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ABCs: Star titles are again sole circulation risers

By Dominic Ponsford

The Star titles were again the only popular and mid-market national newspaper titles to put on sales year on year in October.

While the Daily Mirror dropped 8.7 per cent to 1,295,972 and the Daily Record dropped 9.1 per cent to 339,226 – the Daily Star rose 20 per cent to 836,556.

The Star was helped by selling more than half its copies at 20p, compared to a current full cost price of 25p.

The Sun has also bolstered its sales with help of price cutting – it fell just 1.1 per cent to 3,026,556 with more than half those sales at the discounted rate of 20p.

In the mid market the Daily Mail out-performed the Daily Express, dropping just 0.6 per cent year on year compared with six per cent for the Richard Desmond title.

The Mail has the highest number of free bulk copies of any daily, at 102,686, of a total circulation of 2,040,511 – but it hasn’t increased that figure year on year.

Looking at the Sundays, the News of the World had a relatively strong month – dropping just 2.36 per cent year on year to keep its headline sale above the three million mark.

The Daily Star Sunday was again the only Sunday riser year on year – up 3 per cent to 364,667.

Mid market and popular newspaper circulations for October 2009, with percentage year-on-year change (source ABC)

Dailies:

Daily Mirror: 1,295,972, -8.69

Daily Record: 339,226, -9.09

Daily Star: 836,556, 20.04

The Sun: 3,026,556, -1.11

Daily Express: 698,008, -5.95

Daily Mail: 2,157,085, -0.55

Sundays:

Daily Star Sunday: 364,667, 2.95

News of the World: 3,064,672, -2.36

Sunday Mail: 416,634, -10.05

Sunday Mirror: 1,207,051, -6.36

The People: 552,163, -10.16

Sunday Express: 614,040, -8.27

Sunday Post: 347,782, -8.71

The Mail on Sunday: 2,116,114, -3.43

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