Some magazines including Game Informer, Belle and Women's Health had reason to cheer in the latest circulation figures, but most saw declines, with major women's titles Cleo, Cosmopolitan, Grazia and Madison taking big hits.
In the most recent circulation numbers from the Audit Bureau of Circulations, which measure the average per-issue print sales in the three months to December 2012 (for weeklies) and the six months to 2012 (for monthlies), the total magazine market fell by 6.6%.
December 2012 Audit Bureau of Circulations figures.
The declining figures should be seen in the light of wider economic issues in the market and the mass migration of consumers into the digital space. The numbers do not take into account magazines' digital figures, and the market has been hanging out for digital reporting to become compulsory in the September 2013 reporting period. Although it remains to be seen if comparative digital numbers will indicate growth.
In the battle of the big publishers, Pacific Magazines came out on top, with total circulation dropping 4.7%, compared with Bauer, which fell 7.6%, and NewsLifeMedia, which declined 10.9%. Of course, Bauer remains by far the largest publisher in terms of overall volume.
Pacific Magazines chief executive Nick Chan told AdNews, “Our competitive position is incredibly strong. It's one of the best it has ever been.”
There were some star performers among the magazine categories, particularly in home & garden, which saw an overall increase of 1.1%, with the majority of the titles in this sector posting increases. Bauer's Belle was the strongest performer, posting a 13.4% increase.
Other categories with increased circulation were the children's category and craft and hobbies. Both titles in the craft and hobbies category, Australian Photography and Capture (both published by AdNews publisher Yaffa), saw growth. Australian Photography grew 19.7%.
While the health & family category posted a 1.4% year-on-year decline, the majority of its titles posted increases. Bauer's Good Health and Pacific Magazines' Diabetic Living, Prevention and Women's Health all posted higher circulation. However, Pacific+ title Weight Watchers dropped 15.4%.
Another strong title was Citrus Media's Game Informer, with a 21.7% circulation increase, although the gaming category fell 2.9%.
The picture was not as rosy for several other magazine categories. One of the hardest hit was the women's lifestyle and fashion category, which fell 12.6%. Some of the country's most recognisable magazine brands experienced whopping declines.
Bauer's Cleo, Cosmopolitan, Grazia and Madison each fell 23.6%, 16.2%, 24% and 23.3% respectively. The 24% drop for Grazia is particularly noteworthy, as rumours about the titles closure increasingly take hold.
Mass women's titles also fell 5.2%, although Bauer's Australian Women's Weekly posted a 0.02% increase, with 470,331 average sales per issue in the December 2012 period.
The food & entertainment category declined 15.5%, with Pacific Magazines' Family Circle falling 33.1% and NewsLifeMedia's Woolworths Good Taste declining 22.8%. On a positive note, Bauer's Australian Gourmet Wine Traveller increased 0.5%.
The beleaguered men's lifestyle category continued its downwards spiral, with Zoo Weekly dropping 18.1%. However, Odysseus title Australian Men's Fitness posted a 8.3% increase.
The sports, motoring, general interest and music & movies categories also fell.
Meanwhile, the industry is edging closer to the final cut off date when publishers will be required to report their digital sales to the Audit Bureau. The industry has been itching to discover whether these figures will offset the declines in print.
While publishers are not currently required to submit digital numbers, the December 2012 reporting period saw four new magazine titles, APC, Men's Health, Runner's World and Tech Life, report digital numbers for the first time.
The digital numbers are used by the Audit Bureau to form its recently created 'masthead' figure, which combines print sales, digital sales and package subscription sales to generate an overall figure for that magazine title. Of the magazines which currently submit digital figures, Bauer's Australian Women's Weekly recorded the highest result in the December period, with 477,581 masthead sales, although most of these sales were in print.
Bauer chief executive Matthew Stanton said, despite the print declines in major titles like Cleo and Cosmopolitan, drops have been offset by consumers purchasing magazine apps and digital sales.
Stanton said: “Strong brands translate across all platforms and while print remains – overwhelmingly – the preferred means by which most consumers wish to enjoy their magazines, people are progressively discovering Bauer’s rich content magazine apps.
“Digital sales, which now represent a growing number of total paid masthead sales, are up 22% on The Australian Women’s Weekly and 29% on Australian Gourmet Traveller since June, 2012, showing that consumers are willing to pay for quality content on other platforms.
“Total masthead sales of The Australian Women’s Weekly increased 2% year-on-year, a great result for an established brand that continually reinvents itself.”
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