UK Magazines Market Report 2020

Providing the most comprehensive and up-to-date information and analysis of the UK Magazine market, including the behaviours, preferences and habits of the consumer.

The lockdowns in March 2020 from the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a decline for the UK magazine market. With stay-at-home orders limiting the occasions to buy physical magazines, print circulation declined by 10%. However, there was a boost to online readership, with online magazine platforms growing more and more popular.

Thanks to the extra free time many had during the early lockdowns, 48% of magazine readers report having learned about a new hobby or interest through a magazine. This increased interests in hobbies has seen sales of gardening magazines remain strong, although all genres of magazine have seen a decline in readership during 2020.

With lockdowns announced for January 2021, the market will have a relatively slow recovery. Economic uncertainty and job losses may also see people tightening their budgets and avoiding non-essential purchases. However, with the increased online readership there are opportunities for magazines to innovate better online platforms to attract a wider digital readership. Netflix-style subscription models could provide both adults and children access to a variety of different magazine genres.

Read on to discover more details or take a look at all of our UK Media, Books and Stationary market research.

Quickly understand

• The impact of COVID-19 on the magazine market.
• Forecast for UK print circulation of consumer print magazines.
• The performance of different magazine genres and titles.
• Print and digital magazine purchasing habits.
• Interest in different types of magazine videos.
• Parents’ purchasing of magazines for their children.

Covered in this report

Free Print Magazines: Tesco Magazine, Stylist, Asda Good Living, ES Magazine, Waitrose & Partners Health, Time Out, Legion, Harrods Magazine.

Paid Print Magazines: TV Choice, What’s on TV, Slimming World Magazine, Radio Times, Saga Magazine, Yours, Bella, Total TV Guide, Grazia, Heat, Cosmopolitan, Vouge, OK!, New!, Q.

Digital Magazines: NME, Apple News+, Readly, New Scientist, Prospect, The Spectator, T3, Stuff, Time Magazine, HELLO!, Woman & Home, Olive, Heat, delicious, Closer, Grazia.

Current Affairs Magazines: Private Eye, The Economist, The Week, The Week Junior, The Spectator.

Interest Magazines: National Geographic, Official Xbox Magazine, BBC Gardener’s World, BBC Good Food, Good Housekeeping, BBC Easy Cook, Camping and Caravanning,

Men’s Lifestyle Magazines: Men’s Health, GQ, Esquire, Wired, BBC Science Focus.

Woman’s Weekly Print Magazines: Woman’s Weekly, Take a Break, Woman’s Own, Chat, That’s Life, Closer, Cosmopolitan, Vouge.

Expert analysis from a specialist in the field

Written by Rebecca McGrath, a leading analyst in the Technology and Media sector, her extensive knowledge delivers in-depth commentary and analysis to highlight current trends and add expert context to the numbers.

While some genres have performed well since the outbreak, such as cooking, gardening and news magazines, most titles are simply trying to weather the storm, while developing their digital platforms. There are, though, more indications that multi-magazine subscriptions could be a viable and successful option for the market going forward.

Rebecca McGrath
Media Analyst