Growth in Prospect’s digital subscriber base more than offset its print circulation decline in 2024, according to new ABC figures.
Prospect, under editor Alan Rusbridger who joined the current affairs magazine in September 2021, saw its global print circulation drop by 14% or 2,524 to 15,106 in 2024.
But its global digital circulation increased by 87% or 11,723 to 25,167 – all paying subscribers. About half (12,934) were “all you can read” sales, meaning someone has viewed the magazine through a product like Apple News+. Publishers are not paid a full subscription price for these sales but instead get a royalty fee based on a Spotify-style model.
Across print and digital combined Prospect was up 30% to 40,273 as it marks its 30th anniversary.
[Read more: Prospect CEO has ‘fixed the plumbing’ and is now looking for growth]
Prospect chief executive Mark Beard said: “This year’s ABC figures reflect the transformative journey Prospect is undertaking. Last year, we focused on fixing the plumbing – laying the groundwork by enhancing our infrastructure, expanding our digital reach, and refining our content strategy. Now we are seeing the results of that hard work and, as we celebrate our 30th anniversary, these figures reinforce our position as an important voice in the media landscape.”
Editor Alan Rusbridger added: “These figures demonstrate a strong and growing appetite for trusted long-form journalism.”
The biggest year-on-year ABC circulation declines among news and current affairs magazines were at Time magazine.
Time’s Asia-Pacific (APAC) digital circulation dropped by 17% to 18,882 and its print circulation in the same region was down 15% to 27,170.
Its UK, Europe, Middle East and Africa print edition (EMEA) was also down by 15% to 54,517 while its EMEA digital edition fell by 8% to 30,893 (of which 4,394 were “all you can read” sales).
Private Eye, a print-only product, continued to be the UK’s best-selling news and current affairs magazine despite staying steady year on year at an average of 232,638 sales per fortnight.
The Economist is the biggest ABC-audited news and current affairs title overall, with a global digital circulation of 970,074 (down 2%) and in print of 442,957 (down 10%). Its digital circulation does not include “all you can read” sales as it is not part of Apple News+.
The Economist’s UK print magazine circulation was 73,962 (down 11%).
However a spokesperson for The Economist said its decline “is because ABC counts bundle subscriptions as two subscriptions. When bundles are cancelled, the decline outpaces new rising digital-only subscriptions, which are reported as only one subscription.” Some 89% of new Economist subscriptions in the past year were digital, they added.
According to The Economist’s 2024 annual report, it had 1.187 million total subscribers as of 30 September 2024 of which 66% were digital-only.
The Economist’s Espresso app, which gives a smaller, curated selection of Economist journalism for a lower price, was up 28% globally to a circulation of 27,775. In the UK it was up 30% to 4,999.
The biggest growth was at Our Media’s (formerly part of Immediate Media) BBC Science Focus, up 162% year on year to a global circulation of 347,189 (99% of which are on platforms like Apple News+). In the UK, it was up 33% to 52,868.
Most news and current affairs magazines have a heavy subscription focus (subscriptions here include "all you can read" circulation:
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