Every daily newspaper in Northern Ireland saw circulation fall in the first half of the year, according to the latest figures from the Audit Bureau of Circulation.
Sunday Life had the biggest fall, dropping 14.1 per cent to 55,067, followed by the Belfast Telegraph with a 11.9 per cent slide to 59,319.
The Ulster News Letter saw the smallest decline, falling from 24,346 in the first half of 2010 to 23,492 in the first six months of 2011.
In the non-daily market there was better news for Belfast Telegraph’s four-edition free sister weekly title the Community Telegraph.
All four editions saw circulation increases, with the South Belfast edition up 19.1 per cent – making it the best performing non-daily title in Northern Ireland – and the East Belfast title up 5.1 per cent.
Only four other newspapers had an increase in circulation in the first half of the year: Derry News – Monday (up 0.4 per cent 5,964), Impartial Reporter (up 2.8 per cent to 13,464), The Leader (up 4.8 per cent to 3,703) and the Tyrone Herald (up 3.1 per cent to 6,733).
Among the worst performing titles were the Lisburn Echo, which was down 24 per cent to 14,330, and the Banbridge Chronicle, down 12.7 per cent to 4,354.
Average circulation of paid-for daily/Sunday NI titles Jan-Jun 2011 (year-on-year change)
- Belfast Telegraph : 59,319 ; -11.9%
- Irish News : 43,647 ; -4.1%
- Sunday Journal : 2,568 ; -4.3%
- Sunday Life : 55,067 ; -14.1%
- News Letter : 23,492 ; -3.5%
Average circulation of non-daily NI titles
- Ads for Free : 6,834 ; -35.8%
- Ballymena Times : 3,280 ; -8.6%
- Banbridge Chronicle : 4,354 ; -12.7%
- Belfast News : 42,673 ; -12.0%
- Coleraine Times : 6,968 ; -2.2%
- Community Telegraph East Belfast (free) : 32,841 ; 5.1%
- Community Telegraph North Belfast (free): 24,012 ; 1.3%
- Community Telegraph North Down & Ards (free) : 23,903 ; 2.4%
- Community Telegraph South Belfast (free) : 21,813 ; 19.1%
- County Derry Post : 4,502 ; -5.3%
- Derry Journal (Fri) : 16,997 ; -6.1%
- Derry Journal (Tue) : 14,987 ; -8.9%
- Derry News – Monday : 5,964 ; 0.4%
- Derry News – Thursday : 5,770 ; -6.8%
- Down Recorder : 9,780 ; -8.3%
- Fermanagh Herald : 12,901 ; -2.0%
- Impartial Reporter : 13,464 ; 2.8%
- Larne Times : 8,570 ; -4.0%
- The Leader : 3,703 ; 4.8%
- Lisburn Echo : 14,330 ; -24.0%
- Londonderry Sentinel : 4,134 ; -6.3%
- Lurgan Mail : 7,045 ; -5.8%
- Mid Ulster Mail : 8,360 ; -5.5%
- Mourne Observer : 10,360 ; -4.1%
- Newry Reporter : 11,877 ; -7.1%
- Portadown Times : 9,210 ; -4.8%
- Strabane Chronicle : 5,327 ; -4.2%
- Tyrone Herald : 6,733 ; 3.1%
- Tyrone Times : 3,443 ; -6.0%
- Ulster Herald : 12,051 ; -2.1%
- Ulster Star : 7,774 ; -6.8%
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