National ABCs: Year-on-year circulation drops for all

The circulation of every national newspaper suffered a year-on-year decline in July, with quality titles faring worse than tabloid and mid-markets papers.

Seven papers suffered from double-digit year-on year falls in circulation last month, according to the latest ABC print circulation figures.

The decline was most keenly felt at Guardian News & Media’s The Observer, which dropped 21.02 per cent to an average weekly circulation of 314,602 in July.

The extent of the decline amongst the qualities has been exaggerated by the fact they have been stripping out free bulk sales and overseas copies from their circulations.

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The Daily Star may have recorded a year-on-year circulation fall of 4.95 per cent but its average daily sale of 843,229 was up 4.1 per cent month-on-month suggesting Richard Desmond’s decision to slash cover price by 50 per cent to just ten pence from early last month is already reaping a reward.

The Daily Star’s sister title, The Daily Star Sunday, benefited from a circulation jump of 5.07 per cent month-on-month to a weekly average of 370,032 in July.

National Morning Pop (figures correspond to: circulation y-o-y +/- bulks 7/10 bulks 7/09)

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• Daily Mirror 1,242,446 -7.28 0 0
• Daily Record 324,229 -5.52 1,963 2,013
• Daily Star 843,229 -4.95 0 0
• The Sun 3,042,406 -2.53 0 0

Average circulation 5,452,310 -4.21

National Morning Mid Market

• Daily Express 663,871 -9.56 0 0
• Daily Mail 2,117,839 -2.79 113,108 131,142

Average circulation 2,781,710 -4.50

National Morning Quality

• Daily Telegraph 678,391 -17.16 0 93,647
• Financial Times 378,497 -4.80 37,040 29,476
• The Guardian 277,246 -15.67 0 10,383
• The Independent 183,975 -2.67 62.433 38,498
• The Scotsman 42,850 -7.20 3,809 4,065
• The Times 502,588 -13.42 0 50,270

Average circulation 2,115,729 -12.46

National Sunday Popular

• Daily Star Sunday 370,032 -10.74 0 0
• News of the World 2,890,523 -6.88 0 0
• Sunday Mail 388,954 -7.19 765 646
• Sunday Mirror 1,155,101 -7.49 0 0
• The People 539,692 -9.26 0 0

Average circulation 5,344,302 -7.56

National Sunday Mid Market

• Sunday Express 568,740 -11.87 0 0
• Sunday Post 325,580 -7.96 0 0
• The Mail on Sunday 1,954,616 -4.23 102,343 117,732

Average circulation 2,848,936 -6.29

National Sunday Quality

• Independent on Sunday 155,565 -3.01 52,862 35,053
• The Observer 314,602 -21.02 0 12,646
• Sunday Herald 40,069 -1.08 0 0
• The Sunday Telegraph 505,214 -16.15 0 70,254
• The Sunday Times 1,068,158 -10.31 0 19,711

Average circulation 2,134,871 -12.84

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