Fairfax magazines buck trend in tight market

Media Release 15 August 2008

Fairfax magazines buck trend in tight market

Fairfax Magazines’ titles TV Guide, New Zealand Gardener and NZ Life & Leisure are defying a tight magazine market to add both readership and circulation, latest figures show.

The NZ Audit Bureau of Circulation and Nielsen National Readership Survey figures to June 2008 show the magazines are star performers in a challenging retail environment, says general manager of Fairfax Magazines, Lynley Belton.

TV Guide remains the country’s biggest-selling magazine, with circulation of 180,636 and readership of 750,000. Belton says TV Guide has increased its subscription base by more than 10% over the past 12 months and has sold three million more copies than the next biggest-selling magazine in New Zealand in the same period

NZ Life & Leisure showed a massive 25.7% increase in readership over the past year and a circulation increase of 1.9% since the prior audit release.

New Zealand Gardener continues to have strong growth, with readership increasing from 224,000 to 234,000 since the prior release – an increase of 4.5% during the period, or a staggering 18.8% in the past year. It has also increased circulation by 6.9% over the year.

Other positive news for Fairfax magazines included another increase in readership for Sunday magazine since March to 549,000 (up 1.5%); Cuisine magazine maintaining its dominance of the food sector, with an average 369,000 readers; and NZ House & Garden maintaining its position as the best-read home title, with an average 620,000 readers.

Belton says the figures show these lifestyle titles really understand what their readers want and deliver to them This evidenced by the very strong subscriber numbers for each magazine.

“In particular, NZ Gardener is tapping into New Zealanders’ increasing awareness of the environment, and their desire to not only beautify their own patch, but also use it to grow their own produce.

“As further an example of this is, Get Growing, the weekly email newsletter launched earlier this year written by NZ Gardener editor Lynda Hallinan, already has 10,000 subscribers.

“NZ Life & Leisure has also shown remarkable growth over the past year and we are glad we have been able to assist in this with the greater resources we can offer this excellent magazine. as ”

Another standout performer was the specialist magazine New Zealand Trucking, which showed a 3.2% increase in circulation and a 9.1% increase in readership since March.

Belton says she expects to see further increases in New Zealand Trucking readership and circulation as a result of format changes made since the survey period, under new editor John Murphy.

“We have had good reader feedback to the changed format, which includes perfect-binding the magazine and incorporating the title Truck & Machinery Trader, creating a great read and one vehicle for comprehensive industry coverage.

Notes to Editor

Readership:
Nielsen National Readership Survey Jul 07 - Jun 08

Circulation:
NZ Audited Bureau of Circulation; Total Net Circulation; Jan - Jun 2008

NZ Life & Leisure's growth of 25.7% over the past year is based on the 6-month readership figure in the Nielsen National Readership Jul 06 - Jun 07 release

ENDS

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