The Star titles and The Times were again the best performing national newspapers in terms of year-on-year change last month, according to ABC.
Seven of the UK's 12 national dailies increased their circulation last month from November, with the Financial Times performing the best – up 1.7 per cent to 209,264.
The Daily Star, which halved its cover price in October to 20p, was up 6 per cent year on year to 451,739. But its month-on-month growth slowed, from 4.2 per cent in November to 0.4 per cent last month.
The Sun, which costs 40p, has slowed its rate of decline and fell 4.8 per cent year on year. But the Daily Mirror, costing 60p, appears to be suffering most from the Star price cut with a year-on-year fall of 11 per cent.
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The Times – boosted by an increase in bulk copies, from 27,152 in November to 41,598 last month – was up 0.3 per cent month on month, and 4.6 per cent on December 2014. The Sun also increased its number of bulk copies to 49,723, from 13,023.
The Daily Express was the worst performing national newspaper in terms of year-on-year change, down 12 per cent to 400,733.
Average daily newspaper circulations, December 2015
| Newspaper | Average circulation, December 2015 | Month-on-month % change | Year-on-year % change | Bulks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Sun | 1,800,537 | 0.65 | -4.84 | 49,723 |
| Daily Mail | 1,598,411 | 0.66 | -3.06 | 77,050 |
| Daily Mirror | 811,745 | -1.71 | -11.02 | 45,000 |
| The Daily Telegraph | 476,434 | -0.89 | -1.87 | |
| Daily Star | 451,739 | 0.38 | 5.97 | |
| The Times | 408,643 | 0.26 | 4.58 | 41,598 |
| Daily Express | 400,733 | -0.65 | -12.04 | |
| i | 268,431 | -2.02 | -3.48 | 67,752 |
| Financial Times | 209,264 | 1.74 | -2.86 | 22,236 |
| Daily Record | 177,803 | -1.84 | -11.58 | 4,968 |
| The Guardian | 166,039 | 0.22 | -6.66 | |
| The Independent | 56,074 | 0.12 | -7.26 | 15,356 |
The Daily Star Sunday – which, like its sister daily, halved its cover price in October – was up 2.7 per cent on November, and 10.8 per cent year on year, to 297,053. Its circulation increased by 6.7 per cent in December.
All other titles performed worse than in November, with The Independent on Sunday the worst performing, down 5 per cent to 92,914.
Year on year, Trinity Mirror's Sunday People was the worst performing, down 17.1 per cent to 281,903. Its sister title, the Sunday Mirror, was down 13.4 per cent to 741,569.
Average Sunday newspaper circulations, December 2015
| Newspaper | Average circulation, December 2015 | Month-on-month % change | Year-on-year % change | Bulks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Sun on Sunday | 1,468,675 | -0.79 | -2.19 | 54,959 |
| The Mail on Sunday | 1,385,833 | -0.71 | -5.06 | 70,839 |
| The Sunday Times | 762,939 | -1.93 | -3.09 | 32,606 |
| Sunday Mirror | 741,569 | -2.63 | -13.43 | 45,000 |
| Sunday Express | 355,288 | -0.91 | -10.27 | |
| The Sunday Telegraph | 351,181 | -3.19 | -7.48 | |
| Daily Star Sunday | 297,053 | 2.72 | 10.75 | |
| Sunday People | 281,903 | -2.62 | -17.14 | |
| Sunday Mail | 197,573 | -1.31 | -10.23 | 3,810 |
| The Observer | 183,662 | -3.02 | -5.91 | |
| Sunday Post | 165,153 | -1.75 | -12.46 | |
| Independent on Sunday | 92,914 | -4.98 | -4.34 | 49,861 |
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