April ABCs: Cut-price Daily Star continues to grow

The 20p Daily Star continued its year-on-year circulation growth in April at the expense of its red-top rivals, according to the latest figures from ABC.

The Star’s average daily circulation was 822,646 last month – up 0.34 per cent on March. This represented a 12.65 per cent year-on-year rise, making the Express Newspapers-owned tabloid the only daily national newspaper to improve circulation on last year.

The Daily Mirror saw the heaviest year-on-year decline in the daily tabloid market, down 10.65 per cent. The Sun fell 5.56 per cent in the same period, slipping back below the three million circulation mark to 2,957,690.

In the mid-market, the Daily Mail gained circulation on March, up 1.8 per cent to 2,162,462 – but slipped 5.29 per cent year on year.

The Daily Express was marginally down on last year, falling 0.2 per cent to 725,690.

The Guardian was the only month-on-month grower among the daily qualities, up 0.68 per cent on March to 343,259, but was down 2.21 per cent year on year.

The biggest faller was the Independent, down 16 per cent year on year to 204,429. The Telegraph slipped 6.18 per cent in the same period to 817,692.

The Times fell below the 600,000 circulation mark, down 4.43 per cent year on year to 590,765.

National newspaper circulation: April 2009
(All percentage changes are year on year)

Daily Mirror – 1,320,629 (-10.65%)
Daily Record – 356,251 (-10.08%)
Daily Star – 822,646 (+12.65%)
The Sun – 2,957,690 (-5.56%)
Daily Express – 725,690 (-0.20%)
Daily Mail – 2,201,459 (-5.29%)
The Daily Telegraph – 817,692 (-6.18%)
Financial Times – 421,059 (-6.06%)
The Herald – 58,706 (-10.71%)
The Guardian – 343,259 (-2.21%)
The Independent – 204,429 (-16.01%)
The Scotsman – 48,139 (-7.45%)
The Times – 590,765 (-4.43%)
Racing Post – 66,613 (-6.99%)
Evening Standard – 263,312 (-6.36%)

Daily Star Sunday – 357,628 (-0.97%)
News of the World – 2,936,239 (-8.02%)
Sunday Mail – 442,264 (-8.86%)
Sunday Mirror – 1,216,918 (-9.07%)
The People – 578,161 (-12.25%)
Sunday Express – 637,419 (-5.40%)
Sunday Post – 358,028 (-10.08%)
The Mail on Sunday – 2,099,406 (-8.43%)
Independent on Sunday – 165,040 (-26.78%)
The Observer – 421,578 (-6.73%)
Scotland on Sunday – 60,325 (-10.10%)
Sunday Herald – 40,303 (-15.91%)
The Sunday Telegraph – 590,970 (-7.19%)
The Sunday Times – 1,221,683 (1.62%)

City AM – 107,294 (3.48%)
London Lite – 400,387 (0.31%)
Thelondonpaper – 500,759 (0.98%)
Metro – 1,332,225 (-1.35%)