August 11, 2016

Mag ABCs, women’s weeklies: Sales drop across all titles with Heat and Now biggest losers

Sales of women’s paid-for weekly magazines have fallen across the board, ABC figures for the first half of 2016 show.

Celeb title Heat recorded the biggest drop, with sales down 22 per cent year-on-year to 144,074 copies while Now saw sales fall 21 per cent to 109,661 copies compared with the same period last year.

Take a Break had by far the biggest total average circulation, according to the figures, at 562,412 copies, but saw sales fall by 7.6 per cent.

Behind it, Woman’s Weekly recorded a total average circulation of 284,251 copies, down by 4 per cent on the same period last year.

OK! Magazine recorded a decline in sales of 12 per cent, year-on-year, falling to 176,386 copies.

Sarah Perry, head of magazines and women’s media at OK! Magazine said: “Despite a generally tough trading climate industry-wide, we are witnessing audiences continuing to adapt the way they engage with OK! as a multi-platform brand, to best suit their mobile lifestyles.

“Over the last 18 months, OK! has witnessed its multi-platform audiences grow by 21 per cent, now reaching an industry leading 6.3m UK adults every month and delivering some of the best video content on celebrity news with over 2.2m monthly views.”

Women’s weekly average circulation in the first half of 2016, source ABC

Title	Total circulation	YoY% change	% print product paid for
Take a Break	562,412	-7.6	100
Woman’s Weekly	284,251	-4.2	99.9
Chat	254,530	-7.3	100
Closer	244,480	-13.8	99.2
Woman	223,199	-9.8	100
That’s Life	220,162	-8.8	100
New!	216,877	-13.7	99.5
The People’s Friend	202,082	-5.9	99.8
Woman’s Own	191,328	-8.4	99.2
OK! Magazine	176,386	-11.8	93
Bella	176,018	-5.9	100
Heat	144,074	-22.3	93.7
Best	142,850	-16.6	99.5
Real People	141,421	-9.6	99.7
Pick Me Up	133,481	-7.2	100
Star	125,854	-15.2	99.5
Reveal	113,909	-14.4	99.5
Now	109,661	-21.8	99.9
My Weekly	100,363	-2.7	96.9
Love It!	80,029	N/A	100