UK papers see jump in circulation figures

The Newspaper Works: Monthly circulation numbers for newspapers in the United Kingdom have seen an across the board jump in the latest Audit Bureau of Circulations report.

Fifteen of the 24 major national daily and Sunday newspapers saw a month-on-month increase in sales figures in January, with several also reporting a boost in year-on-year
(YoY) circulation.

The Guardian saw a 1.72 percent YoY rise, despite a 20c increase in the cover price of the newspaper, after a year that saw the international news brand break stories on the National Security Agency’s PRISM electronic surveillance programme and the collection of Verizon telephone data by the White House.
The Sun and the Sun on Sunday saw the largest boost in month-on-month circulation figures – up 8.31 percent and 7.9 percent, respectively – and their largest percentage increase since January 2011. However, the News UK publications both experienced a decline in YoY sales.

Guardian Media Group publication The Observer was the only Sunday paper to report an increase in YoY circulation, although most of the papers had a post-Christmas sales bump as shown in the month-on-month numbers.

Nine of the 12 national Sunday newspapers saw their monthly figures rise in January.

Apart from The Observer and the Sun on Sunday, The Daily Star Sunday (2.66 percent), The Sunday Telegraph (1.89 percent), The Sunday Mirror (1.53 percent) and The Sunday Times (0.63 percent) all saw an increase in their month-on- month figures.

The Financial Times experienced the biggest YoY loss with a 14.95 percent downturn in circulation, with The Independent having the second largest loss of circulation with a 13.31 percent downturn.