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January 21, 2016

National press ABCs, December 2015: Cut-price Star grows sales and hurts Mirror titles

By William Turvill

The Star titles and The Times were again the best performing national newspapers in terms of year-on-year change last month, according to ABC.

Seven of the UK's 12 national dailies increased their circulation last month from November, with the Financial Times performing the best – up 1.7 per cent to 209,264.

The Daily Star, which halved its cover price in October to 20p, was up 6 per cent year on year to 451,739. But its month-on-month growth slowed, from 4.2 per cent in November to 0.4 per cent last month.

The Sun, which costs 40p, has slowed its rate of decline and fell 4.8 per cent year on year. But the Daily Mirror, costing 60p, appears to be suffering most from the Star price cut with a year-on-year fall of 11 per cent.

The Times – boosted by an increase in bulk copies, from 27,152 in November to 41,598 last month – was up 0.3 per cent month on month, and 4.6 per cent on December 2014. The Sun also increased its number of bulk copies to 49,723, from 13,023.

The Daily Express was the worst performing national newspaper in terms of year-on-year change, down 12 per cent to 400,733.

Average daily newspaper circulations, December 2015

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Newspaper Average circulation, December 2015 Month-on-month % change Year-on-year % change Bulks
The Sun 1,800,537 0.65 -4.84 49,723
Daily Mail 1,598,411 0.66 -3.06 77,050
Daily Mirror 811,745 -1.71 -11.02 45,000
The Daily Telegraph 476,434 -0.89 -1.87  
Daily Star 451,739 0.38 5.97  
The Times 408,643 0.26 4.58 41,598
Daily Express 400,733 -0.65 -12.04  
i 268,431 -2.02 -3.48 67,752
Financial Times 209,264 1.74 -2.86 22,236
Daily Record 177,803 -1.84 -11.58 4,968
The Guardian 166,039 0.22 -6.66  
The Independent 56,074 0.12 -7.26 15,356

The Daily Star Sunday – which, like its sister daily, halved its cover price in October –  was up 2.7 per cent on November, and 10.8 per cent year on year, to 297,053. Its circulation increased by 6.7 per cent in December.

All other titles performed worse than in November, with The Independent on Sunday the worst performing, down 5 per cent to 92,914.

Year on year, Trinity Mirror's Sunday People was the worst performing, down 17.1 per cent to 281,903. Its sister title, the Sunday Mirror, was down 13.4 per cent to 741,569.

Average Sunday newspaper circulations, December 2015

Newspaper Average circulation, December 2015 Month-on-month % change Year-on-year % change Bulks
The Sun on Sunday 1,468,675 -0.79 -2.19 54,959
The Mail on Sunday 1,385,833 -0.71 -5.06 70,839
The Sunday Times 762,939 -1.93 -3.09 32,606
Sunday Mirror 741,569 -2.63 -13.43 45,000
Sunday Express 355,288 -0.91 -10.27  
The Sunday Telegraph 351,181 -3.19 -7.48  
Daily Star Sunday 297,053 2.72 10.75  
Sunday People 281,903 -2.62 -17.14  
Sunday Mail 197,573 -1.31 -10.23 3,810
The Observer 183,662 -3.02 -5.91  
Sunday Post 165,153 -1.75 -12.46  
Independent on Sunday 92,914 -4.98 -4.34 49,861

 

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