by MarkLives (@marklives) The Audit Bureau of Circulations of South Africa has released circulation statistics for the period January–March 2018 (ABC Q1 2018). MarkLives will carry a full analysis of both magazine and newspaper circulation data next week Monday, 14 May 2018. In the meantime, here is a summary of key metrics provided by the ABC.
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Newspapers
- Total newspaper circulation increased by 0.8% on the previous quarter, but declined by 4.4% on the prior year
- Daily newspapers increased by 0.4% on the previous quarter, but declined by 15.7% on the prior year
- Weekly newspapers declined by 1.4% on the previous quarter, and by 12.5% on the prior year
- Weekend newspapers remained static compared to the previous quarter, but declined by 9.2% on the prior year
- Local newspapers increased by 2.3% the previous quarter, but declined by 6.0% on the prior year
- Free newspapers increased by 1% on the previous quarter, but declined by 1.1% on the prior year
Daily newspaper movers
Title |
% change over previous quarter |
% change over prior year |
| Citizen | +3.8 | +4.3 |
| Daily Dispatch | +3.4 | -9.4 |
| Isolezwe | +8.6 | -9.5 |
Weekly newspaper movers
Title |
% change over the prior quarter |
% change over the prior year |
| Soccer Laduma | +0.8 | -11.3 |
Weekend newspaper movers
Title |
% change over the prior quarter |
% change over the prior year |
| Weekend Argus | +0.6 | -1.6 |
| Sunday Tribune | +0.3 | -9.6 |
Magazines
- Total magazine circulation declined by 2.9% on the previous quarter, and by 16.1% on the prior year
- Consumer magazines decreased by 0.5% on the previous quarter, and by 4.8% on the prior year
- B2B magazines declined by 3.3%on the previous quarter, and by0.8% on the prior year
- Custom magazines declined by 5.3% on the prior quarter, and by 27.1% on the prior year
- Free magazines were static compared to the previous quarter, but declined by 21.7% on the prior year.
Consumer magazine movers
Title |
% change over the prior quarter |
% change over the prior year |
| Popular Mechanics | +22.0 | -6.8 |
| Golf Digest | +25.4 | +48.4 |
| Getaway | +15.0 | -0.7 |
| Sarie | +15.9 | +0.6 |
| Women’s Health | +15.9 | -0.5 |
Source: ABC
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Last updated 2 July 2019.
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