ABC found that the average circulation of each issue between January 1, 2012 and March 31, 2012 was 5,687 copies and JICREG figures unveiled today show the title has an estimated 16,146 readers.
Editor Matt Ramsden said: "We have been absolutely delighted with the response we have received to the paper.
"From its launch, which was achieved in just nine days, it has quickly established itself as a must read for townspeople - offering the very best in local news, sport and leisure."
Reaching 33% of all adults in Sittingbourne, Sittingbourne News Extra was launched following the closure of the East Kent Gazette. This was one of several titles KM Group had attempted to purchase from Kent Regional News and Media. The deal was unable to proceed when the Office of Fair Trading referred the proposal to the Competition Commission.
Sittingbourne News Extra is the first paid-for newspaper to be launched by KM Group since April 2003, when Medway Messenger (Monday) was launched to complement a local edition of Kent Messenger, the UK’s biggest-selling weekday weekly regional newspaper. An edition of which also serves Sittingbourne.
Prior to the launch of Sittingbourne News Extra, Medway was the only area in which KM Group published two paid-for titles each week. Reflecting the Medway offering, Sittingbourne News Extra is dedicated to local content, while Sittingbourne Messenger continues to provide a broader mix of news from Swale, Medway, Maidstone and West Kent.
Kent Messenger (Series) and Sittingbourne News Extra, together with the accompanying KentOnline website that delivers breaking news, reach 21% of all readers in Swale.
Mr Ramsden added: “As with most success stories, Sittingbourne News Extra has a great team of talented and dedicated staff behind it. We're very much looking forward to the coming months where we aim to further cement our place as Sittingbourne's paper."
