Digital Publishing
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Latest ABCs: UK women’s weekly mags tumble 11%

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The UK’s highest-selling consumer magazine publishers, Hearst and Bauer, were 5% and 3% down respectively in the six months from July to December 2017 according to the latest ABC (Audit Bureau of Circulations) figures.

The women’s weeklies sector was down 11% overall to a combined average monthly circulation of 3.34 million. Men’s lifestyle magazines were up 6% year on year to 1.23 million in total, but actively purchased print copies were down 24% to 337,147, while digital was up 10% to 76,671.

Meanwhile, news and current affairs titles were up 1% year on year, with digital up strongly by 46% to 57,976.

The latest reporting round was the first since the industry measurement body changed the way it reports on consumer magazines in a bid to make it easier for media buyers and owners to use for trading.

The figures underscore the move to digital which is gathering pace as print declines, particularly in newsstand sales. Tom Bureau, CEO of the UK’s fourth biggest consumer magazines publisher, Immediate Media, says: “We are making significant investments in our digital platforms where TV shopping, digital marketplaces, e-commerce, live events and innovative subscription models are transforming our business model as we develop our multi-platform strategy. We now reach over 22 million consumers a month.”

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