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February 11, 2016

Current affairs magazine ABCs, 2015: Spectator, New Statesman, Private Eye and Economist all grow in election year

By William Turvill

Half of the news and current affairs magazines audited by ABC increased their circulations in 2015.

Political magazine The Spectator was the best performing, up 31 per cent on 2014's figure to 71,707 in the year of the general election. This included more than 15,000 digital editions.

The New Statesman, meanwhile, was up 14 per cent to 33,395.

Private Eye was up 5 per cent on 2014 to record its best yearly average since 1986, the year Ian Hislop (pictured, Reuters) started as editor.

With an average paid-for circulation of 229,777 in the second half of 2015 – up slightly on the first half of the year – Private Eye remains the best selling UK title in the news and current affairs sector.

The Economist UK edition was up 5 per cent year on year to 235,350. This was helped by an average digital edition circulation of 73,567, up 47 per cent year on year.

UK news and current affairs magazine average circulations, 2015

Note: The figures for some magazines are based on the second half of 2015 only

Magazine Combine print and digital circulation, 2015 Digital editions YoY% UK ROI Actively purchased%
Time Magazine – EMEA (excluding BI/SA) 292,865 15,291 -7.1  
The Economist –  Continental Europe Edition 237,092 40,826 -4.6 99.3
The Economist –  United Kingdom Edition 235,350 73,567 5.1 91.5
Private Eye 229,777   4.7 99.9
The Week 204,128   2 78.1
The Economist –  Asia Pacific Edition 150,369 45,422 -1.3  
Time Magazine – British Isles (BI) 104,696 6,587 -18.2 73.7
BBC History Magazine 97,527 15,551 5.1 99.3
Fortune Magazine – Europe 93,918 3,061 -3.8 74.4
New Scientist – Worldwide Sales   Excluding Australasia & US/Canada 81,252 10,221 -2.2 99.4
Monocle 80,187   0.2 93.9
The Spectator excluding Australia 71,707 15,335 30.9 86.2
The Oldie 46,415 546 1.9 96.1
MoneyWeek 45,540   -13.6 98.9
The Week Magazine (digital publication) 34,637 34637 25.4  
New Statesman 33,395 1,930 13.8 67.9
Prospect 32,123 1,497 3.4 64.3
Time Magazine – Southern Africa (SA) 31,896 1,835 -13.8  
Investors Chronicle 31,612 3,171 -1.2 92.9
The Economist –  Middle East/Africa Edition 27,345 5,937 1.6  
BBC Sky at Night 24,576 1,866 7.2 99.1
New Scientist – Australasian Sales 22,514 3,992 0.6  
New Scientist – US/Canadian Sales 22,464 6,276 -5.1 83.7
History Today 18,161   -2.1 97.6
Shares 13,661   -11.6 32.7
What Franchise 13,403   7.1 1.5
The Spectator Australia 8,112   -3.5  
What Investment 7,083   -12.7 100

 

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