by Herman Manson (@marklives) The Audit Bureau of Circulations of South Africa has released consumer-magazine circulation statistics for the period July–September 2018 (ABC Q3 2018); see our newspaper analysis here.
Magazine overview
- Total magazine circulation declined by 1% on the previous quarter, and by 13.7% year on year.
- Consumer magazines declined by 1% on the previous quarter, and by 11.5% on the prior year.
- B2B Magazines declined by 1.7% on the previous quarter, and by 8.5% on the prior year.
- Custom Magazines declined by 0.3% on the prior quarter, and by 15.9% on the prior year.
- Free magazines declined by 0.7% on the prior quarter, and by 11% on the prior year.
The business press
Finweek has fallen from 18 746 to 16 569 (total free copies = 2 713) in the corresponding previous reporting period (Q3 2017). Financial Mail has declined slightly from 13 266 to 13 134.
Your Business Magazine has declined from 9 367 to 7 572; Forbes Africa has fallen from 19 282 to 13 621 (total free = 6 663); Entrepreneur has decreased from 14 579 to 13 165 (the publisher just announced it would cease publication of the print edition, to focus on digital); and Noseweek is down from 11 405 to 10 283.
Landbouweekblad has fallen from 28 567 to 24 279 and Farmer’s Weekly has declined from 12 138 to 10 617.
Biggest-circulating business magazines in terms of paid-for (sales, bulk and subscriptions) circulation
- Finweek: 13 856 +1
- Entrepreneur: 13 165 -1
- Financial Mail: 13 134
- Noseweek: 10 283
- Forbes Africa: 6 958
- Your Business: 6 268
Biggest-circulating business magazines in terms of total circulation
- Finweek: 16 569
- Entrepreneur: 14 883
- Forbes Africa: 13 621
- Financial Mail: 13 134
- Noseweek: 10 283
- Your Business: 7 572
Position movement relative to Q2 2018.
Leading declines (YOY)*
Forbes Africa: -29.36%
Your Business Magazine: -19.16%
Finweek: -11.61%
Noseweek: -9.84%
Entertainment & celeb news
Taalgenoot has grown from 136 854 to 138 222. People has seen its circulation decrease from 34 840 to 26 752. TV Plus (Afrikaans) is down from 30 385 to 24 111 and the English edition has slid from 16 773 to 12 306.
Bona is down from 70 895 to 59 291 in the previous corresponding reporting period. Drum has continued its collapse from 40 680 to 28 865; Huisgenoot has fallen from 190 586 to 177 393; and YOU has fallen from 97 506 to 88 080.
The Big Issue has fallen from 10 290 to 8 780.
Leading declines (YOY)*
Drum: -29.04%
TV Plus (English): -26.63%
People: -23.21%
TV Plus (Afrikaans): -20.65%
Bona: -16.37%
Home & gardening, leisure
Condé Nast House & Garden has fallen down from 32 595 to 27 462 (total free =7 128). Food & Home Entertaining has fallen from 23 208 to 17 660 (total free: 2 726). Tuis Home has climbed from 80 101 to 87 040 (total free has jumped to 8 620) and VISI has gone up from 15 703 to 17 305. MyKitchen (TFG) has grown from 98 017 to 110 201 (it recently moved from the custom category to consumer but, for some reason, has now been moved back to custom). Easy DIY has increased from 11 618 to 13 020.
House & Leisure has declined from 19 698 to 16 986. Woolworths TASTE, listed as a custom magazine, has grown from 24 662 to 29 170 (total paid = 25 669). SA Home Owner is down from 38 536 to 30 958 (total free: 6 449), and SA Garden and Home has fallen from 47 227 to 41 261 (total free: 3 845). Idees/Ideas has grown from 17 155 to 19 497.
ELLE Decoration has grown from 15 885 to 18 302 (total free = 4 670), following a frequency change.
Leading declines (YOY)*
Food and Home Entertaining: -23.91%
SA Home Owner: -19.66%
Conde Nast House & Garden: -15.75%
House & Leisure: -13.77%
SA Garden and Home: -12.63%
Leading gains (YOY)
Idees/Ideas: 13.65%
Easy DIY: 12.07%
Tuis Home: 8.66%
Men’s market
Very Interesting has inched down from 18 209 to 18 157 (total free = 5 397) in the previous corresponding reporting period, while Men’s Health has crept down from 27 602 to 27 580 (total free: 4 033). GQ has changed frequency.
Popular Mechanics has grown from 27 482 to 29 729 (total free jumps to 5 819); but Stuff is down from 13 925 to 12 352 (total free jumps to 2 146).
Destiny Man has fallen from 13 259 to 12 572, following a change in frequency (total free = 2 176).
Hitting the road
Leisure Wheels has climbed from 14 381 to 17 285 (total free = 4 046), while CAR has increased from 62 130 to 64 948 (total free = 4 658). Speed and Sound has jumped from 24 232 to 29 412 but SA4x4 has fallen from 14 881 to 12 991. Caravan & Outdoor Life / Kamp & Karavaan has grown from 18 166 to 20 125. Driven has fallen from 17 902 to 16 255.
Leading declines (YOY)*
SA4x4: -12.70%
Driven: -9.20%
Leading gains (YOY)
Speed and Sound: 21.38%
Leisure Wheels: 20.19%
Caravan & Outdoor Life / Kamp & Karavaan: 10.78%
Weg!/Go! has grown from 53 897 to 59 508 (total free = 5 471) but Getaway has declined from 42 590 to 41 077 (total free = 11 760). SA Country Life has decreased from 29 743 to 28 080 (total free = 2 902). Weg!/Go! Platteland has fallen from 32 729 to 29 176.
Woman’s general
ELLE has fallen from 22 422 21 810 (total free = 6 988), but True Love has grown from 27 693 to 33 137 (total free = 5 405) and Sarie has increased from 57 272 to 63 835 (total free = 9 078).
Glamour has changed frequency, and has fallen from 45 478 to 35 081 (total free = 8 601).
Fair Lady has grown from 32 975 to 34 749 (total free: 4 014), Destiny Magazine has increased from 25 125 to 26 033 (total free: 5 599) but Cosmopolitan has dropped from 37 128 to 34 089 (total free = 3 382).
Good Housekeeping/Goeie Huishouding has grown from 37 753 to 41 542 (total free: 4 089). Move! has fallen from 70 062 to 56 846. Vroue Keur has dropped from 48 528 to 43 806. Woman and Home is down from 73 294 to 60 236 (total free: 7 446).
Kuier has declined from 91 672 to 87 262, Rooi Rose has decreased from 63 825 to 57 663. Essentials has declined from 25 888 to 19 467. Fitness Magazine has fallen from 21 194 to 17 872.
Your Family is down from 29 802 to 23 146, and Women’s Health has decreased from 31 520 to 28 431. Marie Claire has fallen from 22 077 to 16 712; its publishers recently announced it would cease publication in South Africa.
Leading declines (YOY)*
Essentials: -24.80%
Marie Claire: -24.30%
Your Family: -22.33%
Move!: -18.86%
Woman and Home: -17.82%
Fitness Magazine: -15.67%
Leading gains (YOY)
True Love: 19.66%
Sarie: 11.46%
Good Housekeeping / Goeie Huishouding: 10.04%
The MarkLives’ Big Magazine list**
Q3 2018
- Huisgenoot: 177 393
- Taalgenoot: 138 222 +7
- YOU: 88 080 +2
- Kuier: 87 262 +3
- Tuis/Home: 87 040 +1
- CAR: 64 948 reentry +4
- Sarie: 63 835 +2
- Woman and Home: 60 236 reentry +3
- Weg/Go!: 59 508 reentry
- Bona: 59 291 reentry +4
Rooi Rose: 57 663
Move!: 56 846
Notes: Sports Club (TFG), Kids Super Club (TFG), MyKitchen (TFG) and Foschini Living Space all moved back to custom magazines, and therefore automatically fall out of our ranking.
*Year on year. Only titles covered in this feature, not all titles in ABC category, excludes titles with recent frequency changes.
**By total circulation. Must have a cover price. Annuals excluded. Movement on the Big Magazine list compared to Q2 2018 data.
See also
Herman Manson (@marklives) is the founder and editor of MarkLives.com.
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