Table of Contents
Overview
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- What you need to know
- Products covered in this Report
Executive Summary
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- The market
- Little respite as print circulation falls nearly 7% in 2019
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- Figure 1: Forecast volume of UK print magazine circulation, 2014-24
- Top ten paid print magazines all experience declines in 2019
- Subscription platforms could help drive the digital magazine market
- Companies and brands
- Apple launches News+ magazine subscription service in the UK
- Meghan Markle guest edits Vogue
- The Face magazine relaunches for 2019
- Leading football magazine FourFourTwo launches podcast
- The consumer
- Seven in 10 people have read a magazine in the last 6 months
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- Figure 2: Magazine reading formats, August 2019
- Interest-specific titles are most popular in a crowded magazine market
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- Figure 3: Magazine readership by any format (NET), August 2019
- Food titles lead the interest-specific magazine segment
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- Figure 4: Interest-specific magazines read in the last six months, August 2019
- Latest news and product details are key to interest-specific titles
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- Figure 5: Most valued content in interest-specific magazines, August 2019
- Single issue purchasing is twice as popular as print subscriptions
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- Figure 6: Print magazine purchasing, August 2019
- Subscriptions are more prominent when it comes to digital
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- Figure 7: Digital magazine purchasing, August 2019
- Six in 10 magazine readers are reading at least once a week
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- Figure 8: Magazine reading frequency, August 2019
- Most people enjoy reading print magazines rather than digital
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- Figure 9: Attitudes towards magazines, August 2019
- Podcasts and live events offer new opportunities for magazines to leverage their brands
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- Figure 10: Attitudes of magazine readers
- What we think
Issues and Insights
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- There remains a market for print but environmental standards are vital
- The facts
- The implications
- Expanding magazine brands into new markets is key for success
- The facts
- The implications
The Market – What You Need to Know
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- Little respite as print circulation falls nearly 7% in 2019
- Top ten paid print magazines all experience declines in 2019
- Supermarkets dominate the free magazine market
- Take a Break leads the declining women’s weekly segment
- Subscription platforms could help drive the digital magazine market
Market Size and Forecast
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- Little respite as print circulation falls nearly 7% in 2019
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- Figure 11: Forecast volume of UK print magazine circulation, 2014-24
- Figure 12: Forecast volume of UK print magazine circulation, 2014-24
- Forecast methodology
Market Segmentation
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- Top ten paid print magazines all experience declines in 2019
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- Figure 13: Average circulation for top ten paid UK print magazines, six months to month end, 2017-19
- Supermarkets dominate the free magazine market
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- Figure 14: Average circulation for top five free UK print magazines, six months to month end, 2017-19
- Take a Break leads the declining women’s weekly segment
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- Figure 15: Average circulation top five women’s weekly print magazines, six months to month end, 2017-19
- Men’s Health under rising pressure as circulation falls nearly 22%
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- Figure 16: Average circulation top five men’s lifestyle print magazines, six months to month end, 2017-19
- Strong growth for The Week Junior shows potential among Gen Z
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- Figure 17: Average circulation top five UK news and current affairs print magazines, six months to month end, 2017-19
- Marie Claire ends print edition to focus solely on digital publication
- Subscription platforms could help drive the digital magazine market
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- Figure 18: Average circulation for top ten UK digital magazines, six months to month end, 2017-19
- Figure 19: Paid digital subscriptions, June 2018 and 2019
Companies and Brands – What You Need to Know
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- Apple launches News+ magazine subscription service in the UK
- Meghan Markle guest edits Vogue
- The Face magazine relaunches for 2019
- Leading football magazine FourFourTwo launches podcast
- Future acquires TI Media in £140 million deal
- Take a Break has the highest recent readership of brands analysed
- Total Film appeals to a younger, more affluent readership
Launch Activity and Innovation
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- Apple launches News+ magazine subscription service in the UK
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- Figure 20: Apple’s News+ magazine subscription service
- Meghan Markle guest edits Vogue
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- Figure 21: Vogue’s September edition edited by Meghan Markle
- Magazines risk jeopardising advertising revenue with offensive content
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- Figure 22: Stop Funding Hate’s impact on advertisers
- The Face magazine relaunches for 2019
- Leading football magazine FourFourTwo launches podcast
- Future acquires TI Media in £140 million deal
- Immediate Media acquires events firms to leverage magazine brands
- Big Issue North expands with quarterly publication
- Platinum magazine launched to target women over 55
Brand Research – Women’s Magazines
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- Brand map
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- Figure 23: Attitudes towards and usage of selected brands, September 2019
- Key brand metrics
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- Figure 24: Key metrics for selected brands, September 2019
- Brand attitudes: Market leader Take a Break deemed most innovative
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- Figure 25: Attitudes, by brand, September 2019
- Brand personality: A more ethical approach is benefitting Women’s Weekly
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- Figure 26: Brand personality – macro image, September 2019
- Women’s Weekly is seen as more credible while Chat risks being deemed intrusive
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- Figure 27: Brand personality – micro image, September 2019
- Brand analysis
- That’s Life magazine is struggling for brand awareness
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- Figure 28: User profile of That’s Life, September 2019
- Take a Break has the highest recent readership
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- Figure 29: User profile of Take a Break, September 2019
- Woman’s Weekly has an older readership who deem it more credible
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- Figure 30: User profile of Woman’s Weekly, September 2019
- Chat has the lowest trust levels of the brands analysed
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- Figure 31: User profile of Chat, September 2019
Brand Research – TV & Film Magazines
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- Brand map
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- Figure 32: Attitudes towards and usage of selected brands, September 2019
- Key brand metrics
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- Figure 33: Key metrics for selected brands, September 2019
- Brand attitudes: Market leader TV Choice deemed the best value
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- Figure 34: Attitudes, by brand, September 2019
- Brand personality: Empire has a more exclusive brand image
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- Figure 35: Brand personality – macro image, September 2019
- Total Film is more aspirational than the other magazines analysed
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- Figure 36: Brand personality – micro image, September 2019
- Brand analysis
- Total Film appeals to a younger, more affluent readership
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- Figure 37: User profile of Total Film, September 2019
- TV Choice struggles for differentiation
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- Figure 38: User profile of TV Choice, September 2019
- Empire is appealing to younger readers with its exclusivity
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- Figure 39: User profile of Empire, September 2019
- Radio Times’ longevity has instilled trust among an older readership
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- Figure 40: User profile of Radio Times, September 2019
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- Seven in 10 people have read a magazine in the last six months
- Interest-specific titles are most popular in a crowded magazine market
- Food titles lead the interest-specific magazine segment
- Single issue purchasing is twice as popular as print subscriptions
- Six in 10 magazine readers are reading at least once a week
- Three in 10 think men and women’s magazines are bad for mental health
- Most people enjoy reading print magazines rather than digital
- Four in 10 people agree print magazines are bad for the environment
- Podcasts and live events offer new opportunities for magazines to leverage their brands
Magazine Readership by Genre and Format
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- Seven in 10 people have read a magazine in the last six months
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- Figure 41: Magazine reading formats, August 2019
- Half of magazine readers have read free titles in the last six months
- Interest-specific titles are most popular in a crowded magazine market
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- Figure 42: Magazine readership by any format (NET), August 2019
- Free and interest-specific magazines are mostly read in print form
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- Figure 43: Magazine readership, by genre and format, August 2019
Interest-specific Magazines
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- Food titles lead the interest-specific magazine segment…
- …but sports titles are most popular among men
- Increasing focus on interests rather than gender norms
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- Figure 44: Interest-specific magazines read in the last six months, August 2019
- Latest news and product details are key to interest-specific titles
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- Figure 45: Most valued content in interest-specific magazines, August 2019
Magazine Purchasing Process
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- Single issue purchasing is twice as popular as print subscriptions
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- Figure 46: Print magazine purchasing, August 2019
- Subscriptions are more prominent when it comes to digital
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- Figure 47: Digital magazine purchasing, August 2019
- Half of people reading magazine websites/apps are paying for content
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- Figure 48: Magazine website/app purchasing, August 2019
Frequency of Magazine Reading
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- Six in 10 magazine readers are reading at least once a week
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- Figure 49: Magazine reading frequency, August 2019
- 25-34 year olds are the most frequent magazine readers
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- Figure 50: Frequency of magazine reading, by age, August 2019
- Seven in 10 parents of under 18s read magazines at least once a week
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- Figure 51: Frequency of magazine reading, by parental status, August 2019
Attitudes towards Magazines
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- Three in 10 think men and women’s magazines are bad for mental health
- Most people enjoy reading print magazines rather than digital
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- Figure 52: Attitudes towards magazines, August 2019
- Four in 10 people agree print magazines are bad for the environment
- Podcasts and live events offer new opportunities for magazines to leverage their brands
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- Figure 53: Attitudes of magazine readers, August 2019
- Magazine websites are driving product sales among young dual parent families
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- Figure 54: Attitudes towards magazines – CHAID – Tree output, August 2019
Appendix – Data Sources, Abbreviations and Supporting Information
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- Abbreviations
- Consumer research methodology
- CHAID analysis Methodology
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- Figure 55: Attitudes towards magazines – CHAID – Table output, August 2019
Appendix - Market Size and Forecast
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- Market Forecast
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- Figure 56: Forecast volume of UK print magazine circulation, 2019-24
- Forecast Methodology
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