ABC Analysis Q1 2018: The biggest-circulating consumer mags in SA

by Herman Manson (@marklives) The Audit Bureau of Circulations of South Africa has released consumer-magazine circulation statistics for the period January–March 2018 (ABC Q1 2018); see our newspaper ABC analysis and a summary of key metrics provided by the ABC. Apart from highlighting several figures that stand out for us, we’ve included table of web traffic for consumer titles for Q1 and 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 declined; purple maintained, new entrant or renamed; orange discontinued or resigned; pink no submission or suspended; brown minimal newsstand sales; and grey changed frequency or moved to a new category.

Key insights

Total magazine circulation declined by 16.1% year on year. Consumer magazines decreased by 4.8%, B2B magazines declined by 0.8%, custom magazines fell by 27.1% and free magazines declined by 21.7% year on year.

The business press

Finweek has climbed from 17 342 to 18 203 (total free copies = 4 330). Financial Mail is also up from 12 673 to 13 454 in the corresponding previous reporting period.

Your Business Magazine has declined from 10 565 to 8 520; Forbes Africa has fallen from 20 388 to 14 762 (total free = 6 471); Entrepreneur has decreased from 16 941 to 15 973; and Noseweek is down from 12 658 to 12 223.

Landbouweekblad has fallen from 31 001 to 27 307 and Farmer’s Weekly has declined from 12 312 to 11 557.

Biggest-circulating business magazines in terms of paid-for (sales, bulk and subscriptions) circulation

1. Entrepreneur: 15 973
2. Finweek: 13 873
3. Financial Mail: 13 454
4. Noseweek: 12 223
5. Forbes Africa: 8 291
6. Your Business: 7 109

Biggest-circulating business magazines in terms of total circulation

1. Finweek: 18 203
2. Entrepreneur: 15 973  +1
3. Forbes Africa: 14 762  -1
4. Financial Mail: 13 454
5. Noseweek: 12 223
6. Your Business: 8 520

Position movement relative to Q4 2017.

Entertainment & celeb news

Taalgenoot has grown from 68 427 to 69 111.

People has seen its circulation decrease from 38 155 to 31 388. TV Plus (Afrikaans) is down from 34 900 to 28 428 and the English edition has slid from 25 247 to 15 323.

Bona is down from 78 053 to 68 143 in the previous corresponding reporting period. Drum has continued its collapse from 51 227 to 37 305; Huisgenoot has fallen from 208 322 to 190 613; and YOU has fallen from 107 108 to 95 421.

The Big Issue has fallen from 10 146 to 9 994.

Home & gardening, leisure

Condé Nast House & Garden has inched up from 32 996 to 33 544 (total free jumps dramatically from 3 967 in Q4 2017 to 7 152 in Q1 2018). Food & Home Entertaining has also grown from 22 339 to 23 125 (total free: 3 889). Tuis Home has climbed from 77 966 to 85 296 (total free has jumped to 7 552) and VISI from 14 820 to 15 082. MyKitchen (TFG) has grown from 90 342 to 102 477 (it recently moved from the custom category).

House & Leisure has declined from 25 902 to 20 653 (total free: 1 969). Woolworths TASTE, listed as a custom magazine, has declined from 30 150 to 29 904 (single copy sales: 23 436). SA Home Owner is down from 42 149 to 36 736 (total free: 7 691), and SA Garden and Home from 53 107 to 42 842 (total free: 4 387).

ELLE Decoration comes in at 18 034, following a frequency change.

Men’s market

Very Interesting has grown from 15 199 to 18 140 (total free = 5 669) in the previous corresponding reporting period, while Men’s Health has inched down from 29 305 to 29 002 (total free: 4 668).

GQ is down from 20 656 to 18 128 (total free: 4 144); Popular Mechanics has fallen from 32 759 to 30 540 (total free: 3 782); and Stuff is down from 13 465 to 11 006 (total free falls to 734). Tech (not sure why the publishers categorise this as a men’s title) falls from 64 420 to 62 659 (total free = 4 658).

Destiny Man changed frequency; no updated data is available.

Health, fitness, sport

Kick Off is up from 21 679 to 23 534 and Golf Digest has jumped from 8 402 to 12 469. Sports Club (TFG), meanwhile, has declined from 165 008 to 150 659.

Game & Hunt/Wild & Jag has jumped from 9 331 to 16 036 yet SA Hunter has declined from 46 965 to 45 407.

Hitting the road

TFG Motor has grown from 39 829 to 41 916 (total free = 4 661). SA 4×4 has declined from 18 375 to 14 733. Leisure Wheels has fallen from 19 082 to 14 977 while CAR has fallen from 72 060 to 68 032 (total free = 9 012). Speed and Sound has declined from 26 472 to 22 061 and Super Bike from 9 133 to 8 666 (total free: 4 629).

Bike SA changed publisher and no updated data is available.

Weg!/Go! has grown from 57 710 to 60 944 (total free = 7 296) but Getaway has inched down from 44 772 to 44 474 (total free = 3 606) while SA Country Life has declined from 33 247 to 31 523.

Woman’s general

ELLE has grown from 17 533 to 22 907 (total free jumps to 8 042), True Love has inched up from 33 216 to 33 896(total free = 5 396) and Sarie has increased slightly from 71 463 to 71 509 (total free = 9 575).

Glamour has changed frequency and no updated data is available.

Fair Lady has fallen from 40 611 to 37 171 (total free: 5 118), Destiny Magazine has declined from 27 544 to 25 709 (total free: 6 700) and Cosmopolitan from 37 075 to 32 490 (total free = 2 785).

Good Housekeeping/Goeie Huishouding has declined from 41 802 to 42 500 (total free: 2 147). Move! has fallen from 82 421 to 69 943. Vroue Keur has dropped from 53 250 to 48 431. Woman and Home is down from 81 140 to 69 148 (total free: 5 484).

Kuier has declined from 100 214 to 90 769, Rooi Rose has decreased from 75 744 to 67 138 (total free: 4 738) and Finesse is down from 43 429 to 39 933. Essentials has declined from 25 674 to 20 920.
Your Family is down from 33 099 to 26 798, and Women’s Health has decreased from 40 083 to 39 864. Marie Claire has fallen from 24 053 to 19 643.

The MarkLives’ Big Magazine list*

Q1 2018

1. Huisgenoot: 190 613
2. Sports Club (TFG): 150 659
3. Kids Super Club (TFG): 120 630
4. MyKitchen (TFG): 102 477
5. YOU: 95 421
6. Kuier: 90 769
7. Tuis/Home: 85 296
8. Sarie: 71 509  +7
9. Move!: 69 943  +3
10. Woman and Home: 69 148  -2

Taalgenoot: 69 111  -1
Bona: 68 143  +2
CAR: 68 032  +3
Rooi Rose: 67 138  -5
Foschini Living Space: 64 763  -4
Tech (TFG): 62 659  -3
Weg/Go: 60 944 New entry

*By total circulation. Must have a cover price. Annuals excluded. Movement on the Big Magazine list compared to Q4 2017 data.

Comparison Q1 2013

1. Huisgenoot 285 520
2. YOU 165 330
3. Drum 121 768
4. Move! 119 480
5. Sarie 104 862
6. Bona 98 267
7. Kuier 95 846
8. Rooi Rose 96 621
9. Woman and Home 90 830
10. CAR 89 620

Ideas/Idees 89 321
Tuis/Home 85 654
People 82 464
Cosmopolitan 83 049

See also

• ABC Q1 2018 data: Continued circ decline
• ABC Analyses Q1–4 2017
• ABC Analysis – Circulation Data

Herman Manson (@marklives) is the founder and editor of MarkLives.com.

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