Glossy Talk: State of the (mag)nation - newspaper magazines circulation

Glossy Talk: State of the (mag)nation – newspaper magazines circulation

Fairfax's Sport&Style and the(sydney) magazine were the only two glossy supplements to add circulation in the latest Audit Bureau survey. 

Australia's premier sports and fashion magazine, Sport&Style is distributed via The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age on the first Monday of the month. It's the highest circulating men's magazine in the country, with a combined reach of 331,150 copies in NSW and Victoria, putting it ahead of Zoo Weekly (100,530 weekly sales), Men's Health (75,579), Alpha (73,325) and FHM (50,020)*. 

In May, the title released an iPad app with unique content and interactive features – including video, animation, photo galleries and 360-degree views – in partnership with Hyundai, retailing at $3.49. The affluent title is clearly resonating with men with a penchant for suits and sports presented with style.

Overseen by Fairfax chief executive and publisher Lisa Hudson, both the(sydney) magazine and Sport&Style pose a threat to higher-end publications, such as News Magazines' GQ, for those exclusive AB demographic readers and advertisers. With Fairfax's Good Weekend set to relaunch this month, the publisher is clearly investing in its newspaper-insert brands, as with News Magazines' relaunch of market leader Sunday last weekend.

At the mercy of their host mastheads, the newspaper inserted magazines (NIMs) category presented nominal circulation declines across the board in keeping with newspaper sales. The below table showcases results for both NIMs and their mother ships. The value-adding inserts might prove to be the life-raft newsprint needs, particularly with the youth segment conditioned to expect things for free. 

Comedian Josh Thomas, 23, put the Gen-Y case best when he told Good Weekend's Nicky Barrowclough about his reading habits (he gets everything he finds worth reading via Twitter and blogs) after she spotted fifteen rolled up copies of the paper outside his house: "I thought I should read The Age and be engaged with the world. But they come every single day. Every single day! I hadn't realised what a commitment it was!".

*Sales figures based on the June 2010 Audit Bureau of Circulations report.

Yours truly,
Girl With a Satchel