Sport First cuts its print run

Sport First, the national Sunday sport paper launched two weeks ago, is to cut its print run. The cuts are based on “settle-down sales”, claimed to be about 70,000 to 75,000.

The print run, initially set at 250,000, is about to be reduced to 150,000, says the paper’s sales and marketing director, Nick Thompson.

But he adds: “Sport First is outselling Sporting Life and the Racing Post.

“It’s a good base to work from, particularly given the limited resources for initial marketing.”

Thompson says the settle-down figure does not include sample copies, which have been handed out as part of a marketing campaign.

Breakeven point for the newspaper was understood to be a circulation figure of 100,000, but that is now being reassessed.

There were plans to launch a further issue on either Saturday or Sunday, if the newspaper achieved a settle-down figure of 150,000 within three months. But these plans are being “re-examined”.