09 Dec 2003 |

NRS National Newspaper Round-Up – October 2003

The latest NRS national newspaper figures brought less than impressive news to the market, which saw its overall readership decline by 4.8% year on year during October, with heavy losses for the majority of titles.

The Independent‘s recent decision to launch a tabloid version for commuters in the London area has proved successful in boosting circulation at the paper. However, no positive effect has yet been seen on readership, which fell by 6% year on year to 546,000.

The title’s Sunday sibling, which has kept its traditional broadsheet format, proved more successful during the same period. Readership at the Independent On Sunday increased by 5.2% year on year to 686,000, in what was one of the sector’s most significant gains (see Independent Prepares To Launch Tabloid Trial Version).

At the other end of the scale, the Guardian saw readership slip by 15.5% during October to 1,164,000, amid speculation that it too is pondering the launch of a tabloid trial version to ape its rivals. However, the Financial Times suffered the most significant decline in percentage terms, with readership plummeting by 36.7% year on year to 374,000 as it remains at forefront of the recession in corporate and financial advertising.

Meanwhile, in the downturn in the tabloid sector was led by Trinity Mirror’s People, which saw its readership shrink by 19.9% during October to below the 2.5 million mark. A recent £2 million revamp at the title has so far failed to arrest its decline in the increasingly competitive sector.

Even the big guns failed to escape the wider malaise gripping the market during October and an 8.1% year on year decline for News International’s Sun was surpassed by a 13.5% dip in readership for the Daily Mirror, which recently returned to a softer news agenda.

News Of The World retained its position as the UK’s most widely read newspaper, despite a 3.5% year on year decline in readership to 9,420,000. The Sunday Mirror suffered a sharper 9% drop during the same period, bringing down to below the 5 million mark.

One bright spot in an otherwise gloomy market was provided by Richard Desmond’s Sunday Express, which saw its readership increase by 8.1% year on year to 2,327,000. Reports suggest the title may face new competition next year with the launch of a new mid-market Sunday newspaper, called Life On Sunday, which will focus on family values with a distinctly anti-tabloid feel (see Family Friendly Sunday Newspaper To Launch Next Year).

National Newspaper NRS Figures – October 2003
Title	May-Oct 02	May-Oct 03	Actual Change	% Change
Daily Express	2,162,000	2,055,000	-107,000	-4.9
Daily Mail	5,878,000	5,842,000	-36,000	-0.6
Daily Mirror	5,247,000	4,537,000	-710,000	-13.5
Daily Record	1,485,000	1,439,000	-46,000	-3.1
Daily Star	1,738,000	1,671,000	-67,000	-3.9
Daily Star Sunday	n/a	1,127,000	n/a	n/a
Daily Telegraph	2,295,000	2,102,000	-193,000	-8.4
Financial Times	599,000	374,000	-225,000	-37.6
Guardian	1,378,000	1,164,000	-214,000	-15.5
Independent	581,000	546,000	-35,000	-6.0
Independent On Sunday	652,000	686,000	34,000	5.2
Mail On Sunday	5,922,000	5,872,000	-50,000	-0.8
News Of The World	9,766,000	9,420,000	-346,000	-3.5
Observer	1,216,000	1,182,000	-34,000	-2.8
People	3,012,000	2,414,000	-598,000	-19.9
Sun	9,658,000	8,877,000	-781,000	-8.1
Sunday Express	2,152,000	2,327,000	175,000	8.1
Sunday Mirror	5,340,000	4,858,000	-482,000	-9.0
Sunday Telegraph	2,063,000	1,897,000	-166,000	-8.0
Sunday Times	3,522,000	3,248,000	-274,000	-7.8
Times	1,871,000	1,698,000	-173,000	-9.2
Total	66,537,000	63,336,000	-3,201,000	-4.8