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April 19, 2018

National newspaper ABCs: Sun regains top spot as City AM, Times and Observer fare best amid industry-wide circulation decline

By Charlotte Tobitt

The Sun has overtaken the Metro’s print circulation, after the free daily pushed the UK’s best-selling newspaper off the top spot for the first time last month, new ABC figures reveal.

The Sun had a total print circulation of 1,481,876 in March, down 7.52 per cent year-on-year, against the Metro’s distribution of 1,473,956, a -0.36 per cent year-on-year drop.

Every national newsbrand saw circulation fall year-on-year in March, with the smallest decline at City AM (distribution of 90,964, down 0.11 per cent).

The smallest paid-for circulation falls were at The Times, down 1.29 per cent year-on-year with a circulation of 435,061, and The Observer, down 1.85 per cent year-on-year at 175,904.

ABC national newspaper print circulation figures for March 2018 (see also online figures below):

Publication Total print circulation (March 2018) Year-on-year % change Bulks
The Sun 1,481,876 -7.52 117,640
Metro (FREE) 1,473,956 -0.36
Daily Mail 1,310,796 -9.16
The Sun on Sunday 1,224,261 -10.08 118,256
The Mail on Sunday 1,065,529 -14.63
London Evening Standard (FREE) 873,982 -3.04
The Sunday Times 739,444 -6.35 85,044
Daily Mirror 565,074 -18.38
Sunday Mirror 472,291 -21.79
The Times 435,061 -1.29 90,281
Daily Star 395,362 -9.52
The Daily Telegraph 382,204 -17.02
Daily Express 357,183 -7.64
Sunday Express 307,634 -7.96
The Sunday Telegraph 293,360 -17.63
i 252,814 -4.7 59,278
Daily Star – Sunday 236,275 -5.23
Sunday People 186,346 -19.81
Financial Times 185,747 -2.26 28,993
The Observer 175,904 -1.85
The Guardian 148,169 -3.43
Sunday Mail 136,951 -15.01
Daily Record 131,255 -13.95
Sunday Post 119,755 -15.51 538
City AM (FREE) 90,964 -0.11
Website Daily average unique browsers (March 2018) Year-on-year % change
Mail Online 13,021,571 -15.82
Trinity Mirror Group – Digital 8,268,971 -6.75
The Sun 4,962,187 8.42
Metro 2,389,977 38.11

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