Independent circulation slumps

The Independent has seen its circulation drop 12% year on year, according to the latest Audit Bureau of Circulation figures.

The newspaper had an average net circulation of 211,359 in the six months to 25 January compared with 240,595 in the six months to last January.

Its sister title The Independent on Sunday saw an even more dramatic year on year drop, down 16.7%.

Both raised their cover prices in the last six months, up to £1 for The Independent and to £1.60 for the Sunday edition.

Elsewhere, every weekday national newspaper saw year on year drops in the six months to 25 January with The Daily Mirror, down 8.6%, The Daily Star, down 5.27% and The Daily Mail, down 5.56% among the biggest fallers.

However, month on month only The Financial Times and The Daily Sport saw a drop in circulation, down 0.55% to 432,944 and 1.8% to 72,592 respectively.

The Sun was the biggest climber month on month among the weekday and Saturday paper’s, up 8.51% on December to 3.14m and despite its year on year drops The Independent climbed 7.62% cent month on month.

The Guardian, which raised its weekday cover price to 90p on 19 January, saw a 4.62% rise to 358,844 while sister title The Observer, which is now £2, inched up 1.79% to 427,867.

Elsewhere, the Evening Standard, which was sold last month to o Lebedev Holdings, a company formed Russian billionaire Alexander Lebedev and his son, Evgeny, climbed 2% to 292,976 in January and increased 2% year on year in the last six months.