View all newsletters
Sign up for our free email newsletters

Fighting for quality news media in the digital age.

  1. Data
  2. Audience Data
June 25, 2018

Mail is UK’s most read newsbrand according to new industry-standard figures, with Sun close behind

By Freddy Mayhew

The Mail has the largest readership of any UK newsbrand, according to new industry-standard figures, with the Sun close behind.

The Mail, incorporating the Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday and Mail Online brands, has a total monthly brand reach of 29.25m according to Pamco figures covering April 2017 to March 2018.

Just behind is The Sun with 29.18m readers a month across its print and digital portfolio.

This includes the Sun and Sun on Sunday newspapers as well as thesun.co.uk, thescottishsun.co.uk and its commercial websites including Sun Bingo and Sun Savers.

Pamco (Published Audience Measurement Company) launched in April as a replacement for the National Readership Survey.

It surveys 35,000 UK adults, including 5,000 whose digital reading habits are monitored by computer software, to offer a breakdown by platform across print, mobile, tablet and desktop.

Pamco includes monthly Comscore data to provide an overall “total brand reach” figure across print and digital for each newsbrand.

Content from our partners
MHP Group's 30 To Watch awards for young journalists open for entries
How PA Media is helping newspapers make the digital transition
Publishing on the open web is broken, how generative AI could help fix it

According to the monthly figures, the Sun had the largest readership on mobile (20.35m), while the Mail was top for tablet readers (4.1m).

The Guardian again boasted the largest readership on desktop at 7.89m a month, while the Metro dominated in print with a readership of 10.25m per month.

Pamco figures for April 2017-March 2018 (in 000s) for UK newsbrands:

Newsbrand Total Brand Reach (monthly) Phone Tablet Desktop Print
Qualities
The Times                           8,038     2,527         560     1,248     5,243
Independent                        17,344   12,789     2,206     4,345  –
The Telegraph                        23,139   15,244     3,351     5,899     3,682
The Guardian                        24,086   15,791     3,096     7,889     4,162
i                           3,533     1,707         252         390     1,577
Mid-market 
Express                        15,368     6,707     2,489     5,069     2,735
The Mail                        29,254   18,287     4,100     5,895     8,578
Popular
Mirror                        25,293   18,296     2,466     3,240     5,321
Daily Record                           5,581     4,063         504         496     1,091
Daily Star                           7,834     3,938         891     1,521     2,311
Sun                        29,182   20,350     3,413     4,073     9,405
Free
Evening Standard                        14,072     9,279     1,339     1,916     4,692
Metro                        22,177   13,099     1,674     2,485   10,250
Regional 
The Press and Journal                              500         197           45           77         222
The Courier – Dundee                              501         211           46           60         243
The Herald                           1,384         715         159         316         367
The Scotsman                           2,279     1,482         253         454         330
The Yorkshire Post                           1,203         627         130         222         316
Sunday Post                              545  –  –  –         545

Picture: Reuters/Toby Melville

Topics in this article :

Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog

Select and enter your email address Weekly insight into the big strategic issues affecting the future of the news industry. Essential reading for media leaders every Thursday. Your morning brew of news about the world of news from Press Gazette and elsewhere in the media. Sent at around 10am UK time. Our weekly does of strategic insight about the future of news media aimed at US readers. A fortnightly update from the front-line of news and advertising. Aimed at marketers and those involved in the advertising industry.
  • Business owner/co-owner
  • CEO
  • COO
  • CFO
  • CTO
  • Chairperson
  • Non-Exec Director
  • Other C-Suite
  • Managing Director
  • President/Partner
  • Senior Executive/SVP or Corporate VP or equivalent
  • Director or equivalent
  • Group or Senior Manager
  • Head of Department/Function
  • Manager
  • Non-manager
  • Retired
  • Other
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
Thank you

Thanks for subscribing.

Websites in our network