by Herman Manson (@marklives) The Audit Bureau of Circulations of South Africa has released consumer-magazine circulation statistics for the period October-December 2015 (ABC Q4 2015); see our newspaper ABC analysis here. Apart from highlighting several figures that stand out for us, we’ve also updated our list of the biggest-circulating consumer titles in SA.
Note: we compare the current figures with the same figures for this time the year before, and not with the previous quarter. Green equals growth, red decline, purple maintained, new entrant or renamed, orange discontinued or resigned and pink no submission or suspended.
Key insights
Among consumer magazines, circulation has fallen to 5 046 506 from 5 668 837 in the previous corresponding reporting period (and from 5 282 850 in the previous quarter). Single-copy sales stand at 3 247 608 (down from 3 401 242 in Q3 2015) and total paid (which includes subscription figures) stand at 3 939 098 (down from 4 058 014 in Q3 2015). Paid-for digital copy sales stand at 77 365 (up from 72 078 in Q3 2015).
Custom magazines have seen an overall circulation decline to 7 258 154 from 9 903 065 in the corresponding previous reporting period. Single copy sales in this category stand at 114 463, and total paid for circulation at 1 916 833. B2B magazines fell to 1 078 873 from 1 182 868 in the previous corresponding reporting period.
The business press
Financial Mail has declined to 15 292 from 19 901 in the corresponding previous reporting period (total free: 1 085). Finweek is down to 11 363 from 11 678 (total free: 2 503).
Entrepreneur is down to 17 760 from 18 575. Forbes Africa grows to 17 535 from 16 277 (total free: 10 204). Noseweek has declined to 15 170 from 16 974. Your Business Magazine has declined to 10 352 from 11 358 (total free: 2 261). BusinessBrief (listed by the ABC as a B2B publication but available on the news stand) declined to 22 942 from 23 625. Leadership (also B2B) declined to 7 813 from 8 279 (total free: 6 823).
Farmer’s Weekly is down to 12 705 from 14 223 and Landbouweekblad has fallen to 31 221 from 32 129. Marktoe Magazine comes in at 14 400 — down from 19 662 (all free circulation). Veeplaas has fallen to 9 573 from 10 308.
Biggest-circulating business magazines in terms of paid-for (sales, bulk and subscriptions) circulation:
- BusinessBrief: 22 537
- Entrepreneur: 17 731
- Noseweek: 15 170
- Financial Mail: 14 207
- Personal Finance: 10 948
- Finweek: 8 860
- Your Business: 8 091
- Forbes Africa: 7 331
Biggest-circulating business magazines in terms of total circulation:
- BusinessBrief: 22 942
- Entrepreneur: 17 760
- Forbes Africa: 17 535
- Financial Mail: 15 292 +1
- Noseweek: 15 170 -1
- Personal Finance: 11 459
- Finweek: 11 363
- Your Business: 10 352
Entertainment & celeb news
People has continued its circulation decline by falling to 52 672 from 70 723. TV Plus (Afrikaans) is down to 33 537 from 37 112, while the English edition has grown slightly to 34 607 from 34 454.
Bona is up to 74 866 from 73 606 in the previous corresponding reporting period. Drum has fallen to 80 807 from 113 018, Huisgenoot to 237 938 from 259 031 and YOU to 131 774 from 142 981.
The Big Issue is up to 14 163 from 13 714. Taalgenoot is up to 69 023 from 66 259 (total free = only 231).
Home & gardening, leisure
Conde Nast House & Garden has declined to 36 425 from 42 159 (total free also up to 6 577). Easy DYI is up to 14 091 from 13 333 (total free also down to 3 297 from 4 411 in Q3 2015). Food & Home Entertaining has fallen to 27 186 from 30 722 (total free: 4 643). House & Leisure has declined to 33 689 from 34 872 (total free: 5 836). Sarie Kos has fallen to 36 346 from 48 505.
Elle Decoration has fallen to 24 094 from 24 323 (total free is up to 7 114 from 3 286 in Q3 2015) and SA Home Owner is down to 39 182 from 41 418 (total free: 10 197). SA Garden and Home has grown to 56 509 from 56 368 (total free: 3 297). Tuis Home has fallen to 83 645 from 91 845 (total free: 0) but VISI has grown to 15 499 from 15 038 (total free: 1 178). Woolworths TASTE is listed as a custom magazine — circulation has fallen to 27 240 from 28 858 (single copy sales: 25 527). Fresh Living/Kook en Kuier has declined to 46 817 from 61 269 (single copy sales: 35 977).
Men’s market
Braintainment has grown to 18 259, compared to 14 501 (total free: 1 372) in the previous corresponding reporting period. Destiny Man is down to 13 550 from 17 582 (total free: 4 597) — but it has increased frequency in the interim from alternate monthly to monthly. Blaque Magazine falls to 9 761 from 15 563 after changing its frequency from monthly to quarterly.
GQ is down to 24 848 from 26 979 (total free: jumps from 5 149 in Q3 2015 to 8 819). Hype has grown to 14 482 from 13 616 (total free: 4 591).
Men’s Health has fallen to 38 637 from 42 522 and Popular Mechanics to 32 014 from 35 067. Stuff is up to 16 394 from 16 246 (total free: 4 207).
Health, fitness, sport
Amakhosi is down to 18 532 from 25 195 and Kick Off falls to 28 566 from 33 030. Golf Digest has grown to 8 068, up from 7 667, but Compleat Golfer has fallen to 8 337, down from 9 050.
Magnum has fallen to 13 268 from 15 432 and Game & Hunt/Wild & Jag to 9 857 from 12 962. SA Hunter has fallen to 44 339 from 44 551.
Zigzag is down to 8 197 from 9 559.
Hitting the road
CAR has fallen to 64 632 from 70 977 and Leisure Wheels to 15 198 from 16 177. TopGear has fallen to 17 763 from 18 356. Drive Out/WegRy has declined to 26 755 from 30 699 and Topcar to 15 922 from 17 030.
Auto Trader is down to 6 034 from 8 353 and Bike SA to 15 939 from 18 466. SA 4×4 has fallen to 16 541 from 18 840. Speed and Sound is down to 31 541 from 33 075.
Getaway climbs to 41 465 from 34 688 (total free: 5 865) but Weg/Go falls to 59 719 from 62 916.
SA Country Life is down to 37 075 from 39 119 (total free: 3 894). Weg/Go Platteland climbs to 38 610 from 35 219.
Woman’s general
Cosmopolitan has declined to 54 189 from 60 272 (total free down to 7 536 from 12 183 in Q3 2015), Glamour to 51 410 from 59 5078 (total free: 7 826) and Elle to 30 594 from 38 106 (total free: 7 225). Fair Lady has fallen to 41 360 from 47 079. Finesse is down to 47 414 from 57 434. Destiny Magazine is down to 26 163 from 28 710 (total free: 7 451).
Good Housekeeping/Goeie Huishouding has grown to 54 282 from 52 336 (total free: 11 265) but Ideas/Idees has declined to 56 088 from 69 280 and Leef to 30 522 from 36 895. Move! has fallen to 104 152 from 126 367. True Love is down to 46 827 from 63 224 and Vroue Keur has dropped to 59 345 from 67 513, but Woman and Home has grown to 93 165 from 91 235 (total free also up from 6 808 in Q3 2015 to 10 568).
Essentials is down to 28 022 from 31 603 while Fitness Magazine has grown to 22 368 from 21 120. Grazia is down to 19 510 from 23 092. Kuier has fallen to 108 428 from 112 536. Marie Claire has dropped slightly to 32 598 from 32 658 (total free falls from 10 755 in Q3 2015 to 7 879). Rooi Rose has fallen to 79 676 from 85 575 and Sarie falls to 79 632 from 84 408. Your Family is down to 42 880 from 45 659. Women’s Health has declined to 42 694 from 49 791, and Longevity to 18 276 from 19 374 (total free: 7 627).
The MarkLives’ Big Magazine list*
- Huisgenoot: 237 938
- YOU: 131 774
- Kuier: 108 428
- Move!: 104 152
- Woman and Home: 93 165 +1
- Tuis/Home: 83 645 +1
- Drum: 80 807 +1
- Rooi Rose: 79 676 +2
- Sarie: 79 632 -4
- Bona: 74 866 -1
*By total circulation. Must have a cover price. Annuals excluded. Movement on the Big Magazine list compared to 2015 Q3 data.
ABC Q4 2015 stories:
- ABC Analysis Q4 2015: The biggest-circulating newspapers in South Africa
- ABC Analysis Q4 2015: The biggest-circulating consumer magazines in South Africa
- ABC print round-up Q4 2015: Decline, inflation and innovation
ABC Q3 2015 stories:
- ABC Analysis Q3 2015: The biggest-circulating newspapers in South Africa
- ABC Analysis Q3 2015: The biggest-circulating consumer magazines in South Africa
ABC Q2 2015 stories:
- ABC Analysis Q2 2015: The biggest-circulating newspapers in South Africa
- ABC Analysis Q2 2015: The biggest-circulating consumer magazines in South Africa
- ABC Print Round-up Q2 2015 in one word: Decline
ABC Q1 2015 stories:
- ABC Analysis Q1 2015: The biggest-circulating newspapers in South Africa
- ABC Analysis Q1 2015: The biggest-circulating consumer magazines in South Africa
ABC Q4 2014 stories:
- ABC Analysis Q4 2014: The biggest-circulating newspapers in South Africa
- ABC Analysis Q4 2104: The biggest-circulating consumer magazines in South Africa
ABC Q3 2014 stories:
- ABC Analysis Q3 2104: The biggest-circulating consumer magazines in South Africa
- ABC Analysis Q3 2104: The biggest-circulating newspapers in South Africa
- ABC Magazine Round-up Q3 2014: Consumer mags revisit flawed circ counting
- ABC Newspaper Round-up Q3 2014: The Star is down 15.89%
ABC Q2 2014 stories:
- ABC Analysis Q2 2014: The biggest circulating consumer magazines in South Africa
- ABC Analysis Q2 2014: The biggest circulating newspapers in South Africa
- ABC Magazine Round-up Q2 2014: Even the good news is bad news
- ABC Newspaper Round-up Q2014: Depressing doesn’t even describe it
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Herman Manson (@marklives) is the founder and editor of MarkLives.com. He was the inaugural Vodacom Social Media Journalist of the Year in 2011 and has, over his 20-year-plus career, contributed to numerous journals and websites in South Africa and abroad, including AdVantage magazine, Men’s Health, Computer World and African Communications.
— MarkLives’ round-up of top ad and media industry news and opinion in your mailbox every Monday and Thursday days. Sign up here!