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23 August 2010
Magazine readership and net paid circulation results for the latest period to June 2010 show resilience in challenging market conditions, with low single digit declines in gross total copy sales (excluding closures and non-auditing titles) and readership year on year. Home and Lifestyle, together with the Food segment, both trended positively over the period, reflecting growing consumer emphasis on home-based activities.
Analysis of ABC circulation results (excluding non-audited titles) shows total copy sales for audited consumer magazines declined 3.2% year on year and 2.6% period on period.
The Food category bucked the trend due to new titles appearing in the category, up 19.5% YOY and 5.1% POP.
The Home and Lifestyle segment grew 5.1% YOY and 0.5% POP, with all titles in the category posting circulation increases YOY.
Sales in the mass circulating weekly magazine segment were down just 1.4% in the June audit quarter compared to the previous quarter.
Magazine readership continued to show signs of stabilising. Gross average issue readership for all consumer magazines in the Morgan June 2010 survey was down just 2.2% YOY and stable across the period (-0.3% POP).
Reflecting trends evident in the circulation results, the Home and Lifestyle category continued to grow, up 9.9% YOY and 4.2% POP. The Health category increased slightly, up 2.7% YOY and 1.6% on the previous period. Readership in the Food category was stable, -1.7% YOY and +0.8% POP.
Magazine advertising revenue, which some industry forecasts showed declining in 2010, is now forecast to be trending 5% to 8% higher for the year, according to reports from Australia’s biggest magazine publisher, ACP Magazines. This is in line with Deutsche Bank magazine forecasts for the year.
Sources:
Audit Bureau of Circulation audit reports, June 2010.
Morgan Single Source Survey, July 2009 - June 2010.
Australian Financial Review 23.08.10.