Mixed bag of results for comic and magazine publishers, DC Thomson

THE newspaper publishers, DC Thomson, enjoyed a mixed bag of results involving its many magazine and comic titles, such as My Weekly and The Beano.

According to the latest set of audited results for magazines, while the average sales between December 2010 and December 2011 for The Dandy was down by 50 per cent, the corresponding figure for Jacqueline Wilson was up 10.8 per cent.

Scottish Magazine of the Year winner, Animal Planet – another DC Thomson title – saw its average sale between June and December last year fall by 30 per cent (there was no Dec 2010-Dec 2011 figure available).

The figures for Scots titles reads as follows:

Animal Planet: down 30 per cent June 2011-Dec 2011 (from 15,124 to 10,586); no year-on-year figure available;

Animals and You: up eight per cent Dec 2010-Dec 2011 (from 29,984 to 32,376), and up 0.6 June 2011-Dec 2011 (from 32,193 to 32,376);

Auto Trader Scottish: down 40.1 per cent Dec 2010-Dec 2011 (from 6,417 to 3,846); no June-Dec figure available;

The Beano: down 4.4 per cent Dec 2010-Dec 2011 (from 40,111 to 38,145), but up 3.2 per cent June 2011-December 2011 (from 37,145 to 38,145),

The BeanoMAX: down 26.8 per cent Dec 2010-Dec 2011 (from 30,184 to 22,094), and down 9.6 per cent June 2011-Dec 2011 (from 24,438 to 22,094);

The Big Issue in Scotland: down 24.7 per cent Dec 2010-Dec 2011 (from 17,583 to 13,234); no June-Dec figure available;

The Dandy: down 50.1 per cent Dec 2010-Dec 2011 (from 15,012 to 7,489), but up 0.6 per cent June 2011-Dec 2011 (from 7,448 to 7,489);

DC Thomson’s Children’s Entertainment Package (boys): up 35 per cent Dec 2010-Dec 2011 (from 69,031 to 93,185), and up 9.2 per cent June 2011-Dec 2011 (from 85,297 to 93,185);

DC Thomson’s Children’s Entertainment Package (girls): down 24.7 per cent Dec 2010-Dec 2011 (from 103,504 to 77,945), but up 2.1 per cent June 2011-Dec 2011 (from 76,329 to 77,945);

Homes & Interiors Scotland: down 10.1 per cent Dec 2010-Dec 2011 (from 11,377 to 10,232), and down 5.7 per cent June 2011-Dec 2011 (from 10,845 to 10,232);

Jacqueline Wilson: up 10.8 per cent Dec 2010-Dec 2011 (from 41,128 to 45,569), and up 3.2 per cent June 2011-Dec 2011 (from 44,136 to 45,569);

The List: up 10.7 per cent Dec 2010-Dec 2011 (from 12,784 to 14,156), but no June-Dec figure available (and note: just 22.8 per cent ‘actively purchased’, with almost half of the free copies going to hotels);

My Weekly: down 4.7 per cent Dec 2010-Dec 2011 (from 130,190 to 124,066), and down 0.5 per cent June 2011-Dec 2011 (from 124,671 to 124,066);

People’s Friend: down nine per cent Dec 2010-Dec 2011 (from 282,766 to 257,348), and down 4.1 per cent June 2011-Dec 2011 (from 268,230 to 257,348);

Scotland in Trust (free to National Trust for Scotland members): up 0.2 per cent Dec 2010-Dec 2011 (from 179,571 to 179,970); no June-Dec figure available;

The Scots Magazine: down 11.1 per cent Dec 2010-Dec 2011 (from 31,906 to 28,357); no June-Dec figure available;

Scottish Field: up 2.3 per cent Dec 2010-Dec 2011 (from 13,270 to 13,577); no June-Dec figure available (and note: 87.7 per cent ‘actively purchased’);

Shout: down 4.6 per cent Dec 2010-Dec 2011 (from 60,645 to 57,884); but up 21.1 per cent from June 2011-Dec 2011 (from 47,817 to 57,884);

The Skinny (free): no change Dec 2010-Dec 2011 (from 32,147 to 32,162); no June-Dec figure available;

Times Education Supplement Scotland: down 12.9 per cent Dec 2010-Dec 2011 (from 22,947 to 19,981); no June-Dec figure available (and note: 70.9 per cent ‘actively purchased’); and

WWE Kids: down 17.1 per cent Dec 2010-Dec 2011 (from 30,469 to 25,269); no June-Dec figure available.