Some consolation for newspapers, as year-on-year sales continue to decline

SALES in Scotland of daily and Sunday newspapers may continue to be on the slide, year-on-year, but – says the latest figures from the Audit Bureau of Circulation – there is the consolation is that, across the board, the figures for last month are better than they were for July.

The Scotsman and Scotland on Sunday no longer appear in the national listings after having recently requested – like The Herald and Sunday Herald last year – to appear in the twice-yearly ABC regional newspapers report.

In summary, the daily newspapers figures – issued at midday – concern sales in Scotland between August last year and last month and reveal the following:

Daily Mirror – six per cent drop = from 21,664 on average during August last year, to 20,363 last month (in July this year: 19,803);

Daily Record – 8.6 per drop = from 248,869  on average during August last year, to 227,445 last month (in July this year: 223,762);

Daily Star of Scotland – 11.5 per cent drop = 57,185 to 50,621 (49,792);

The Scottish Sun – 9.7 cent drop = 294,744 to 266,289 (260,528);

Scottish Daily Express – 4.1 per cent drop = 57,896 to 55,519 (54,769);

Scottish Daily Mail – 6.3 per cent drop = 105,155 to 98,543 (96,038);

Daily Telegraph – 4.5 per cent drop = 21,205 to 20,256 (19,032);

Financial Times – 10.7 per cent drop = 2,862 to 2,557 (2,475);

The Guardian – 6.5 per cent drop = 12,411 to 11,605 (10,323);

i – 7.2 per cent up = 17,710 to 18,979 (18,765);

Independent – 18.1 per cent drop = 3,783 to 3,099 (3,005);

The Times – 2.5 per cent drop = 20,071 to 19,567 (18,938).

Meanwhile, the Sunday titles’ sales figures in Scotland were as follows:

Daily Star of Scotland – Sunday – 21.2 per cent down = 36,426 to 28,720 (28,344);

The Scottish Sun – Sunday – 6.9 per cent down = 213,957 to 199,076 (192,454);

Sunday Mail – eight per cent down = 286,383 to 263,426 (253,832);

Sunday Mirror – 4.7 per cent down = 22,609 to 21,556 (20,695);

The People – 8.4 per cent down = 11,601 to 10,620 (10,290);

Scottish Sunday Express – 1.4 per cent down = 34,254 to 33,772 (32,822);

The Sunday Post – 11 per cent drop = 186,438 to 165,969 (163,301);

Scottish Mail on Sunday – 3.5 per cent down = 92,931 to 89,663 (85,872);

Independent on Sunday – 15.4 per cent down = 6,529 to 5,522 (5,350);

The Observer – 8.4 per cent down = 16,852 to 15,444 (13,798);

Sunday Telegraph – 2.4 cent down = 17,957 to 17,530 (16,424); and

Sunday Times – 9.9 per cent down = 52,619 to 47,416 (44,877).