Our vision is to build the leading special interest content company, with magazines at the heart of a cross media strategy so it’s great to see trading so stable, with growth in a number of areas. After a period of restructure post-deal, and as we scale our multi-platform capability, we are building an exciting business."
Kathy Day, MD, Radio Times brand: “Radio Times continues to dominate the premium TV listings sector posting an ABC of 866k, outselling its nearest competitor by over 600k copies. It remains the UK’s biggest selling quality magazine, the UK’s biggest subscription weekly, and the UK’s most valuable magazine at newsstand.
Radio Times’ unique proposition - brilliant editorial scoops, insightful guidance and the best listings in the business - has seen it outperform the rest of the TV listings market and grow its market share to 21.3%. Subscriptions have grown yet again to 225k up 9.1% year on year and now account for 26% of circulation.
Total ABC audited circulation for Immediate Media Co’s titles in January to June 2012 is 2,961,308 (-2.4% year on year and -2.6% period on period).
IPC Media
IPC Media today unveils highlights from the latest round of ABC figures for brands reporting in the period January to June 2012.
IPC Media CEO Sylvia Auton says: “The on-going recession continues to affect the entire magazine industry. At IPC we remain focussed on editorial and publishing innovation and are seeing some improving sales trends in our women’s lifestyle, fashion and celebrity brands, and our home interest portfolio remains resilient.
“I believe that the quality of our content is the strongest it has ever been, so it remains for us to ensure that we get this content into the hands of our consumers across the plethora of platforms now available to us. The majority of our brands are extending their offerings beyond print, interacting with millions of consumers every week through tablets, mobile, online, social media, brand extensions and live events.”
IPC’s ABC results include:
• IPC Media consolidated its position as the leading consumer magazine publisher by both volume and value and outperformed the market this period
• IPC Media’s annual volume share of the TV market grew this period and now stands at 46.3%. The titles –TVTimes, What’s on TV, TVEasy, Soaplife, and TV&Satellite Week - reach over 20 million people through print, website and social media, and continue to provide a highly valued, accurate guide to viewing, as well as offering entertaining and topical features for consumers
• On the newsstand, IPC Connect’s share of the women’s weekly market rose 1.0% to 23.9%. In the women’s weekly lifestyle sector, IPC’s volume share of the market rose to 50.7%, up 0.5% on the year
• In the celebrity sector, Now outperformed its market, growing its share by 0.8 percentage points this period
• IPC’s home interest titles also outperformed the market this period and continue to lead the home interest sector. Style at Home, Country Homes and Interiors and Livingetc all posted notable period-on-period and year-on-year circulation increases
PPA
Circulation figures have been released by ABC today (August 16) for magazines audited during the six-month period from January to June 2012.
PPA analysis of the figures illustrates sustained demand for the medium in print, with the Total Average Issue Net Circulation compared with the same period the previous year recorded at -2.1%.
Sectors to report year-on-year circulation increases for consecutive periods include Teenage Lifestyle (+55.4%), Children's Magazines: Pre-School (+11.9%), and Women's Slimming (+10.5%).
The News & Current Affairs: Domestic sector remained popular among readers with a year-on-year increase of 5.4%. There were also year-on-year increases in this reporting period for Home Interest: Gardening (+0.5%) and Leisure Interest: Camping/Walking/Climbing (+3.3%).
Barry McIlheney, CEO of the PPA, said: "This is yet another solid set of ABC figures that underline print's enduring position within today’s multi-platform consumer magazine brands. The millions of magazines distributed every day in the UK are hugely powerful in connecting consumers with their passions and interests, leading discussions and creating real influence.”
Within this ABC release, consumer magazines can separately report paid-for digital edition sales alongside a print figure on the same certificate. In the January to June 2012 release, a total of 60 titles opted to report digital edition sales figures compared with 16 in the same period a year ago.
The total number of paid-for digital edition sales for the 60 titles audited between January and June 2012 was recorded at 185,210. Compared with the previous period this represents an overall increase of 92%. When considered on an average copy sales per title basis, this represents a period-on-period increase of 226%.
The January to June 2012 ABC release also coincides with ABC’s first-ever Digital Publications Certificate, which enables publishers to give advertisers access to a verified audience circulation figure for digital publications that do not fall within the current ABC digital editions rules.
McIlheney added: "The introduction of the new Digital Publications Certificate coupled with the impressive growth in the number of consumers paying for digital editions shows how tablets are already becoming established as a key platform for magazine brands.”
Shortlist Media
Figures released today by the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) show increased market share for both ShortList in the men’s market and Stylist in the women’s fashion and lifestyle sector, with both titles increasing by 0.5% in the last six months and 1% over the last year.
ShortList’s new weekly ABC is 529,010 and is the title’s ninth consecutive increase stretching back to launch in 2007. ShortList’s market-leading share grows to 43.2% (see graphic below), as the men’s lifestyle sector begins to stabilise. With a lead of 223,334 copies, ShortList remains 73% larger than the number two title, Sport and 41% larger than the nearest monthly title, Men’s Health.
Men’s Lifestyle Magazine Sector
The first half of the six-month period has seen ShortList undergo a refresh under its new Editior Martin Robinson. Robinson and team have introduced a bolder, more masculine design and several new editorial franchises including firm new favourites The Chosen Few and Middle Class War; and launch a special glossy fashion issue to celebrate London Men’s Fashion Week with covers designed by luminaries including Liam Gallagher. Access to A-List stars has been unrivalled, with Will Smith, Michael Fassbender, and Robert Pattinson all featuring as cover stars, while editorial continues to focus on issues relevant to the modern, urban man. Its national distribution network continues to lead the way, with hand distribution every week in 13 cities across the UK.
Publisher Darren Singh says: “These latest set results are testament to ShortList’s commitment to intelligent editorial, relevant content, iconic covers and stunning visuals. With an ever-increasing range of top advertisers ShortList continues to prove itself as the most effective route to reaching valuable, professional men across Britain.”
Stylist sees its audited ABC stretch to 431,266, a fifth consecutive ABC increase for the title. In market share terms, Stylist represents 18.6% of the market – and is the weekly market leader, some 241,213 copies per week ahead of Grazia.
Women’s Fashion & Lifestyle Sector
Over the last six months the Stylist team has produced standout issues working with celebrities such as Uma Thurman and Rachel Weisz, artists such as David Shrigley and Tracy Emin, as well as fighting to raise the profile of female sport with the ‘Fair Game For Women In Sport’ campaign. Stylist biannual glossy fashion edition continues to grow rapidly in size and influence. Most significantly, Stylist won two of the most prestigious awards in British magazine publishing, winning both Editor of the Year and Media Brand of the Year at the PPA Awards in June.
Publisher Glenda Marchant says: ‘’ It’s been another amazing six months for Stylist. A weekly magazine must offer variety to its readers and through Lisa Smosarski and her wonderful editorial team Stylist delivers provocative, original and exciting issues every week. The advertising base is growing rapidly with major advertisers such as Coty Prestige and the Richemont new to the title. Stylist is quite rightly one of the most talked about and award-winning magazines anywhere.’’
And the growth story is not confined to print as digitally, Shortlist Media continues to grow its online and mobile scale and reach.
• Shortlist.com has reached one million monthly uniques (up 50% in six months) and 9.7 million monthly impressions (up 98% pop).
• Stylist.co.uk has in excess of 400,000 monthly uniques (up 23% pop) and 4.4m page impressions (up 46% in the same period).
• Both brands now have fast-growing, mobile sites and tablet editions via Google Currents – ShortList’s edition reaching over 300,000 and Stylist’s over 200,000 on tablet and smart phone.
• Emerald Street, the stylish daily email for professional women, has grown to over 80,000 subscribers – a 33% increase in the last six months alone.
Karl Marsden, Managing Director, Shortlist Media says: “My thanks and congratulations to all of our high performance teams across the company. In a fast-moving media market, both ShortList and Stylist continue to prove their value as exceptional brands which valuable working men and women consume avidly. Our national distribution network ensures we reach the parts that other magazines don’t – and we have created a powerful weekly habit amongst our readers. I am also delighted that our digital platforms have grown so strongly too over the last six to twelve months, meaning we can deliver very high quality cross platform creative executions to the brands who work with us.”
Slimming World Magazine
As sales of printed magazines across sectors continue to decline, one magazine is bucking the trend. Slimming World magazine, the customer magazine produced in-house for Britain’s largest weight-loss organisation, has consistently added readers to its circulation year on year since August 2007.
Latest ABC figures for January-June 2012 to be released this Thursday, 16 August, see the magazine’s circulation predicted at 420,011. The latest figures indicate that Slimming World magazine has seen an increase in circulation of 17,612 (4.4%) period on period and 70,445 (20.2%) year on year. Slimming World magazine is the only magazine to have a consistent year-on-year increase in the Women's Slimming and Women's Health and Beauty sectors over the last five years. It’s enjoyed an unprecedented rise of 62.2% since 2007 – which is even more impressive against the background of falling circulations for other titles.
Editor Elise Wells attributes the title’s ongoing success to raised editorial standards and providing readers with a magazine that offers practical help and support, represents real value for money and – crucially – feels like a treat.
“Slimming titles have traditionally been seen as niche titles – however, our circulation puts us firmly in the mainstream,” says Elise. “As editor it’s been my mission to raise editorial standards and create a positive, helpful magazine for slimmers that reflects the Slimming World brand.
“As the leading weight-loss organisation in the UK, Slimming World is passionate about the quality of service it provides. It prides itself on the practical and psychological support that slimmers receive in group and the magazine is an extension of this. Real life is at the heart of Slimming World magazine. So as well as real-life success stories that tell it like it really is, we’ve introduced dedicated features that help readers overcome slimming pitfalls and understand the emotional issues behind overeating.
“We’ve also broadened the age range of slimmers and, in response to demand from a growing proportion of male readers, we’ve included more inspirational male stories, too.” adds Elise.
Recipe inspiration is one of the main reasons that slimmers – both group members and non-members – purchase the magazine. Over recent years the magazine has looked closely at the food section, ensuring it’s planned to appeal to a wide range of tastes, cooking abilities and budgets. More importantly though, the section offers healthy recipes and menus that are fresh, delicious and appetising, as well as good for weight loss. Great photography, styling and design all contribute to the quality feeling that’s on a par with the best-selling food titles.
“We’re looking forward to celebrating the publication of our 100th issue later this year,” says Elise. “We’re thrilled that these latest figures show we are getting it right for our readers despite the difficult economic climate and we’re confident that we’re moving on to even bigger and better things in 2013.”
The Sunday Times Travel Magazine
The Sunday Times Travel Magazine continues to soar skywards with its highest ever ABC.
That's an unprecedented 11th consecutive rise (up 1% to 69,558) - a feat no other magazine has achieved over the same period.
The Sunday Times Travel Magazine has achieved total sector dominance on full-price sales in the UK, outselling both its rivals combined. The magazine has also seen rises across every element of its sales base: it is up in the UK, up globally, up on the UK newsstand, up on full-price sales, up overall - both year-on-year and period-on-period.
The Sunday Times Travel Magazine is now the UK's no. 1 actively purchased travel magazine, and outsells such household names as The Spectator, Esquire, Time Out, Q and NME.
