Battered consumer magazine publishers are hoping for a rebound in 2010. Still, they were reminded on Monday just how brutal 2009 was, as the Audit Bureau of Circulations released its biannual report card.
Single copy sales – i.e. newsstand — fell 9 percent during the second half of 2009; paid subscriptions dipped 2.3 percent.
Of the top 25 best-selling newsstand magazines, 20 were either flat or down during the last six months of 2009.
Just five — Real Simple, O, The Oprah Magazine, Vanity Fair, Us Weekly, People Stylewatch – managed to increase the number of copies sold.
Others, like Good Housekeeping (down 30.75 percent) and OK! (-17.53 percent) took major hits. In Touch (-10.49 percent) was also down double digits.
Top 25 Bestselling Newsstand Magazines, July-Dec. 2009
1. Cosmopolitan 1,753,368 | –1.4%
2. People 1,325,330 | –10.0%
3. Woman’s World 1,168,958 | –4.9%
4. First 1,041,011 | –6.4%
5. Us Weekly 812,089 | 1.9%
6. In Touch 746,973 | –10.5%
7. Family Circle 715,000 | –9.4%
8. InStyle 689,705 | –6.8%
9. O, The Oprah Magazine 662,304 | 5.8%
10. Glamour 587,677 | –4.0%
11. Lindy’s Football Annuals 580,509 | –5.8%
12. Star 574,927 | –6.8%
13. National Enquirer 562,292 | –9.3%
14. People Stylewatch 536,934 | 1.9%
15. Woman’s Day 469,068 | –7.2%
16. Life & Style 461,958 | 0.0%
17. Men’s Health 438,238 | –13.8%
18. All You 432,801 | –1.0%
19. Vanity Fair 421,833 | 5.1%
20. Real Simple 411,705 | 6.2%
21. OK! Weekly 404,423 | –17.5%
22. Good Housekeeping 395,289 | –30.7%
23. Seventeen 392,262 | 0.1%
24. Everyday With Rachael Ray 367,744 | –3.0%
25. Weight Watchers 364,396 | –2.1%
SOURCE: ABC Fas-Fax
