Despite some glimmers of light, Australian magazine publishers face more bleak results in an already tough market,
according to year-on-year readership figures for the period ending
December 2011.
Roy Morgan Research Readership Figures Jan-Dec 2011
In total, 98 publications saw a decline in readership while only 26 saw increases, according to Roy Morgan Readership figures.
In the Women's category Pacific Magazine's Who fell 14.1%, ACP's Harper's Bazaar declined 13% and Pacific's Marie Claire slid 19.4%.
It wasn't all grim news for the Women's category however with growth in readership for ACP's titles Shop Til You Drop, Grazia, Madison and The Australian Women's Weekly. Morrison Media's Frankie magazine continued its stellar rise up 21.4% from 192,000 to 233,000.
The men's category also fared badly with NewsLifeMedia's GQ posting a large drop of 29.7% from 111,000 to 78,000. ACP's struggling FHM fell 26.8%, while ACP's Zoo Weekly fell 19.4% from 433,000 to 349,000. ACP's Picture magazine took a hit at 23.3% from 159,000 to 122,000, while its People magazine fell 22.3% from 178,000 to 138,000.
Odysseus Publishing’s Men's Fitness stands as a beacon of hope rising 3.1% from 161,000 to 166,000.
In the food category, NewsLifeMedia's MasterChef has reason to be worried falling a mammoth 41.7% from 762,000 to 444,000. ACP's Recipes+ however posted a slight increase of 0.7%.
Major publishers have not given up hope, with Pacific Magazines chief executive Nick Chan commenting: “Our brands are strong, we're continuing to invest in the growth of our mastheads – and our advertising partners turn to Pacific to deliver the results they need.”
ACP CEO Matt Stanton commented: “Australia's magazine industry has been remarkably resilient in this ongoing period of consumer caution and weak retail spending.”
Stand outs from the readership figures in the magazine sector include Luna Media's Cosmos up 38.9%, and the stand out once again Citrus Media's Game Informer which sky rocketed 90% from 71,000 to 135,000. Infact, the gaming category performed well in general with Official Xbox 360 rising 14.4% and PlayStation up 20%.
Citrus Media's commercial manager Alex Breraton said: “Our recent circulation and readership increases are due the outstanding content we offer - world exclusives, stunning wrap around covers, outstanding journalism and the most complete gaming coverage make each issue unmissable. The increase in readership reflects the strong copy sales growth since our launch just over two years ago.”
Stanton said: “More than 5,800 titles are sold on Australian newsstands. Given that range and choice, the fact that 16 Australian magazines enjoy half a million or more readers each issue proves the enduring relevance and importance of these magazine brands in people's lives.”
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