The latest paper circulation figures for January have been released in the last few days. As we all know the national press has had a turbulent time over the past year and in particular with the News of The World closing there was much speculation as to where all that paper’s readers would go.
At least for now it seems the dust is starting to settle with the Sunday Mirror absorbing a large number of those left seeking an alternative to their Sunday spread. Figures show the Sunday Mirror has enjoyed an almost 36% year on year increase in circulation of approximately 700,000.
A big question is where have all the others readers gone? The News of The World closed with 2.6million loyal followers, which means that there should be a huge opportunity for the Sundays. However, even the Sunday Express only managed to take over a small proportion of this with a 100,000 increase in sales which seems to indicate there are a lot of people who simply don’t want to buy and read a Sunday paper anymore.
This raises some other questions. With the scandal at The Sun on-going, will people start to turn their backs on brands they’ve remained loyal to years? Will they choose a different medium to absorb the daily headlines or are people simply not that interested in the world around them anymore?
The January circulation figures show that there is only one daily paper to see a marked increase - the i. The i being the sister paper of the Independent, aimed at readers and lapsed readers of all ages, and commuters with limited time, launched on 26th October 2010. This is another strong month for the i backed by a considerable spend on TV which has resulted in a 40% year on year increase and improvements in circulation every month. The i sells for only 20 pence, 30% cheaper than The Sun and 80% cheaper than The Times. Therefore it appears the formula is right, a quick, quality read at an affordable price.
What will be interesting is how other titles react? There are rumours circulating that The Sun may launch a new Sunday alternative and will some of the other Daily papers follow the same route of producing a low cost alternative like the I? It remains to be seen…
*ABC- Audit Bureau of Circulations
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