This piece by Herman Manson @marklives was published first on MarkLives.com.
The Audit Bureau of Circulations of South Africa has released consumer-magazine circulation statistics for the period October–December 2014 (ABC Q4 2014). (See our newspaper ABC analysis here.)
Here are several consumer magazine ABC figures that stand out for us. We’ve also updated our list of the biggest-circulating consumer magazines in SA.
Note: we compare the current figures with the same figures for this time last year, and not with the previous quarter.
SEE ALSO: Which papers rose (not many) & which fell [ABC circulation Q4 2014], Feb 2015
Some ABC insights*
The ABC analysis notes that individual magazine subscriptions account for 6.7 % of total circulation and compared to Q3 have “only declined by 6%” — this is in reference to the Post Office strike which brought postal deliveries to a virtual halt for several months [I’m still getting magazines mailed in September and October — ed]. It would be interesting to see what impact the strike had in renewals during Q1 2015.
Total magazine circulation declined 8.6% in Q4 2014, compared to Q3 2014.
Consumer Magazines dropped 1.8% between Q3 and Q4, the Custom category dropped 13%. The Business to Business category crept up by 2.2%, or 25 000 copies.
The Home category saw 5% growth compared to Q3 2014 and 13.9% growth compared to Q4 2013.
Circulation in the motoring category continues to decline — dropping 9.2% compared to Q4 2013. Car Magazine remains the largest title in this category but dropped 6.9% year on year while Auto Trader recorded the highest % decline year on year at 47%. Super Bike magazine reported a 21% increase year on year.
Getaway has declined 20% year on year while Country Life is up 13% year on year.
The Women’s General category has dropped 10.4% year on year. Cosmopolitan recorded a 23% drop, Elle 20%, Glamor 17% and Fairlady also at 17%. On the upside, True Love is up 10% year on year and Grazia 6.8%.
*Sourced from the ABC Media Dashboard
SEE ALSO: ABC circulation 10-year comparison: how the mighty have fallen, 19 Feb 2015
The business press
Financial Mail has declined to 19 901 from 23 140 (total free circulation = 2 085) in the corresponding previous reporting period. Finweek is down to 11 678 from 13 217 (total free = 2 503).
Entrepreneur has fallen to 18 575 from 22 323. Forbes Africa has held fairly steady at 17 330 from 17 336 (total free = 8 070) and Green Business Journal has come in at 5 801 (total free = 5 341, giving it a total paid circulation of only 460 copies). Noseweek has declined to 16 974 from 17 776.
Personal Finance has fallen to 11 702 from 13 334. Your Business Magazine has grown to 11 358 from 10 478. Real Estate Investor has come in at 21 957 (total free = 20 306).
Farmer’s Weekly has fallen to 14 223 from 14 329 and Landbouweekblad to 32 129 from 35 854.
Biggest-circulating business magazines in terms of paid-for (sales, bulk and subscriptions) circulation:
Entrepreneur: 18 201 +
Financial Mail: 17 816
Noseweek: 16 934
Personal Finance: 11 202
Your Business: 9 981 +
Forbes Africa: 9 260 +
Finweek: 9 175 –
Biggest-circulating business magazines in terms of total circulation:
Real Estate Investor: 21 957 new
Financial Mail: 19 901
Entrepreneur: 18 575
Forbes Africa: 17 330 +
Noseweek: 16 974 –
Personal Finance: 11 702
Finweek: 11 678
Your Business: 11 358
Entertainment & celeb news
heat magazine has declined to 24 842 from 28 446. People has fallen to 70 723 from 81 782. TV Plus (Afrikaans) is up to 37 112 from 35 303 but the English edition falls to 34 454 from 39 411.
Bona has fallen to 73 606 to 81 504 (and 104 234 in Q3 2013!), Drum to 113 018 from 120 241, Huisgenoot to 259 031 from 261 224 and YOU to 142 981 from 153 055.
The Big Issue sees an increase to 13 714 from 13 263. Taalgenoot falls to 66 259 from 67 300.
Home & gardening, leisure
Conde Nast House & Garden has declined to 42 159 from 43 725 (total free = 8 238) and Easy DYI to 13 333 (same figure as Q3 2014) from 23 379. Food & Home Entertaining has grown to 30 722 from 30 332 (total free = 5 528) but House & Leisure has fallen to 34 872 from 40 320 (total free = 8 887). Sarie Kos has fallen to 48 505 from 52 503
Elle Decoration has fallen to 24 323 from 25 552 (total free = 5 560). SA Home Owner has grown to 41 418 from 39 633 (total free = 10 007) and SA Garden and Home to 56 368 from 55 006 (total free = 4 733). Tuis Home has climbed to 91 845 from 80 970 and Visi to 15 038 from 13 349. Taste is listed as a custom magazine – circulation has fallen to 28 858 from 29 648 (single copy sales: 24 123). Fresh Living has declined to 61 269 from 71 187 (single copy sales: 48 960).
Men’s market
Blaque Magazine has grown to 15 563 from 14 638 while Braintainment has grown to 14 475, compared to 13 404 in the previous corresponding reporting period. Destiny Man is down to 17 582 from 20 922 (total free = 7 978).
GQ has grown to 26 979 from 25 694 in spite of an increase in frequency (it now publishes 11 copies a year instead of 10). Hype has grown to 14 394 from 11 578.
Men’s Health has fallen to 42 522 from 50 507 and Popular Mechanics to 35 067 from 43 283. Stuff has fallen to 16 247 from 18 352 (total paid: 12 686).
Health, fitness, sport
Amakhosi has fallen to 25 195 from 29 079 but Sowetan Magazine grew to 21 433 from 16 689 (total free = 4 025). Kick Off has declined to 33 030 from 40 804 and Runners World to 14 498 from 17 139. Golf Digest has fallen to 7 667, down from 11 331 and Compleat Golfer is at 9 050, down from 9 783.
Magnum has grown slightly to 15 432 from 15 277 but Game & Hunt/Wild & Jag has fallen to 12 962 from 13 720. SA Hunter has jumped to 44 551 from 40 985.
Modern Athlete has jumped to 30 109 from 22 473 (total free = 29 528). Wildland Magazine has grown to 7 237 from 5 814.
Hitting the road
CAR has fallen to 70 977 from 75 904 and Leisure Wheels to 16 177 from 19 627. TopGear has continued its dramatic decline to 18 356 from 26 205. Drive Out/WegRy has grown slightly to 30 699 from 30 269. Topcar has bucked the trend and grown to 17 030 from 15 495.
Auto Trader is down to 8 353 from 12 343 and Bike SA to 18 466 from 24 257. SA 4×4 has fallen to 18 840 from 21 604. Speed and Sound is down to 33 075 from 37 085. Cars in Action made no submission.
Getaway has fallen to 34 688 from 41 791 and Weg/Go to 62 916 from 70 448.
SA Country Life has grown to 39 119 from 33 776 (total free = 4 743). Weg/Go Platteland offered the exact same circulation number as in Q2 and Q3 2014 circulation: 35 219 [seriously? — ed].
Woman’s general
Put on your hard hats, dear readers. Cosmopolitan has declined to 60 272 from 74 242 (total free = 9 456), Destiny Magazine to 28 710 from 31 224 and Glamour to 59 507 from 69 737 (total free = 11 724). Elle has fallen to 38 106 from 45 942 (total free = 10 028) and Fair Lady to 47 079 from 55 343. Finesse has grown to 57 434 from 56 146.
Good Housekeeping/Goeie Huishouding is down to 52 336 from 55 357 (total free = 13 645) and Ideas/Idees to 69 280 from 75 970. Leef has increased to 36 895 from 34 883. Move! has fallen to 126 367 from 131 227. True Love is up — to 63 224 from 56 604. Vroue Keur is down to 67 513 from 72 998 but Woman and Home has grown to 91 235 from 89 195 (total free = 6 634).
Essentials is down to 31 603 from 33 230 and Fitness Magazine to 21 120 from 22 972. Grazia is up to 23 092 from 21 518 (total free = 3 474). Kuier has climbed to 112 536 from 109 481. Marie Claire has fallen to 32 658 from 33 837 (total free = 9 190). Rooi Rose has fallen to 85 575 from 96 844 (and 102 301 in Q3 2014) and Sarie has fallen to 84 408 from 92 768. Your Family is down to 45 659 from 53 626 (total free = 6 103), Women’s Health to 49 791 from 55 453. Longevity has grown slightly to 19 307 from 19 153 (total free = 6 753).
The MarkLives’ Big Magazine list*
1. Huisgenoot: 259 031
2. YOU: 142 981
3. Move!: 126 367
4. Drum: 113 018 +1
5. Kuier: 112 536 -1
6. Tuis/Home: 91 845 +2
7. Woman and Home: 91 235 –1
8. Rooi Rose: 85 575 –1
9. Sarie: 84 408 +1
10. Bona: 73 606 –1
• People: 70 723
• CAR: 70 977
*By total circulation. Must have a cover price. Annuals excluded.
Movement on the Big Magazine list compared to 2014 Q3 data.
The post SA magazines: who rose & who went down [ABC circulation Q4 2014] appeared first on BizNews.com.