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  2. Audience Data
August 28, 2013

UK’s regional daily newspaper sales decline by average of 10.5 per cent

By Dominic Ponsford

Nearly half the UK's regional daily newspapers lost print sales at a rate of more than 10 per cent year on year in the first half of 2013.

Trinity Mirror's Paisley Daily Express was the only title to buck the trend on print sales, growing circulation by 9.9 per cent year on year to an average of 7,567 a day. It was partly helped by a price cut compared with the same period last year, selling for 30p a day rather than 45p.

Some 34 out of 70 UK regional daily titles audited by ABC lost sales at a rate of more than 10 per cent year on year. The biggest fallers were: The Argus in Brighton (down 25.8 per cent to 16,622), the East Anglian Daily Times (down 21.2 per cent to 22,652)) and the Sheffield Star (down 20 per cent to 28.072).

The Wolverhampton-based Express and Star continues to be the UK's best-selling regional daily, with average sales down 9.6 per cent year on year to 90,612, followed by the Liverpool Echo and then the partly free Manchester Evening News.

Total average per-issue sales for the 70 daily titles audited by ABC dropped from 2,045,74 in the first half of 2012 to 1,910,821 in the first half of this year. The average rate of circulation decline was 10.5 per cent.

Meanwhile website readership is growing sharply for most titles according to digital figures also released today by ABC.

UK regional daily newspaper sales for the first half of 2013 (source ABC)

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Title

Avg sale % paid Price Chg y/y
Express & Star (West Midlands) 90,612 91.2% £0.45 -9.6%

Liverpool Echo

74,984

100.0%

£0.55

-7.2%
Manchester Evening News 73,622 64.7% £0.55 -6.8%

Aberdeen – Press & Journal

65,482

99.2%

£0.60

-4.6%
Dundee Courier & Advertiser 52,348 99.5% £0.60 -6.9%

Belfast Telegraph

49,228

77.2%

£0.70

-8.6%
Norwich – Eastern Daily Press 47,231 99.7% £0.70 -11.3%

The Chronicle

43,308

100.0%

£0.50

-12.0%
Shropshire Star 43,097 100.0% £0.45 -13.4%

The Sentinel

41,898

100.0%

£0.45

-7.6%
The Herald 41,030 100.0% £1.10 N/A

Irish News – Morning

40,842

99.4%

£0.70

-3.0%
Birmingham Mail 40,280 86.6% £0.50 -4.7%

Leicester Mercury

40,172

99.0%

£0.45

-11.6%
Glasgow – Evening Times 39,234 100.0% £0.55 -14.6%

Aberdeen – Evening Express

38,409

99.7%

£0.50

-10.8%
Hull Daily Mail 38,309 100.0% £0.48 -7.1%

Darlington – The Northern Echo

35,196

100.0%

£0.65

-8.5%
Leeds – Yorkshire Post 34,175 96.0% £0.70 -9.7%

South Wales Evening Post

33,479

98.2%

£0.48

-8.6%
Teesside – Evening Gazette 33,013 100.0% £0.50 -10.7%

The Scotsman

31,326

92.1%

£1.10

N/A
The News – Portsmouth 30,570 100.0% £0.60 -17.9%

Edinburgh – Evening News

30,176

98.3%

£0.60

-15.3%
The Post 29,475 97.1% £0.50 -10.7%

Leeds – Yorkshire Evening Post

28,946

100.0%

£0.65

-14.4%
Daily Post (Wales) 28,331 100.0% £0.55 -7.4%

Sheffield Star & Green 'Un

28,072

100.0%

£0.65

-20.0%
Coventry Telegraph 27,712 92.9% £0.50 -10.8%

Cardiff – South Wales Echo

27,700

100.0%

£0.55

-8.2%
Nottingham Post 27,086 99.7% £0.50 -11.6%

Southampton – Southern Daily Echo

26,846

100.0%

£0.55

-10.4%
Southend – Basildon Echo 26,705 100.0% £0.65 -8.3%

Sunderland Echo & Football Echo

24,994

100.0%

£0.60

-14.9%
Wales – The Western Mail 23,723 94.6% £0.70 -6.7%

Ipswich – East Anglian Daily Times

22,652

99.9%

£0.65

-21.2%
York – The Press 22,057 100.0% £0.55 -9.3%

Bournemouth – The Daily Echo

22,007

100.0%

£0.65

-11.4%
Bradford – Telegraph & Argus 21,641 100.0% £0.55 -10.4%

Newcastle-Upon-Tyne Journal

20,875

100.0%

£0.65

-10.4%
Ulster – News Letter 20,755 99.3% £0.85 -6.5%

Dundee Evening Telegraph

20,734

99.8%

£0.45

-7.8%
South Wales Argus – Evening 19,748 100.0% £0.45 -7.9%

Cambridge News

18,586

83.3%

£0.55

-3.9%
Lancashire Telegraph – Blackburn 18,293 100.0% £0.65 -12.3%

Huddersfield Daily Examiner

17,704

100.0%

£0.55

-6.7%
Lancashire Evening Post 17,212 100.0% £0.65 -15.5%

The Bolton News

17,199

100.0%

£0.65

-12.9%
Jersey Evening Post 17,076 97.9% £0.50 -4.7%

The Argus Brighton

16,622

100.0%

£0.65

-25.8%
Oxford Mail 16,569 100.0% £0.45 -5.6%

The Gazette – Blackpool

16,524

100.0%

£0.60

-13.9%
Swindon Advertiser 15,506 100.0% £0.45 -7.9%

Dorset Echo

15,195

100.0%

£0.50

-6.9%
Ipswich Star 15,084 68.7% £0.60 -18.2%

Guernsey Press & Star

14,448

92.2%

£0.50

-3.8%
The Leader (Wrexham, Flintshire & Chester) 14,322 100.0% £0.50 -6.5%

Norwich – Evening News

12,947

100.0%

£0.55

-17.8%
Colchester – Daily Gazette 12,889 100.0% £0.65 -15.5%

South Shields – Shields Gazette

12,004

100.0%

£0.60

-12.5%
Worcester News 11,922 100.0% £0.45 -10.4%

Barrow – North West Evening Mail

11,739

100.0%

£0.50

-8.9%
Oldham Evening Chronicle 11,045 100.0% £0.60 -14.0%

Burton Mail

10,785

99.5%

£0.50

-7.1%
Hartlepool Mail 10,521 100.0% £0.60 -17.7%

Carlisle – News and Star East

10,162

100.0%

£0.55

-9.8%
Paisley Daily Express 7,567 100.0% £0.30 9.9%

Wigan Evening Post

5,446

100.0%

£0.55

-12.3%
Carlisle – News and Star West 3,933 100.0% £0.55 -8.6%

Doncaster Star

1,441

100.0%

£0.65

-25.4%
         

Daily titles listed by year on year change

Title Avg sale Chg y/y
The Argus Brighton 16,622 -25.8%
Doncaster Star 1,441 -25.4%
Ipswich – East Anglian Daily Times 22,652 -21.2%
Sheffield Star & Green 'Un 28,072 -20.0%
Ipswich Star 15,084 -18.2%
The News – Portsmouth 30,570 -17.9%
Norwich – Evening News 12,947 -17.8%
Hartlepool Mail 10,521 -17.7%
Lancashire Evening Post 17,212 -15.5%
Colchester – Daily Gazette 12,889 -15.5%
Edinburgh – Evening News 30,176 -15.3%
Sunderland Echo & Football Echo 24,994 -14.9%
Glasgow – Evening Times 39,234 -14.6%
Leeds – Yorkshire Evening Post 28,946 -14.4%
Oldham Evening Chronicle 11,045 -14.0%
The Gazette – Blackpool 16,524 -13.9%
Shropshire Star 43,097 -13.4%
The Bolton News 17,199 -12.9%
South Shields – Shields Gazette 12,004 -12.5%
Lancashire Telegraph – Blackburn 18,293 -12.3%
Wigan Evening Post 5,446 -12.3%
The Chronicle 43,308 -12.0%
Leicester Mercury 40,172 -11.6%
Nottingham Post 27,086 -11.6%
Bournemouth – The Daily Echo 22,007 -11.4%
Norwich – Eastern Daily Press 47,231 -11.3%
Aberdeen – Evening Express 38,409 -10.8%
Coventry Telegraph 27,712 -10.8%
Teesside – Evening Gazette 33,013 -10.7%
The Post 29,475 -10.7%
Southampton – Southern Daily Echo 26,846 -10.4%
Bradford – Telegraph & Argus 21,641 -10.4%
Newcastle-Upon-Tyne Journal 20,875 -10.4%
Worcester News 11,922 -10.4%
Carlisle – News and Star East 10,162 -9.8%
Leeds – Yorkshire Post 34,175 -9.7%
Express & Star (West Midlands) 90,612 -9.6%
York – The Press 22,057 -9.3%
Barrow – North West Evening Mail 11,739 -8.9%
Belfast Telegraph 49,228 -8.6%
South Wales Evening Post 33,479 -8.6%
Carlisle – News and Star West 3,933 -8.6%
Darlington – The Northern Echo 35,196 -8.5%
Southend – Basildon Echo 26,705 -8.3%
Cardiff – South Wales Echo 27,700 -8.2%
South Wales Argus – Evening 19,748 -7.9%
Swindon Advertiser 15,506 -7.9%
Dundee Evening Telegraph 20,734 -7.8%
The Sentinel 41,898 -7.6%
Daily Post (Wales) 28,331 -7.4%
Liverpool Echo 74,984 -7.2%
Hull Daily Mail 38,309 -7.1%
Burton Mail 10,785 -7.1%
Dundee Courier & Advertiser 52,348 -6.9%
Dorset Echo 15,195 -6.9%
Manchester Evening News 73,622 -6.8%
Wales – The Western Mail 23,723 -6.7%
Huddersfield Daily Examiner 17,704 -6.7%
Ulster – News Letter 20,755 -6.5%
The Leader (Wrexham, Flintshire & Chester) 14,322 -6.5%
Oxford Mail 16,569 -5.6%
Birmingham Mail 40,280 -4.7%
Jersey Evening Post 17,076 -4.7%
Aberdeen – Press & Journal 65,482 -4.6%
Cambridge News 18,586 -3.9%
Guernsey Press & Star 14,448 -3.8%
Irish News – Morning 40,842 -3.0%
Paisley Daily Express 7,567 9.9%
The Herald 41,030 N/A
The Scotsman 31,326 N/A

 

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