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February 12, 2015

Private Eye still top-selling mag in buoyant UK current affairs sector

By Dominic Ponsford

Private Eye remained the top-selling current affairs magazine in the UK in the second half of 2014 with average sales of 219,465 a fortnight.

While weekly title The Economist has a higher overall circulation, nearly a quarter of its total consists of free bulk copies.

Financial weekly Investors Chronicle was the fastest-growing title in the sector, up 20 per cent year on year to an average sale of 31,991.

Overall, the current affairs magazine sector remains in solid shape – with more than half of the titles growing circulation year on year.

UK current affairs magazine sales figures for second half 2014 (source:ABC)

Note: Circulation totals in this table are combined print/digital. The percentage paid-for figure is print-only.


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Title Avg circ % change y/y % paid for
The Economist –  United Kingdom Edition 223,915 1.3 76.1
Private Eye 219,465 -2.1 100
The Week 200,096 0.9 77.6
Time Magazine – British Isles (BI) 127,984 -1.6 61.9
Fortune Magazine – Europe 97,669 -2.6 77.6
China Daily European Weekly 93,579 3.1 1.1
BBC History Magazine 92,755 3.8 100
New Scientist – Worldwide Sales   Excluding Australasia and US/Canada 83,081 -1.6 99.5
Monocle 80,018 5.9 93.2
Guardian Weekly 56,960 -6.4 98.4
The Spectator excluding Australia 54,787 1.3 81.8
MoneyWeek 52,686 -7.2 99.1
The Oldie 45,571 2.3 96.8
New African 38,246 -3.7 91.3
Investors Chronicle 31,991 19.8 99.9
Prospect 31,070 1.3 61.4
New Statesman 29,353 1.4 70.2
African Business 26,950 6.3 83
BBC Sky at Night 22,933 -4.8 100
Shares 15,450 1.7 33.7
Money Observer 13,014 2.6 95.5
What Franchise 12,515 13.4 2.2
Moneywise 10,074 -2.6 81.6

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