THE SALES of both daily and Sunday newspapers in Ireland have continued to fall in the last year, according to new independent circulation figures.
The latest Island of Ireland report published by the Audit Bureau of Circulations shows a fall of about 7.3 per cent in the total sales of daily papers, while sales of Sundays are down about 8 per cent on the first half of 2011.
The Irish Times now averages a daily circulation of 92,565, down by about 8.3 per cent in the last year, while the Irish Examiner‘s circulation is also down, by about 7.2 per cent, to an average daily rate of 40,425.
The Irish Independent has seen a fall in circulation of 6.1 per cent to 125,986, retaining its status as the most-circulated daily paper in Ireland – while its Sunday sister, the Sunday Independent, reclaims its title as the most widely-circulated Sunday paper at 238,798, down 6.6 per cent.
The Sunday World, which had taken that crown in the last figures six months ago, sees its circulation fall by 8.1 per cent to 226,932.
The Sunday Business Post suffered the most of any Irish title, with circulation down 14.2 per cent to 41,040. The Sunday Times is down 4.1 per cent to 106,113.
The Sunday tabloid market has seen improvements in the last twelve months, most likely from the closures of the Sunday Tribune, the Irish Daily Star Sunday and the News of the World in that time.
The Sunday Mirror is up 16.4 per cent to 47,468, while the People is up by 7.5 per cent to 20,271. The Sun on Sunday, which only launched in February, has circulated an average of 82,329 copies a week in Ireland since its launch. The Irish Mail on Sunday has seen circulation fall 3.7 per cent to 108,981.
Elsewhere in the daily market, the Evening Herald‘s circulation has held up relatively well – falling 1.2 per cent to 61,179 – while the Irish Sun is down 9.3 per cent to 72,499.
The Irish Daily Mirror is down 7.3 per cent to 57,445; the Irish Daily Star down 13.5 per cent to 75,293; and the Irish Daily Mail is down just over half of one per cent, to 50,780.
The ABC’s figures are published on a bi-annual basis, but the newspaper industry usually uses compares figures across a year-on-year basis in order to account for predictable sales events like the modest summer drop-off.
The circulation figures include copies which are not actively ‘sold’, but are provided through promotions and other means. The figures published represent sales on the entire island of Ireland.
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