ABCs: Readers turn away from celebrity mags as Zoo Weekly continues to lead circ slide
Weekly celebrity magazines have seen circulation numbers continue to fall away in new circulation figures released this morning.
Bauer Media’s NW fared the worst amongst the celebrity titles, with its circulation sinking by 15 per cent. In 2013 the title shifted on average 86,077 copies a week which fell to 73,143 copies a week, according to the numbers from the Audit Bureau of Circulations which take in the months of October to December 2014.
Famous, owned by Pacific Magazines posted the greatest circulation decline amongst the weekly Pac Mag titles audited, down 14.5 per cent year-on-year, with the number of copies sold falling to 60,122 from 70,304 in the same period in 2013.
Pacific Magazines’ glossy celebrity title Who saw its circulation slide by 12 per cent while OK!, owned by Bauer Media, had the smallest decline amongst the celebrity titles, with its circulation only dropping by 3.7 per cent.
Media analyst Steve Allen said the numbers were part of a long term trend, telling Mumbrella: “Weekly magazines are not sliding any worse then they have been. They’re still losing circulation but it’s not as severe as it was a year or two years ago.
“Those that are more serious and more keen on fact-checking are losing a lot less circulation than those that are pure gossip rags.”
Zoo Weekly remained Bauer Media’s worst performing title in terms of circulation with the lads’ magazine failing to stem its dramatic circulation decline of recent years, haemorrhaging another 36.3 per cent year-on-year.
In 2013 the embattled title was shifting an average of 37,882 copies a week while last year it sank to 24,122.
Whilst rumours of the demise of the title have swirled for a while Allen reaffirmed his earlier description of the situation at Zoo Weekly as “terminal“, predicting: “It won’t go another year at these audit decreases.”
Woman’s Day, owned by Bauer Media, continues to trump rival New Idea in terms of circulation despite a decline of 5.7 per cent. The woman’s magazine sold on average 316,006 copies a week while New Idea shifted on average 271,237 copies. New Idea saw its circulation decline by 3.50 per cent.
Tony Kendall, Bauer Media director of sales, said in a statement: “Magazines continue to be the medium most loved by Australian women. When you combine the monthly reach of Woman’s Day – 2.92 million women – with its print and digital audience, and more than 500,000 Facebook likes, there is no better medium for advertisers.”
Bauer Media’s Take 5 held its ground against rival Pacific Magazine title That’s Life with the titles circulations declining by 3.40 cent and 6.20 per cent. However That’s Life continues to shift more copies a week compared to its rival. On average it shifted 185,049 copies a week during the October to December 2014 period while Take 5 shifted on average 161,959 copies a week.
TV Week, also owned by Bauer, saw its circulation drop by 4.40 per cent, sending its circulation from 148,551 to 142,021.
A year after it launched in the Australian market Bauer-owned fortnightly magazine Yours, which targets women over 50, shifted on average 61,588 copies a week, up 338 copies on the last audit period.
Miranda Ward
Miranda Ward worked for Mumbrella from 2013 to 2017, eventually becoming deputy editor. Miranda joined Mumbrella in September 2013 from Sky News.
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It’s Woman’s Day not Women’s Day as spelt above
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Thanks for flagging quick comment, Story corrected.
Cheers
Nic – Mumbrella
Steve Allen’s comment about the credibility of gossip weeklies affecting sales is demonstrably false. Note the rapid decline of Who – which is essentially a PR handout by publicists. That mag simply do not publish scuttlebutt. The truth is that mags with traditionally younger readerships are declining faster than the older ones like New Idea or Woman’s Day. The weekly celeb category is being hit by (mostly younger) readers migrating online. The myth that trashy gossip is killing mags just needs to die.
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Can anyone compete with The Daily Mail’s column of shame?
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