The Economist claimed a global sale of just over 1.3 million today as the soaraway current affairs weekly further increased its sales in the UK.
In the first half of 2008, The Economist grew 5.6 per cent year on year in the UK to 183,539 – and reported global growth of 6.1 per cent year on year.
The title’s UK publisher, Yyvonne Ossman, said the latest figures showed that “the old view of elite media vs mass media is fading fastT.
She added: “People are more and more likely to be seen reading both Grazia and The Economist.”
Editor-in-chief John Micklethwait said: “With global concerns, from the credit crunch to climate change, becoming ever more pressing, we hope people will continue to turn to us for our independent voice and our focus on the issues, people and places that really matter.”
Another current affairs weekly celebrating today was The Spectator, which recorded a 5.1 per cent year-on-year increase to 76,952 – a new high for the 180-year-old right-of-centre magazine.
Citing data from Google Analytics, The Spectator claimed 198,000 unique users for its website spectator.co.uk. It said subscriptions and newsstand sales of the magazine were also up.
Dennis Publishing’s news digest title The Week broke through the 150,000 sales mark for the first time – up 4.5 per cent year on year to 150,099.
Left-of-centre political monthly Prospect is another high-brow title going from strength to strength – it was up 10.7 per cent year on year to 27,552.
Fortnightly satire and news title Private Eye remains the UK’s top selling current affairs magazine with 205,231 sales – down 1.8 per cent year on year.
Money Week said it had become the best-selling UK financial magazine for the first time. It recorded a circulation for the first half off the year of 35,794 – up 14.9 per cent year on year.
Money Week was bought by US financial publisher Agora Inc in late 2003.
The title’s managing director, Toby Bray, said he believed its success was because it ‘not only gives well-argued, intelligent financial advice, but it does so in a format and style that’s witty, opinionated and enjoyable to read”.
Rival title Investors Chronicle dropped 8.9 per cent year on year to 31,919. Monthly title You and Your Money dropped 17.6 per period on period to 18,182
The New Statesman did not release its circulation figures in the current round of ABCs and is expected to do so within the next fortnight
Magazine ABC figures for second half of 2007
News and Current Affairs (with year-on-year rise)
- The Economist (UK edition) – 182,539, up 5.6 per cent
- Investors Chronicle – 31,919, down 8.9 per cent
- You and Your Money – 18,182, N/A
- Money Week – 35,794, up 14.9 per cent
- Private Eye – 205,231, down 1.8 per cent
- The Week – 150,099, up 4.5 per cent
- Spectator – 76,952, up 5.1 per cent
- The Oldie – 28,862, up 15.5 per cent
- Prospect – 27,552, up 10.7 per cent
- Time Magazine (British Isles) – 136,164, down 0.4 per cent
- New Scientist (excluding Australasia and America) – down 1.2 per cent
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