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August 17, 2017

Print ABCs: Metro only newspaper to grow distribution as all paid-for nationals lost sales in July

By Freddy Mayhew

The Metro is the only UK daily national newspaper to have increased its distribution year-on-year, according to ABC figures for July, bucking the overall trend of declining circulations.

The free title, which distributes the most copies Monday to Friday in the UK, grew its distribution by 9 per cent on the previous year to 1.47m.

The UK’s two best-selling daily newspapers, The Sun and the Daily Mail,  recorded a drop in circulation year-on-year of 9.5 per cent and 8 per cent respectively.

The Sun’s circulation for July was 1.57m while the Daily Mail was at 1.43m.

The i newspaper and The Guardian saw circulation shrink by 10 per cent year-on-year to 267,857 and 149,420 respectively.

The biggest falls in circulation were recorded among some of the Sunday national titles:

  • The Daily Star Sunday was down 23 per cent year-on-year to 259,541
  • The Sunday Mirror was down 22 per cent year-on-year to 542,823
  • Sunday People was down 21 per cent year-on-year to 214,861

Among the national daily titles, the Daily Mirror was the biggest loser, down 19 per cent year-on-year to 625,278.

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A Trinity Mirror spokesperson said all Mirror national titles stopped airport bulks in June and reduced foreign sales at the start of July “following a more cost effective print and distribution deal”.

When reduced free copies are taken into account, the year-on-year sales for the Daily Mirror are down 12.5 per cent.

The Times kept circulation more or less the same year-on-year (down 0.19 per cent) at more than 450,000 – the lowest decline among the national titles (albeit helped by an increase in bulks). The Sunday Times was down 1 per cent year-on-year to 765,884.

The Daily Telegraph was down 2 per cent year-on-year to 477,927.

Total UK national newspaper print circulation for July 2017 (source: ABC):

Publication Total circulation (July 2017) % change year-on-year Bulks
The Sun 1,568,250 -9.54 117,841
Metro (FREE) 1,470,715 9.26
Daily Mail 1,425,671 -8.11 64,731
The Sun on Sunday 1,339,583 -8.98 117,809
The Mail on Sunday 1,232,789 -9.07 62,772
London Evening Standard (FREE) 899,484 -1.77
The Sunday Times 765,884 -1.2 93,001
Daily Mirror 625,278 -19.13
Sunday Mirror 542,823 -21.85
The Daily Telegraph 477,927 -2.15 68,558
The Times 450,064 -0.19 96,206
Daily Star 421,812 -18.39
Daily Express 380,632 -9.9
The Sunday Telegraph 351,709 -7.1 34,448
Sunday Express 330,816 -11.49
i 267,857 -9.95 60,086
Daily Star – Sunday 259,541 -22.62
Sunday People 214,861 -20.55
Financial Times 186,018 -4.46 21,388
The Observer 178,545 -7.94
Sunday Mail 152,892 -14.39
The Guardian 149,420 -10.25
Daily Record 143,635 -13.78
Sunday Post 135,181 -10.24 538
City AM (FREE) 90,908 -2.45

 

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