OK! on course to overtake Hello!

OK! is tipped to overtake Hello! magazine in the latest set of circulation figures on the back of its exclusive coverage of the wedding of England footballer David Beckham and pop star “Posh Spice” Victoria Adams.

The final figures are due to be released by the Audit Bureau of Circulations on Thursday evening, and they are expected to reveal that OK! has overtaken Hello! for average net circulation for the six months ending December 1999.

Hello! publishing director Sally Cartwright says: “I am absolutely sure they will.”

She puts OK!’s circulation rise down to the exclusive serialisation of the celebrity couple’s wedding.

Hello! is expected to record a period-on-period rise in circulation.

Northern & Shell, publishers of OK!, have refused to comment.

The move comes as Hello! magazine takes steps to boost its ad sales and marketing team.

Loretta Williamson is being promoted to the role of advertisement director. While a commercial director is being sought to take on the responsibilities of Jon Humphrey, who is leaving to join the e-commerce and software engineering company Stratum Media as marketing director. He will continue as a non-executive director of Hello!

In the last set of ABC figures, Hello! registered an average net circulation of 493,322 down 2.5 per cent year on year. OK! reported a circulation of 413,148 up 92.9 per cent year on year.