The Daily Mail and Daily Telegraph both grew their print circulations year on year in March 2016 with the help of more free bulk copies being distributed.
When free copies are taken out of the equation both titles both still put in comparitively strong performances with The Times down 1.5 per cent year on year and the Daily Telegraph down 1.4 per cent.
The only titles to put in genuine sales rises were the Daily and Sunday Star, helped by price cuts which see them currently selling for 20p and 50p respectively.
While the Daily Star rose 14.5 per cent year on year to 485,652, the Daily Mirror (which sells for 60p) fell 12.7 per cent year on year to 784,122.
Trinity Mirror's new daily title The New Day, which launched at the end of February, has yet to register with ABC for auditing.
It does not appear to have taken any sales away from existing titles.
UK national newspaper circulation figures for March 2016 (source ABC)
| Title | Avg sales | Month-on-month % change | Year-on-year % change | Bulk copies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Sun | 1,739,206 | -0.15 | -6.4 | 71,106 |
| Daily Mail | 1,576,121 | 0.88 | -3.09 | 74,655 |
| The Sun on Sunday | 1,418,402 | 0.42 | -3.83 | 73,891 |
| The Mail on Sunday | 1,369,200 | -0.86 | -5.21 | 68,107 |
| Metro (free) | 1,346,414 | -0.08 | -0.01 | |
| London Evening Standard (free) | 891,746 | -1.14 | -1.28 | |
| Daily Mirror | 784,122 | -0.97 | -12.66 | 44,999 |
| The Sunday Times | 771,169 | 0.67 | -2.44 | 46,775 |
| Sunday Mirror | 715,383 | -2.32 | -14.34 | 45,000 |
| Daily Star | 485,652 | 2.7 | 14.42 | |
| The Daily Telegraph | 481,525 | 1.82 | 0.47 | 8,795 |
| The Times | 420,570 | 4.42 | 7.57 | 56,050 |
| Daily Express | 415,022 | 0.46 | -6.79 | |
| Sunday Express | 365,754 | -0.37 | -4.99 | |
| The Sunday Telegraph | 359,631 | 0.74 | -3.91 | 9,954 |
| Independent Group | 325,166 | 0.42 | -2.24 | 82,770 |
| Daily Star – Sunday | 298,238 | -0.13 | 16.44 | |
| Sunday People | 277,021 | -1.95 | -15.99 | 7,000 |
| i | 270,182 | 0.21 | -1.34 | 67,251 |
| Financial Times | 202,826 | 3.74 | -4.97 | 21,896 |
| Sunday Mail | 187,583 | -0.52 | -14.14 | 3,810 |
| The Observer | 184,252 | 0.36 | -5.05 | |
| Daily Record | 173,061 | -0.84 | -13.52 | 4,954 |
| The Guardian | 164,630 | 2.16 | -5.89 | |
| Sunday Post | 161,498 | -0.49 | -11.64 | |
| City AM (free) | 96,349 | -1.66 | -11.59 | |
| Independent on Sunday | 94,124 | 4.29 | -2.53 | 49,176 |
| The Independent | 54,984 | 1.47 | -6.41 | 15,519 |
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