Abc jan june 2012 final

Magazine ABC Results

Headlines

• Easy Living post an impressive PoP

increase of 22.5% after revamp

•Traditional Women’s Weeklies fare much

better than their less fortunate younger

stable mates.

•TV Listings continue to deliver, maintaining

gold, silver and bronze in Actively

Purchased figures.

•Motors continue to stall with the

exception of Car magazine.

•Home really is where the heart is, as the

sector yet again enjoys a healthy set of

ABCs.

•Celeb results reveal a falling Star and a

not so happy ending after last year’s fairy

tale wedding.

•Commitment yet again is a problem in the

Men’s market in terms of loyalty and

putting their hands in their pockets!

•Tablet versions of the magazines continue

to grow.

January- June 2012Figures are Actively Purchased, year on year (YOY) and period on period (PoP)

Managing to maintain its circulation PoP Glamour

remains top of the sector despite a YoY decline of over

12%. Rival title Cosmopolitan has revealed another

disappointing set of figures, declining by 8.2% YoY and

proving its fall behind Woman & Home at the last ABCs

was more than a blip.

Hearst flagship title Good Housekeeping maintains in

second position with a small YoY decline of 5.1%. Both

W&H and GH have held on to the majority of their

subscriptions YoY, showing that the declines are not

coming from loyal readers.

Other titles in the more ‘mature’ category have also

shown promising figures. Yours has remained flat,

however has increased subscriptions by 6% YoY. Red

also increased its subs base by 14% despite a decline

of 2.5%. Easy Living’s revamp and publicity seems to

have paid off as it boasts an increase of 22.5% PoP!

Unfortunately the same cannot be said for younger title

Company's new look, after posting a double digit

decline.

Aspiration continues to rule, as titles such as Vogue,

Elle and Harpers all maintain their fashionista readers.

Overall this has been one of the worst hit sectors with

a YoY decline of 11%.

Take a Break maintains its leading position, circulating

more than double that of its closest rival. Publishing

Director Andy Brooks believes this strong position has

been maintained due to investment into the title and

TV advertising throughout the early part of the year.

At the other end of the market, some of the smaller

titles have revealed that they have struggled in this

period. Pick Me Up and Love It have posted YoY

declines of nearly 20%, continuing the downward

trend since their launch in 2006.

IPC argue that Pick Me Up readers are still loyal, they

are just picking up the magazine less frequently. They

have continued to invest in their brands through other

platforms -e.g. Chat Puzzle App. Rather than Tablet, the

mobile platform is where there is penetration against

this audience.

Jan – June 2012 P on P % Y on Y %

Glamour 428,514 +0.2 -12.5

Good Housekeeping 393,147 -8.9 -5.1

Woman & Home 335,101 -7.5 -4.9

Cosmopolitan 298,221 -6.4 -8.2

Yours 258,924 -0.8 -1.9

Red 207,713 -2.4 -2.5

Easy Living 155,624 +22.5 +7.2

Elle 147,775 -0.7 0

Company 139,488 -24.2 -20.9

Jan- June 2012 P on P % Y on Y %

Take A Break 780,125 -0.4 -2.2

Chat 356,638 -1.7 -6.3

That’s Life 302,968 -6.6 -5.1

Woman’s Weekly 297,870 -4.6 -3.6

Woman 276,851 +0.2 -1.9

Best 257,770 -5.4 -6.8

Woman’s Own 228,339 -3.5 -5.3

Pick me Up 205,301 -11.9 -18.8

Love It! 170,840 -12.7 -18.9

Women’s Monthlies

Women’s Weeklies

Despite some declines, this genre continues to

present some big numbers. TV Choice leads the way

with an actively purchased figure of over 1.3 million

despite a YoY decline of over 5%. IPC’s What’s On TV

maintains 2nd place with a similar small decline.

Stable mates TV & Satellite Week and TV Times also

posted declines of 4.66% YoY and 8.15% YoY

respectively.

Iconic title Radio Times posted a small decline of

under 4% but continues to circulate well over 850,000

copies. Generally RT in particular posts much more

positive results in Jul-Dec figures, so they’ll have their

fingers crossed for a PoP increase next time.

The winner in this category is Total TV Guide which

posted the only increase (3% YoY)

This category continues to defy skeptics who suggest

that with the rise of EPG there is no need for a listings

title. TV Choice, WOTV and Radio Times remain the 3

most Actively Purchased titles of all UK Magazines.


TV Choice 1,277,850 -2.0 -5.7

What’s On TV 1,213,566 -3.0 -4.6

Radio Times 857,970 -6.5 -3.9

TV Times 264,526 -9.9 -8.5

TV & Sat Week 168,282 -2.8 -4.7

Inside Soap 154,220 -1.7 -6.2

TV Easy 148,654 -1.2 -8.3

Total TV Guide 121,016 -1.5 +3.1

TV Listings

Celebrity WeekliesAn 11% decrease across the sector points to a few issues

here.

Clearly, appetite for celebrity-focussed content isn’t what it

was 2,3,4 years ago – what titles previously banked on in

terms of filling their pages is no longer as attractive and

with it being readily available online this will continue to be

the case.

Add this to the fact that main female purchasers are

considering what they’re buying a lot more – no longer

chucking a copy in the basket without even thinking about it,

but really making a considered approach to how and what

they’re spending.

The Express stable have seen particularly disappointing

results, with both new! and Star dropping circa 71k copies

each PoP, and OK! a 25% decrease YoY. However, it is worth

noting as a group, they account for 40% of the sectors copy

sales, so still have a dominant role.

The waning interest in celebrity as we know it means the

titles really need to re-assess what their readers want – why

they would choose to pick up one title over another. However

with the success of our Olympiads and the interest

surrounding them, we could see a new phase of celebrity

personalities.

Jan - Jun 2012 P on P % Y on Y %

new 435,417 -13.6 -15.0

Closer 422,657 -7.4 -6.5

OK! 341,187 -8.0 -25.4

Star 285,219 -19.4 -29.1

Heat 276,151 -10.3 -11.5

Hello! 260,929 -4.1 -11.9

Now 255,199 +1.0 -15.1

Reveal 229,814 -15.9 -24.8

Yet again the motoring category seems pretty much

stuck in reverse with leading title Top Gear suffering

another disappointing decline both PoP and YoY.

Auto Express and sister title EVO have both posted

small declines yet the latter has been able to hold on

to most of its subscriptions.

Car has told the most positive story this period,

posting increases both PoP and YoY. The Bauer title

also managed to increase subscriptions by over 3%

YoY.

This sector is probably one of the most at risk from the

dreaded migration to online.- in this case, sites such

as Auto Trader etc which maintain authority in all

things auto. The current economic climate will not

help this genre as people put off making large

purchases. It is this ‘dip in, dip out’ readership that

has fallen out of the market, as loyalty amongst true

car fanatics remains strong.


Top Gear 188,249 -14.9 -19.9

What Car? 70,678 -5.5% -11.7

Auto Express 53,856 -2.4 -3.2

EVO 40,065 -3.7 -8.4

Auto Car 38,274 -3.7 -6.3

Car 32,496 +1.4 +3.7

Men’s Lifestyle

Motors

Shortlist and Sport continue to dominate in this

sector, vastly out-performing the paid-for titles in

this posting.

Showing marginal increases PoP, both have seen

complete reversals in fortunes vs. the rest of the

(paid-for) market –Nuts sees a considerable -21%

drop, FHM -13%, and the normally solid Men’s

Health with a -5% decrease. GQ, usually fairly

stable, sees a -2% decline, however posts a

healthier +4% increase YoY – along with stable

mate Wired, these are the only titles to show a

bolstered YoY figure.

In terms of actively purchased copies, FHM has

now dipped below the 100k ‘magic’ mark –

offering less than a quarter of Shortlist’s numbers

(although they are free) and also decreasing it’s

number of subscription copies – showing loyalty

is most certainly on the wane.

Where we’ve previously noted men are ‘getting it

elsewhere’ in terms of content, the digital

editions are yet to make a real impact – tablet

editions accounting for circa 5-9% of total

circulations in the titles that have offerings here.

Jan – Jun 2012 P on P % Y on Y %

Shortlist 529,010 +0.5 +1.0

Sport 305,676 +0.3 -0.2

Men’s Health 179,216 -4.6 -1.8

FHM 92,626 -12.7 -21.4

Nuts 85,081 -20.8 -20.9

GQ 79,083 -2.0 +3.9

Stuff 61,573 -12.2 -6.7

Men’s Fitness 59,604 +4.7 -0.9

Zoo 44,147 -15.2 -14.9

Asda magazine overtakes established leader Tesco by

distributing over 30,000 more copies. However Tesco’s

numbers are not to be sniffed at with over 1.9 million

copies. Little sister Real Food also reports a positive

story with a small increase of 0.5% YoY.

In contrast Immediate Media titles- Good Food, Olive,

Easy Cook and Delicious have posted disappointing

numbers. The former BBC titles all posted declines,

with Delicious and Olive plummeting by over 15% each

YoY. Websites and tablet apps seem to be key for this

genre as we embark on an era where would be cooks

are more comfortable with a tablet in the kitchen than

a cookbook.

Celebrity chef magazine Jamie also posted a decline,

however has managed to increase subscription sales by

23.4% PoP.

Diet titles such as Slimming World have had a much

more positive story to tell as people got into shape in

the first half of 2012, posting an increase of over 24%

YoY, Weight Watchers also increased readers PoP at

2.2%.


Asda 1,963,201 +0.7 -0.9

Tesco 1,931,673 -4.3 +0.2

Tesco Real Food 1,223,333 +0.3 +0.5

Slimming World 417,868 +4.3 +24.5

Good Food 254,476 -14.3 -8.8

Weight Watchers 187,127 +2.2 -6.2

Delicious 70,296 -16.8 -16.7

Olive 61,133 -21.5 -15.3

Jamie 26,677 -19.7 -10.0

Home Interest

Customer and Food

Overall, a fairly stable posting for the sector as a

whole.

Positive results for Country Homes & Interiors, Living

Etc, Elle Deco and Good Homes have balanced the

losses of the traditional titles – Ideal Home, House

Beautiful and Homes & Gardens.

Once again we are seeing a buoyant sector reacting to

the wider economic climate – whether that be

dreaming of escaping to the country, staying put and

‘doing up’, or making the most of what you’ve got.

Kelsey’s Good Homes has capitalised on last period’s

increase, building back the base of readers it’s BBC

owners previously enjoyed, and interestingly, across

the board all titles have seen a stable posting in their

subscription copies – proving there is a core base of

Home Interest readers who are staying put. This has

paved the way for new launch Style at Home, which

has enjoyed a bumper period (launched Feb 2011).


Ideal Home 176,478 -4.8 -7.6

Country Living 158,900 +0.2 -4.8

Your Home 124,847 -1.6 -2.4

House Beautiful 121,718 -4.6 -11.0

Homes & Gardens 88,276 -4.0 -7.2

Style at Home 79.916 +11.3 +52.0

CH & Interiors 78,490 -0.8 +3.9

Living Etc 73,410 -3.3 -0.2

Good Homes 69,498 +4.7 +9.4

Elle Decoration 45,473 +2.7 -3.0

Perhaps one of the most positive stories of this period,

with an overall increase of 2%.

Since the economic downturn, this sector has been

one of the main beneficiaries with the public hungry to

keep up with the ever changing policies that will

influence their everyday lives. Politics has become

something that matters to the every day man rather

than just ‘people in the know’.

Private Eye posted some very positive figures,

boasting a YoY increase of nearly 10%. Although

figures are flat for the Economist they have managed

to increase their subscription base by +2.5% YoY.

2012's winner of 'Consumer Magazine of the Year' at

the PPA Awards The Week boasted a YoY increase of

2.5% and its new distribution partnership with

Raconteur Media, should help to boost their figures

even further.


Private Eye 213,185 -1.3 +9.7

Economist (UK) 160,910 +0.5 -0.1

The Week 156,846 +3.1 +2.5

New Scientist (WW) 76,271 -3.9 -1.8

Spectator 38,136 -1.1 +0.3

Monocle 12,039 -6.6 -3.8

Music

News & Views

There’s been little to sing about over the past few

years in this sector, and this period sees little

change.

Some fairly heavy losses for Bauer’s Q and IPC’s

NME at -20% and -14% PoP respectively have

contributed to an overall loss of over 20k copies

across the sector.

The loss sees NME’s current circulation at less

than half it’s number just 4 years ago and now

sees itself at the bottom of the pops, selling

fewer copies than any other rock title. IPC will

affirm – once again – the future of the brand rests

in its extensions and festival tie-ups in order to

keep this brand afloat.

Q’s new editor Andrew Harrison will be hoping to

reverse fortunes in the next posting – having

moved from the now defunct The Word. The loss

of this independent title was a blow to the sector

and confirmed the changing nature of the music

business – with NME currently posting a lower

circulation to that of the final issue of The Word,

it will indeed be testing times ahead.


Q Magazine 51,261 -19.7 -18.4

Mojo 47,020 -6.6 +1.2

Kerrang! 38,403 -5.2 -7.3

NME 21,419 -13.8 -17.7

Tablet editions are starting to demonstrate the power

of UK magazine brands.

We currently have just under 60 magazines posting

Tablet/Digital Circulations, accounting for just under

2% off the total circulation.

This figure naturally improves as you move up the

chart – Top 20 (see below) accounting for just under

5% of all circ and Top 10 with almost 7%!

The up-take of tablet versions has largely been seen

in high interest sections - Health/Fitness, Technology,

Fashion and Home Interest, with the top 3 titles being

Health & Fitness (11.7%), Total Film (10.5%) and

Esquire (8.7%).

The publishers leading this are currently Dennis,

Future, Conde Nast and Hearst.

We would expect more publishers to enter the tablet

market, with imminent launches such as Bauer's

Grazia tablet edition in the autumn.

Tablet/Digital Editions

TitleTotal Average Net

Circulation/Distribution (Print)

Total Average Net Circulation (Digital

Edition)

Analysis of Digital Editions

Combined Print/Digital Circulation % Digital

Health & Fitness 25,546 3,389 28,935 11.71%

Total Film 68,897 8,108 77,005 10.53%

Wired 52,136 5,255 57,391 9.16%

Esquire 54,702 5,205 59,907 8.69%

GQ 120,139 9,652 129,791 7.44%

Elle Decoration 70,655 4,846 75,501 6.42%

Men's Fitness 65,201 4,438 69,639 6.37%

Vanity Fair 100,692 6,242 106,934 5.84%

Stuff 76,083 4,326 80,409 5.38%

Men's Health 216,336 12,142 228,478 5.31%

Harpers Bazaar 119,274 6,242 125,516 4.97%

Grand Designs 30,653 1,205 31,858 3.78%

Cosmopolitan 353,413 13,298 366,711 3.63%

Elle (U.K.) 189,568 6,795 196,363 3.46%

BBC Focus 64,625 2,146 66,771 3.21%

The Economist - UK 210,386 6,146 216,532 2.84%

BBC Good Food 267,164 7,346 274,510 2.68%

Women's Fitness 20,717 563 21,280 2.65%

Zest 71,820 1,920 73,740 2.60%

Living etc 98,250 2,267 100,517 2.26%

Business

Abc jan june 2012 final