NRS figures for the April to September period of 2002 reveal an overwhelmingly mixed picture of newspaper readership. The overall number of people reading newspapers is seen slightly rising, with a 0.8% growth compared to the same period last year.
The broadsheet sector saw some solid performances, as huge news stories such as the anniversary of September 11th increased the demand for heavy news and analysis. The most notable increase was seen at the News International titles. The Times was the sector’s biggest riser, up 18% year-on-year as a result of 281,000 new readers. Meanwhile, the Sunday Times was up 16.5% from the same period in 2001.
Elsewhere, The Guardian continued to add to its readership which was up 11.6% year-on-year. It’s sister Sunday offering The Observer was also seen rising, up 62,000 on the year. The Telegraph titles experienced mixed results, with the Sunday Telegraph down 1% year-on-year while the Daily Telegraph added 59,000 readers, up 2.6%. The Independent remained stable at 596,000 but the Financial Times appears to be following the FTSE-100 downwards after a 9.2% decline in readership.
The mid-market titles put in another encouraging performance. The Daily Mail now has 5.9 million readers, up 5.7% year-on-year while the Daily Express has seen readership increase by 183,000 in twelve months.
The figures painted a bleaker picture of the tabloid market, which saw the sector’s biggest decline. The Daily Mirror which has been involved in a high-profile price war with The Sun, was down 433,000 or 7.5% on the same period in 2001. The paper has undergone a major re-vamp, which has seen it take a more serious approach to news and an uncompromising approach to politics that has been criticised by the newspaper group’s American shareholders.
The Sun saw readership increase slightly but it is the performance of the Daily Star that has really caught the eye. Richard Desmond’s title continued its assault on the tabloid market, adding 166,000 readers year-on-year. September saw the launch of the Sunday Star which Express Newspapers is hoping will prove equally successful (see Sunday Star Set To Spark New Price War).
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