#CircData: ABC Q1 2020 sees more newspaper circ numbers fall

by Herman Manson (@marklives) The Audit Bureau of Circulations of South Africa has released newspaper-circulation statistics for the period January-March 2020 (ABC Q1 2020); see our consumer magazine ABC analysis here.

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Newspaper overview

• Daily newspapers declined 14% on the prior year
• Weekly newspapers declined by 14.6% on the prior year
• Weekend newspapers declined by 17% on the prior year.

Daily papers

Business Day increased its circulation by 5.52%. All other daily papers saw a decline. The Sowetan led with a 25.68% decline year-on-year, followed by Son (-21.17%), The Star (-20.82%) and Pretoria News (-20.01%). The Daily Sun was down a further 18.94%.

Title	Single copy sales	Single copy subs	Electronic editions	Total paid	Total free	Total circ	Imm. previous period	Corres. previous period	% change
Beeld, Daily	11 490	12 075	3 325	27 318	973	28 291	29 021	32 797	-13.74%
Burger, Die Daily	16 129	13 936	3 481	34 441	908	35 349	35 415	39 625	-10.79%
Business Day	2 922	5 337	2 025	16 910	2 140	19 050	18 201	18 053	+5.52%
Cape Argus	7 301	4 112	61	13 474	10 292	23 766	23 814	27 245	-12.77%
Cape Times	8 377	4 610	953	15 940	9 652	25 592	25 376	29 523	-13.32%
Citizen, The (Daily)	22 805	1 588	0	27 759	8 600	36 359	36 966	40 481	-10.18%
Daily Dispatch	10 286	2 205	237	13 340		13 340	13 624	15 207	-12.28%
Daily News	2 887	8 654	23	11 915	6 948	18 863	19 606	22 393	-15.76%
Daily Sun	94 143	216	0	94 506	515	95 021	99 485	117 220	-18.94%
Diamond Fields Advertiser	4 869	853	0	5 837	948	6 785	6 336	7 113	-4.61%
Herald, The	8 064	3 494	1 070	12 967		12 967	14 342	14 793	-12.34%
Isolezwe	59 443	745	41	60 317	431	60 748	60 651	72 495	-16.20%
Mercury, The	5 820	8 002	59	14 517	6 636	21 153	21 202	24 402	-13.31%
Pretoria News	5 832	763	0	8 510	1 471	9 981	9 942	12 478	-20.01%
Son (Daily)	40 499	13	0	40 538	75	40 613	43 206	51 520	-21.17%
Sowetan	33 686	865	170	38 294	14 280	52 574	55 248	70 737	-25.68%
Star, The	19 990	4 460	0	33 128	23 891	57 019	55 889	72 010	-20.82%
Volksblad – Daily	4 308	5 419	1 330	11 688	225	11 913	11 931	13 341	-10.70%
Witness, The	3 014	6 071	0	9 779	136	9 915	9 935	10 779	-8.02%

Weekly papers

Title	Single copy sales	Single copy subs	e-editions	Total paid	Total free	Total circ	Immediate previous period	Corresponding previous period	% change
Burger, Die Friday	5 363	3 002	732	9 129	28	9 157	9 502	New member
Ilanga	50 029	213	0	50 242		50 242	50 966	57 965	-13.32%
Mail & Guardian	11 503	1 263	514	13 830	6 529	20 359	20 739	23 605	-13.75%
Post, The	17 434	14 123	56	31 701	3 923	35 624	36 699	37 553	-5.14%
Soccer Laduma	187 219	0	61	187 280		187 280	191 897	224 186	-16.46%

Weekend papers

Title	Single copy sales	Single copy subs	e-editions	Total paid	Total free	Total circ	Immediate previous period	Corresponding previous period	% change
Beeld, Saturday	10 290	20 821	2 976	34 198	342	34 540	35 649	38 808	-11%
Burger, Die Saturday	21 817	23 055	3 223	48 475	826	49 301	48 888	52 712	-6%
Citizen, The (Saturday)	14 135	732	0	15 201	20	15 221	14 895	28 621	-47%
City Press	31 484	1 651	0	33 224	615	33 839	34 694	46 198	-27%
Daily Dispatch Weekend Edition (formerly Saturday Dispatch)	8 387	2 175	231	11 822		11 822	12 048	13 132	-10%
Ilanga Langesonto	27 751	15	0	27 766		27 766	29 573	33 066	-16%
Independent on Saturday	6 400	12 432	30	19 097	6 041	25 138	24 927	35 227	-29%
Isolezwe ngeSonto	44 065	430	37	44 554	5	44 559	44 091	55 230	-19%
Isolezwe ngoMgqibelo	45 510	392	22	45 946	2	45 948	46 231	57 143	-20%
Pretoria News Saturday	2 485	586	0	4 203	1 037	5 240	5 139	7 057	-26%
Rapport	59 554	20 361	9 882	90 043	350	90 393	95 556	105 784	-15%
Saturday Star, The	13 116	4 036	0	20 654	10 152	30 806	30 238	39 386	-22%
Son op Sondag	16 911	1	0	16 914	130	17 044	18 011	32 797	-48%
Sunday Sun	33 370	452	0	33 885	408	34 293	33 356	44 893	-24%
Sunday Times	103 259	32 289	4 350	150 972	55 210	206 182	200 734	240 180	-14%
Sunday Tribune	7 468	22 073	54	29 687	8 283	37 970	37 491	48 181	-21%
Sunday World	30 061	4 478	238	35 232		35 232	38 120	40 383	-13%
The Southern Cross	5 323	464	227	6 107	670	6 777	6 418	6 803	0%
Volksblad – Saturday	3 101	7 358	1 118	12 122	176	12 298	12 499	13 974	-12%
Weekend Argus	12 264	5 768	98	21 948	15 971	37 919	37 305	49 681	-24%
Weekend Post	8 129	2 347	1 042	11 716		11 716	13 493	13 850	-15%
Weekend Witness	3 235	5 677	0	9 046	112	9 158	9 351	10 201	-10%

The MarkLives’ Biggest Circulation Per Issue Newspaper List*

Q1 2020

1. Sunday Times: 206 182
2. Soccer Laduma: 187 280
3. Daily Sun: 95 021
4. Rapport: 90 393
5. Isolezwe: 60 748
6. The Star: 57 019
7. Sowetan: 52 574
8. Ilanga: 50 242 New entry
9. Die Burger (Saturday): 49 301 New entry
10. Isolezwe ngoMgqibelo: 45 948 -2
11. Isolezwe ngeSonto: 44 559
12. Son: 40 613

*South African titles only. Must have a cover price. Excludes free papers.

See also

• #CircData: More declines as bad news keeps piling up for mags
• Circulation Data – ABC Analysis

 

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

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