The relaunched Ireland on Sunday is this month celebrating its first birthday with a tripled circulation of 162,543 copies per week.
Since the relaunch last May, the IoS, owned by Associated Newspapers (Ireland), has grown by 185 per cent year-on-year – the fastest growing newspaper in Europe, according to the company.
The paper originally sold 53,265 copies a week. Latest publisher estimate figures show further growth week-by-week, despite a 50c increase in cover price in December.
Editor Paul Drury believes the paper has found a gap in the market and has been discovered among women readers in Ireland.
“We have identified your mid-market, female focus that does appeal to a significant sector of the Irish market,” he said. “I think particularly the Irish Sunday papers are edited by boring middle-aged men in suits and are heavily dominated by business coverage and politics.”
Drury thinks the other contributory factor which has helped circulation leap forward is IoS’s television guide.
“It’s a female-friendly package with strong emphasis on showbiz, celebrities, real-life human stories, health and fashion. It’s proven the right cocktail.”
By Jean Morgan
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