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November 16, 2018updated 30 Sep 2022 7:06am

National newspaper + online ABCs: Metro sees lowest circulation drop as industry-wide decline continues

By Charlotte Tobitt

The Metro is the slowest declining national newspaper in another month of industry-wide slowdown, the latest ABC figures reveal.

The free title saw a 1 per cent year-on-year drop to a circulation of 1.45m in October, keeping it ahead of the Sun, which fell by 7 per cent to 1.4m.

The Mail, Telegraph and Mirror titles have all stopped counting bulk sales.

News websites regularly audited by ABC – Mail Online, Metro, The Sun, and Reach’s Mirror, Express and Star titles – also all saw their daily average unique users drop last month.

National newspaper circulations for October 2018 (ABC):

Publication Total circulation (Oct 2018) Year-on-year % change Bulks
Metro FREE 1,452,609 -1%
The Sun 1,404,972 -7% 118,233
Daily Mail 1,228,002 -12%
The Sun on Sunday 1,202,128 -7% 118,233
The Mail on Sunday 1,038,743 -13%
London Evening Standard FREE 862,916 -4%
The Sunday Times 722,886 -4% 83,178
Daily Mirror 533,531 -12%
Sunday Mirror 451,736 -13%
The Times 421,009 -5% 88,444
The Daily Telegraph 360,117 -23%
Daily Star 346,545 -15% 225
Daily Express 327,011 -11%
Sunday Express 284,482 -12%
The Sunday Telegraph 283,691 -18%
i 239,443 -9% 53,458
Daily Star – Sunday 213,368 -14%
Financial Times 181,205 -6% 31,539
Sunday People 176,008 -15%
The Observer 167,821 -5%
The Guardian 135,330 -8%
Sunday Mail 126,409 -15%
Daily Record 121,710 -13%
Sunday Post 110,683 -15% 538
City AM FREE 85,872 -6%

Total daily average unique browsers for October 2018 (ABC):

Website Total daily avg unique browsers (Oct 2018) Year-on-year % change
Mail Online 12,216,005 -17%
Reach (inc. Mirror/Express/Star) 8,665,886 -9%
The Sun 4,811,380 -13%
Metro 2,160,141 7%

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