The Daily Sport has reported an ‘encouraging uplift’ in newspaper sales in May after a period of losses and circulation decline.
In a trading update, parent company Sport Media Group said average daily circulation last month was in excess of 75,000 – a level not seen since November last year.
The Sport titles pulled out of the ABC audit in February, and the company revealed in April that the papers had been loss-making for several months.
Former Daily Sport owner David Sullivan rejoined the paper in the role of “honorary publisher” to help boost its circulation and profitability.
Sport Media Group said in yesterday’s trading update that advertising revenue was now “holding steady” and was expected to grow.
“The initiatives of David Sullivan have made a positive impact and we are grateful for his continued oversight,” the company said.
The group has “significantly” reduced its printing costs after renegotiating the deals with its suppliers and printers.
Cost cuts have also come from a number of redundancies at the paper’s Manchester headquarters, which the company said would generate annual savings of £700,000.
Sport Media Group said more savings would be made, but these would be “non-staff” – not requiring further job cuts.
The company is expected to announce its full-year results in the autumn, covering the 12 months to the end of July.
Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog