ABCs: Weekly magazines see double digit declines
The weekly magazine market continues to see major decline in circulation with titles such as Zoo Weekly, That’s Life, Famous and OK! all recording year-on-year double digit declines.
The Western Australian classified title Quokka saw the greatest fall down 31.3 per cent for the second quarter of 2013 compared to the same period last year.
Men’s magazine Zoo Weekly also posted a major fall dropping 25.9 per cent from 63,276 to 46,871.
Meanwhile the weekly women’s category also saw continued declines with OK! down 14.6 per cent, Famous dropped 14.4 per cent and That’s Life fell 8.9 per cent.
Nick Chan, Pacific Magazines CEO, told Encore that although it is a challenging time for magazines, the market remains viable.
“It is a difficult and challenging market but at the same time, when you look at the absolute numbers, there are still a great deal of magazines being sold overall,” said Chan.
Chan is optimistic about the industry’s ability to manage the decline in circulation and noted that some weekly magazines such as New Idea had only posted a 4.4 per cent decline. “We have been in this situation before and I think we should see a little less decline into the future,” he said.
Bauer spokeswoman Deborah Thomas would not comment on the 25 per cent decline of Zoo Weekly but said the publisher was pleased with Woman’s Day dropping just 4.2 per cent. Thomas attributed the dip in sales to uptake of tablet versions which are currently not audited. She said: “Woman’s Day [on tablet] is still a digital replica and is therefore not allowed to be audited but is selling really well. We are working on a digitally-rich application.”
Thomas said she was confident that once app all sales are included in the magazine audit, there would be a boost in sales for publications such as Woman’s Day. “You would probably find if we were allowed to include the app then Woman’s Day’s circulation would actually be up, especially given the lead up to the birth of the Royal baby,” said Thomas.
Nic Christensen
For more news from today’s ABCs, download Encore and read the fully interactive feature. Encore is free for tablet devices. Visit encore.com.au for a preview of the app or click below to download.
Yes, the magazine industry is viable. However it needs to model itself on the TV industry which, if you can say anything about it, is on the zeitgeist. Launch when needed, cull when needed. Sorry, but look at those dowdy old titles all not doing well, it’s hard to have too much sympathy. There’s not a newcomer amongst them. If the mag industry can’t become fast and adaptable (like TV and digital) then it will fast go the way of the dinosaur. Although, as a side note, it appears the only mags that are viable are overseas licenses where the editorial costs are low. Not good for local jobs, sadly…
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Why no mention of EMMA anywhere Mumbrella?
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Furthermore, in response to Deborah, you are allowed to include your digital editions, especially as they’re replica. And there’s nothing stopping you from just telling us how many there are anyway, you don’t need to wait for an audit.
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Hi Eh?,
We have done a preview piece here: https://mumbrella.com.au/media-buyers-reserve-judgment-on-new-readership-metric-emma-but-question-cost-173006
However, the data is embargoed until MOnday.
Cheers,
Tim – Mumbrella