Thelondonpaper tops afternoon freesheet ratings

Thelondonpaper, the News International-owned freesheet, has edged ahead of its rival London Lite, according to the latest National Readership Survey (NRS) figures. Associated Newspaper-owned London Lite was previously the leading afternoon freesheet.

The second NRS survey estimates that the average number of people who read thelondonpaper each day to be 861,000, compared with 858,000 for London Lite. The data covered the period April to September this year.

The first set of NRS data, released in September, showed the London Lite holding a lead over thelondonpaper, despite the latter distributing around 100,000 copies more than its rival.

The London Lite recorded a distribution of 745,000 compared with 713,000 for thelondonpaper during the six months to June this year.