Dominic Ponsford
Sunday Telegraph editor Sarah Sands was sacked this week despite signs that her title was turning the corner sales wise.
In the official ABC sales figures for February, the Sunday Telegraph was down 0.44 per cent year-on-year to 683,741, out performing its main rival – The Sunday Times – which was down 2.09 per cent to 1,371,545.
But the big success stories out of the whole national press were the Independent on Sunday, up 17.13 per cent year-on-year, to 244,287; and the Observer, up 8.96 per cent to 484,357.
The Sunday Indy is apparently still feeling the benefits of its switch to tabloid format on 16 October. But sales were probably more helped by e particularly popular a free Spanish language book promotion on 5 February which is know to have been a massive hit.
The Observer relaunched in Berliner format on 8 January and was unable to match the extraordinary 21 per cent year-on-year growth of that month.
The Evening Standard’s strategy of targeted one-off 20p price cuts appears to have helped it slam the brakes on a sales decline which had been running into double figures until recent months.
Its 3.36 per cent drop year-on-year to 334,144 is believed to be ahead of the national press in London.
Among the national dailies, The Guardian was one of the top performers – up 4.44 per cent year-on-year to 382,931. But the fact that it is still slightly below its sales figures from the pre-tabloid Times and Independent days of just over two years ago suggests its the Berliner size-change of last September has not been an unqualified success.
UK national newspapers circulation for February 2006 | ||||||
Current month | Last Month | mth/mth | Last Year | Yr/Yr | ||
Feb 06 | Jan 06 | +/- % | Feb 05 | +/- % | ||
National morning popular | ||||||
Daily Mirror | 1,656,655 | 1,727,672 | -4.11 | 1,719,743 | -3.67 | |
Daily Record | 450,302 | 451,932 | -0.36 | 480,877 | -6.36 | |
Daily Star | 791,900 | 820,070 | -3.44 | 854,480 | -7.32 | |
The Sun | 3,145,433 | 3,319,337 | -5.24 | 3,273,116 | -3.90 | |
Total of average daily net circulation |
6,044,290 | 6,319,011 | -4.35 | 6,328,216 | -4.49 | |
National morning mid market | ||||||
Daily Express | 827,905 | 849,001 | -2.48 | 948,375 | -12.70 | |
The Daily Mail | 2,439,142 | 2,389,011 | 2.10 | 2,426,533 | 0.52 | |
Total of average daily net circulation |
3,267,047 | 3,238,012 | 0.90 | 3,374,908 | -3.20 | |
National morning quality | ||||||
The Daily Telegraph | 901,123 | 917,043 | -1.74 | 907,329 | -0.68 | |
Financial Times | 440,837 | 441,840 | -0.23 | 419,386 | 5.11 | |
The Herald | 76,384 | 76,934 | -0.71 | 79,230 | -3.59 | |
The Guardian | 382,931 | 394,913 | -3.03 | 366,645 | 4.44 | |
The Independent | 266,075 | 258,387 | 2.98 | 263,595 | 0.94 | |
The Scotsman | 65,165 | 67,201 | -3.03 | 67,832 | -3.93 | |
The Times | 669,691 | 685,081 | -2.25 | 679,190 | -1.40 | |
Total of average daily net circulation |
2,802,206 | 2,841,399 | -1.38 | 2,783,207 | 0.68 | |
Overall total of average daily net circulation |
12,113,543 | 12,398,422 | -2.30 | 12,486,331 | -2.99 | |
National morning sporting | ||||||
Racing Post | 70,334 | 72,135 | -2.50 | 73,227 | -3.95 | |
London evening | ||||||
Evening Standard | 334,144 | 337,080 | -0.87 | 345,776 | -3.36 | |
National morning group | ||||||
The Daily Mirror / Daily Record | 2,106,957 | 2,179,604 | -3.33 | 2,200,620 | -4.26 | |
National Sunday popular | ||||||
Daily Star Sunday | 386,690 | 439,067 | -11.93 | 419,262 | -7.77 | |
News of the World | 3,630,390 | 3,789,176 | -4.19 | 3,649,466 | -0.52 | |
Sunday Mail | 535,970 | 547,405 | -2.09 | 563,800 | -4.94 | |
Sunday Mirror | 1,451,834 | 1,574,054 | -7.76 | 1,534,736 | -5.40 | |
The People | 884,410 | 895,275 | -1.21 | 1,007,140 | -12.19 | |
Sunday Sport | 139,733 | 143,506 | -2.63 | 151,892 | -8.01 | |
Total of average Sunday net circulation |
7,029,027 | 7,388,483 | -4.87 | 7,326,296 | -4.06 | |
National Sunday mid market | ||||||
Sunday Express | 862,987 | 877,101 | -1.61 | 1,007,095 | -14.31 | |
The Mail on Sunday | 2,285,387 | 2,404,511 | -4.95 | 2,374,856 | -3.77 | |
Total of average Sunday net circulation |
3,148,374 | 3,281,612 | -4.06 | 3,381,951 | -6.91 | |
National Sunday quality | ||||||
Independent on Sunday | 244,287 | 241,414 | 1.19 | 208,563 | 17.13 | |
The Observer | 484,357 | 542,075 | -10.65 | 444,509 | 8.96 | |
Scotland on Sunday | 84,315 | 82,380 | 2.35 | 82,593 | 2.08 | |
Sunday Herald | 60,755 | 63,529 | -4.37 | 57,905 | 4.92 | |
The Sunday Telegraph | 683,741 | 682,739 | 0.15 | 686,779 | -0.44 | |
The Sunday Times | 1,371,545 | 1,357,153 | 1.06 | 1,400,873 | -2.09 | |
Total of average Sunday net circulation |
2,929,000 | 2,969,290 | -1.36 | 2,881,222 | 1.66 | |
Overall total of average Sunday net circulation |
13,106,401 | 13,639,385 | -3.91 | 13,589,469 | -3.55 |
Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog