Indie titles arrest monthly circulation slide
The Independent and The Independent on Sunday have managed slight circulation increases for November, despite recording continued year-on-year falls, according to latest Audit Bureau of Circulations figures.
The Independent, which has seen dramatic falls in circulation since raising its cover price to £1, posted a month-on-month rise of 0.05% to 201,113. The publication is down 8.29% for the six months June to November, compared to the same period in 2007. Its stablemate, The Independent on Sunday, also rose by 0.19% to 166,071 last month but fell 13.94% year on year.
The Guardian was the only other non-specialist quality title to see a month-on-month rise, up 1.16% to 358,379, no doubt helped by the US election coverage. The Times fell 1.23% to 621,831 and The Daily Telegraph dropped 0.91% to 835,497.
The Financial Times fell 0.70% month on month to 448,523, despite a potential audience with a strong demand for news on the economy and the global financial situation.
In the mid-market, the Daily Mail reversed its October drop in circulation, posting a 0.44% rise in November to 2,193,715 while the Daily Express climbed 1.35% to 752,181.
The popular titles in total dropped 0.51% month on month, despite blanket coverage of the Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross furore at the beginning of the month and the launch of ITV1’s I’m A Celebrity … Get me Out Of Here show on November 16.
The Sun fell 0.48% month on month to 3,045,899, even though it has implemented an aggressive advertising campaign, while the Daily Mirror fell 1.35% to 1,400,206. However, the Daily Star finally saw the results of its price cut to 20 pence at the start of the November and posted a circulation rise of 2.48% to 714,192.
The Sunday market saw little cheer, with The People dropping 3.07% month on month to 595,795 and down a drastic 12.82% for the six months to November year on year. The News of the World rose 0.47% to 3,153,521.
In other month-on-month results, The Observer fell 2.45%, The Sunday Times fell 0.85% and The Sunday Telegraph dropped 1.05%.
