SYDNEY: Sales of magazines were better than expected during the first six months of the year despite the perennial threat from online, with total year-on-year circulation down 3.81%.
Total circulation dropped to 8.5 million copies from 8.8 million a year earlier, according to the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC), with weeklies suffering a sharper circulation decrease than the monthlies.
Declines in the weekly market, which accounts for more than 56% of the total market, were led by ACP’s celebrity title OK!, which fell 15.52% to 101,562. But, Pacific Magazine’s women’s title Famous grew circulation by 9.83% to 88,519.
In the monthlies market, ACP’s women’s lifestyle title Cosmopolitan suffered a 9.02% fall to 151,213, while ACP’s home and garden title Belle posted impressive growth, up 15.21% to 35,190.
MediaCom head of investment Nick Keenan described the overall performance of the market as strong, singling out the home and garden category as one of the highlights.
He said: “It’s been a good performance. If you have a look at a couple of things that have happened, we have all been washed out after the GFC and there is more of a focus on value for money. In Australia, we kind of feel like we have got away with it, but we’re not really sure. Retailers aren’t doing very well, and the pinch is on. Throw in the uncertainty of the election and you have an unsettled market.
“There’s definitely a trend in working on the home. It’s a good category shaking off the blues from last year. When you try and pinch on the home budget, having friends over means you might look at buying more items for the home.”
The leading magazine categories put in a mixed performance, but growth in circulations for home and garden and the debut of MasterChef gave publishers reason for cheer.
The latest ABC circulations figures revealed home and garden category has partly rebounded on the back of the “nesting trend” with a series of titles piling on circulation increases.
ACP’s Burke’s Backyard rose 5.04% year on year to 58,513 following a relaunch in May, ACP’s Belle shot up 15.21% to 35,190, but despite consumers opting to sta home and renovate the category did not prove to be bulletproof.
News Magazines’ Gardening Australia dropped 10.13% to 85,260, while Pacific Magazines’ Your Garden suffered a drop, down 10.79% to 48,014.
But, the MasterChef phenomenon led to a strong debut for News Magazines’ eponymous monthly, which entered its first audit with a circulation of 150,000.
Elsewhere in the food and entertainment category, ACP’s joint venture with the BBC, Australian Good Food, posted a 13.82% rise to 83,270, while News Magazines’ Super Food Ideas dropped 3.46% to 261,997, and stablemate Woolworths Good Taste fell 9.25% to 121,612.
In the women’s category, Pacific Magazines’ Famous again posted an impressive result, growing circulation 9.83% to 88,519, while ACP’s Woman’s Day fell 1.87% to 400,015.
MediaCom head of investment Nick Keenan said the women’s category was “pretty stable” despite mixed results. “Famous is the weekly of choice - this is its third successive growth audit. You can’t just put its success down to cover price. They know exactly who their audience is.
If you look at some of the audit numbers from last year, it looks like things have bottomed out. I wouldn’t say the women’s category hasn’t completely recovered but it certainly has stabilised.”
The men’s lifestyle category continued its downward trend with Pacific Magazines’ Men’s Health up 0.43% to 75,579.
For the complete ABC circulation and Roy Morgan Readership results and analysis see the AdNews special report in 27 August issue.
The closure of ACP's Ralph in June after successive circulation losses is part of a downward trend in the struggling men's sector.
News Magazines' Alpha posted a 21.36% decline in circulation to 73,325, while ACP's Zoo Weekly dropped 10.49% to 100,530 and FHM lost 2.04%, taking it down to just 50,020.
Pacific Mags Men's Health recorded a modest gain of 0.43%, taking it up to 75,579, while Odysseus Publishing's Australian Men's Fitness slipped 11.71% to 23,700.
Click here to view the full ABC Circulation results.
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