Print magazine readership slumps

New figures released by Enhanced Media Metrics Australia (emma) reveal average issue readership plummeted across a range of Australian print magazine titles in 2015.

Print figures are correspondingly down, which has led to the closure of iconic young women’s magazine Cleo. Its monthly print run plunged by 20 per cent in 2015 to just 42,200, the final issue will be printed in February. Stablemate Dolly was also down by 20 per cent, while Cosmpolitan’s print run fell by 15 per cent to 77,000. Readership levels from Dec 2014 to Nov 2015 in comparison to figures from the previous year show a decrease across the many magazines with the women’s, lifestyle and automotive sectors particularly hard hit.

Women's magazines have been hit hard by print circulation slump

Women’s magazines have been hit hard by print circulation slump

Australian Women’s Weekly – ten per cent decrease Better Homes and Gardens – 12 per cent decrease Australian Geographic – 13 per cent decrease Donna Hay – 20 per cent decrease Gardening Australia – 18 per cent decrease Home Beautiful – 17 per cent decrease Australian 4WD Action – ten per cent decrease Cosmopolitan – 20 per cent decrease Cleo – 30 per cent decrease Fitness First – 17 per cent decrease The release of the figures coincided with further bad news for the print magazine industry with Bauer Media yesterday announcing via a staff email that it would no longer run Cleo magazine. In its decision, Bauer reports Cleo is no longer commercially sustainable in the long term. In print since 1972, the monthly women’s lifestyle magazine will run its last issue in March, the closure will only apply to Cleo Australia and Bauer will continue to publish Cleo Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. Bauer reveals it is also planning to relaunch teen magazine Dolly, shifting the magazine from a monthly to bi-monthly print run with a greater focus on improving Dolly’s online presence, signalling its printed future is uncertain.

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