1. Audit Bureau
of Circulations
Newsstand Review
2011
Based on Preliminary Numbers as Filed with the Audit Bureau of Circulation for 12 Months Ending December 31, 2011.
2. SUMMARY
Attached is our review of the 2011 ABC Fas-Fax
reports. This review looks at 502 ABC-audited titles
reporting newsstand sales for either 2010 or 2011:
•Total Volume: ranks titles by dollar volume for
the entire six month period.
•Average per Issue: ranks titles by dollar volume
per issue
•Editorial Category: ranks each editorial category
by total volume and each title within each
editorial category.
All variance numbers, unless otherwise noted,
indicate dollars and units for 2011 versus 2010.
3. OVERALL RESULTS
Overall units and dollars declined over -11% with audited titles shedding -78M units
and almost -$300M retail dollars:
Notes: all numbers are in millions; results are for Jan – December 2011 versus Jan – Dec
2010; includes 502 ABC-audited titles.
These numbers are consistent with those from IPDA, which also show double-digit
declines in units and dollars. Unlike the ABC FAS-FAX reports, IPDA numbers
include virtually all newsstand titles.
2011 IPDA RESULTS
0 2011 2010 Var. Pct. Var
Draw 2,411 2,621 (210) -8.0%
Sale 739 836 (98) -11.7%
Pct. 30.6% 31.9% (1.3) NA
Dollars $ 3,440 $ 3,826 $ (386) -10.1%
Notes: all numbers are in millions; results are for Jan –
December 2011 versus Jan – Dec 2010; includes all titles.
Note: ABC Fas-Fax provides units sold per issue; our analysis combines units sold with cover price and frequency to
generate a total volume number for each title.
4. GAINERS & DECLINERS
Fully 80% of titles posted losses in both units and retail dollars. This is the lowest
ratio of gainers-to-decliners in memory.
Units Title Count 2011 2010 Variance % Var.
Gainers 79 49 45 4.6 10.3%
Decliners 423 548 630 (82.3) -13.1%
Totals 502 597 674 (77.7) -11.5%
All numbers in millions
Dollars Title Count 2011 2010 Variance % Var.
Gainers 95 $286 $260 $ 26.0 10.0%
Decliners 407 $2,035 $2,355 -$ 320.0 -13.6%
Totals 502 $2,320 $2,614 -$ 294.0 -11.2%
All numbers in millions
Note: ABC Fas-Fax provides units sold per issue; our analysis combines units sold with cover price and frequency to
generate a total volume number for each title.
5. Unit & Dollar Trends
Almost two of five newsstand sales (-39%) have disappeared since the
onset of the Great Recession (2H2007), eliminating -183M unit sales.
Price increases have marginally stemmed retail dollar losses, which
have declined almost -$550M (-33%).
Note: ABC Fas-Fax provides units sold per issue; our analysis combines units sold with cover price and frequency to
generate a total volume number for each title.
6. Total Circulation
Pct.
Source 2011 2010 Variance Variance
Subscriptions 3,373 3,414 (41.0) -1.2%
Newsstand 597 674 (77.7) -11.5%
Total Circulation 3,970 4,088 (118.7) -2.9%
Large newsstand declines and weakening subscription numbers
resulted in a loss of 118M readers (-2.9%). Total circulation has
declined -24% since the 2004 high-water mark.
Note: ABC Fas-Fax provides units sold per issue; our analysis combines units sold with cover price and frequency to
generate a total volume number for each title.
7. Category Summary
Unit Sales $$$ Sales Dollar
Title Unit Variance
Category Unit Sales Dollar Sales Share of Share of Variance
Count to 2H2010
Bus. Bus. to 2H2010
WEEKLY 16 236.5 $ 892.0 39.6% 38.4% -14.4% -13.3%
WOMENS 58 195.0 $ 615.6 32.7% 26.5% -7.7% -8.3%
FAMILY/HOME 38 19.5 $ 97.1 3.3% 4.2% -2.1% -1.6%
MENS 13 17.9 $ 90.8 3.0% 3.9% -12.5% -13.1%
FOOD 20 15.2 $ 70.3 2.5% 3.0% -5.5% -5.2%
AUTOMOTIVE 36 10.1 $ 57.3 1.7% 2.5% -17.6% -17.5%
SOCIAL/LITERARY 31 11.1 $ 55.5 1.9% 2.4% -8.9% -8.3%
BUSINESS/FINANCE 17 8.9 $ 54.8 1.5% 2.4% -8.7% -6.6%
SCIENCE 16 9.6 $ 54.0 1.6% 2.3% -6.0% -5.4%
NEWS 10 10.5 $ 53.5 1.8% 2.3% -3.7% -5.2%
SPORTS 28 9.1 $ 48.5 1.5% 2.1% -10.9% -9.8%
ENTERTAINMENT 11 9.3 $ 43.0 1.6% 1.9% -14.7% -17.9%
TEEN/CHILDREN 12 11.4 $ 41.4 1.9% 1.8% -20.0% -21.5%
ETHNIC 19 12.0 $ 41.2 2.0% 1.8% -22.1% -20.7%
REGIONAL 50 7.1 $ 33.8 1.2% 1.5% -12.0% -10.5%
HOBBY 38 5.8 $ 32.9 1.0% 1.4% -11.0% -10.4%
OUTDOORS 34 5.8 $ 26.9 1.0% 1.2% -14.8% -17.1%
COMPUTER/GAMING 4 1.6 $ 9.4 0.3% 0.4% -32.5% -36.4%
PETS 10 0.5 $ 2.2 0.1% 0.1% -26.1% -26.6%
GRAND TOTAL 461 596.7 $ 2,320.1 100% 100.0% -11.5% -11.2%
While most categories posted double-digit losses, three of the top
five categories managed losses between -1% and -8%. Smaller,
targeted categories fared particularly poorly, several losing more
than -20% of units and dollars.
Note: ABC Fas-Fax provides units sold per issue; our analysis combines units sold with cover price and frequency to
generate a total volume number for each title.
8. Category Summary
Nearly 70% of titles with $1M or more sales suffered double-digit decreases in
dollar sales. Womens, Home and Food titles fared relatively better with Weekly,
Mens and Auto titles faring poorly.
Note: ABC Fas-Fax provides units sold per issue; our analysis combines units sold with cover price and frequency to
generate a total volume number for each title.
9. Winners
Unit Sales Variance to 2009
Title 2009 2010 2011 Units Pct
FOOD NETWORK 1.43 3.50 3.89 2.46 172%
HELLO! 3.23 3.47 3.61 0.38 12%
CLEAN EATING 0.66 0.78 0.86 0.20 31%
MACLEAN'S 0.49 1.16 1.33 0.83 169%
ALL YOU 4.96 5.21 5.84 0.88 18%
CHATELAINE 0.76 0.75 1.14 0.37 49%
L'ACTUALITE 0.20 0.25 0.39 0.20 99%
LA CUCINA ITALIANA 0.12 0.22 0.19 0.07 58%
All Titles 11.9 15.3 17.2 5.39 45%
Amongst a sea of red ink, a handful of titles demonstrate the
newsstand’s unique ability to both capture consumer’s interest in
current events and build brand awareness and profitability.
These titles have built and grown single-copy sales in the most
challenging environment in memory.
Food is a common theme among the winners. Food Network
Magazine beat all odds with a successful mass-market launch
that has made it the #1 food title at newsstand. Clean Eating has
tapped into consumer’s desire for healthier food choices, while
La Cucina Italiana has found a lucrative target audience.
Canadian titles fill out the rest of the list, capitalizing in a less-
devastated economic market.
Note: ABC Fas-Fax provides units sold per issue; our analysis combines units sold with cover price and frequency to
generate a total volume number for each title.
10. Advancers
Unit Dollar Unit % Dollar %
Title Units Dollars
Var. Var. Var. Var.
ALL YOU 5.8 $14.5 0.63 $1.6 12% 12%
FOOD NETWORK MAGAZINE 3.9 $15.5 0.39 $1.6 11% 11%
CHATELAINE 1.1 $4.5 0.39 $1.5 51% 51%
TIME-THE WEEKLY NEWSMAGAZINE 4.1 $20.7 0.23 $1.4 6% 8%
MACLEAN'S 1.3 $8.3 0.17 $1.3 15% 19%
HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW 0.4 $6.6 0.07 $1.1 20% 20%
HELLO! 3.6 $15.2 0.14 $0.9 4% 7%
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC INTERNATIONAL 2.1 $12.9 0.15 $0.9 7% 7%
NASCAR ILLUSTRATED 0.1 $1.4 0.03 $0.8 31% 147%
L'ACTUALITE 0.4 $2.3 0.14 $0.8 58% 52%
POPULAR HOT RODDING 0.3 $1.8 0.10 $0.6 52% 52%
CLEAN EATING 0.9 $5.2 0.08 $0.5 11% 11%
VOGUE 4.3 $18.0 0.12 $0.5 3% 3%
TOP ADVANCERS 28.4 126.9 2.6 13.5 10.3% 11.9%
OTHER ADVANCERS 34.6 158.7 0.3 12.5 0.9% 8.5%
ALL ADVANCERS 63.0 $285.6 3.0 $26.0 4.9% 10.0%
ABC Totals 596.7 $2,320.1 (78) -$294.0 -11.5% -11.2%
Totals w/out Advancers 533.7 $2,034.5 -80.7 -$320.0 -13.1% -13.6%
All numbers in millions.
Canadian titles Chatelaine, Macleans, Hello and L’Actualite all benefitted from
expanded coverage and special editions on the royal wedding. All You is a Wal-Mart
exclusive title. Food Network continues to grow and represents an enormous launch
success for publisher Hearst Magazines.
Note: ABC Fas-Fax provides units sold per issue; our analysis combines units sold with cover price and frequency to
generate a total volume number for each title.
11. Category Notes
CELEBRITY WEEKLIES: the one-time category-driver has
suffered along with the rest of the newsstand, posting double-
digit losses for the third consecutive year.
Total units were off nearly -30M (-14%) and retail dollars
declined almost $-100M (-13%).
•Category units down 42% / dollars down 30% since 2H2007.
•Despite losing more than 1-in-10 readers in 2011 People
Magazine improved market share.
Unit Dollar Unit % Dollar %
Celebrity Units Dollars
Var. Var. Var. Var.
PEOPLE 57.6 $241.7 -7.3 -$23.9 -11.3% -9.0%
US WEEKLY 32.9 $131.9 -5.1 -$19.7 -13.4% -13.0%
IN TOUCH WEEKLY 33.2 $99.2 -4.8 -$14.3 -12.6% -12.6%
STAR MAGAZINE 22.9 $91.5 -3.8 -$15.6 -14.4% -14.6%
LIFE & STYLE WEEKLY 18.5 $55.5 -3.3 -$10.0 -15.2% -15.2%
OK! WEEKLY 13.6 $54.2 -4.4 -$15.1 -24.4% -21.8%
Celebrity Titles 178.7 $673.8 -28.8 -$98.6 -13.9% -12.8%
Note: ABC Fas-Fax provides units sold per issue; our analysis combines units sold with cover price and frequency to
generate a total volume number for each title.
12. Celebrity vs Non-Celebrity
UNITS 2011 2010 Var. Pct. Var.
Celebrity 178.7 207.4 -28.8 -13.9%
Non-Celebrity 418.0 467.0 -48.9 -10.5%
All ABC Titles 596.7 674.4 -77.7 -11.5%
All Numbers in M illions
CELEBRITY VERSUS
DOLLARS 2011 2010 Var. Pct. Var.
NON-CELEBRITY:
Celebrity $ 673.8 $ 772.4 -$98.6 -12.8%
Non-Celebrity $ 1,646 $ 1,842 -$195.4 -10.6% For the year, celebrity
All ABC Titles $ 2,320 $ 2,614 -$294.0 -11.2% titles declined slightly
faster than non-
All Numbers in M illions
celebrity titles (-14%
versus -10.5%).
In 2H2011, however,
the declines were
virtually identical
around -12%.
Note: ABC Fas-Fax provides units sold per issue; our analysis combines units sold with cover price and frequency to
generate a total volume number for each title.
13. Top Categories
UNITS 2011 2010 Var. Pct. Var. The Womens category,
Celebrity 178.7 207.4 -28.8 -13.9% which accounts for
Womens 195.0 211.3 -16.3 -7.7% about the same sales
Home 19.5 19.9 -0.4 -2.0% as Celebrity, declined at
All Numbers in Millions about half the rate of
Celebrity.
DOLLARS 2011 2010 Var. Pct. Var.
Celebrity $ 673.8 $ 772.4 -$98.6 -12.8% While much smaller,
Womens $ 615.6 $ 671.0 -$55.4 -8.3% third-ranking category
Home $ 97.1 $ 98.7 -$1.6 -1.6% Home was almost flat
for the entire year (-0%
All Numbers in Millions
units; -2% dollars),
driven primarily by
robust numbers from
food titles.
Both Womens and
Home titles have been
declining slower than
Celebrity titles for past
three reporting periods.
Note: ABC Fas-Fax provides units sold per issue; our analysis combines units sold with cover price and frequency to
generate a total volume number for each title.
14. Category Notes: Tabloids and Digests
Unit % Dollar %
Digest / Tabloid Units Dollars Unit Var. Dollar Var.
Var. Var.
NATIONAL ENQUIRER 25.4 $96.1 -2.6 -$7.2 -9.3% -6.9%
GLOBE 12.8 $48.5 -1.8 -$5.4 -12.3% -10.1%
SOAP OPERA DIGEST 4.2 $16.6 -1.0 -$4.0 -19.4% -19.4%
TV GUIDE 3.3 $13.0 -0.7 -$2.9 -18.3% -18.3%
SOAP OPERA WEEKLY 3.1 $9.2 -0.6 -$1.8 -16.6% -16.6%
COUNTRY WEEKLY 2.8 $8.5 -0.5 -$1.4 -15.6% -14.1%
SOAPS IN DEPTH - ABC 1.4 $5.4 -1.8 -$7.3 -57.5% -57.5%
SOAPS IN DEPTH - CBS 1.3 $5.0 -2.2 -$8.6 -63.3% -63.3%
TOTALS 54.1 $202.3 -11.2 -$38.6 -17.2% -16.0%
NOTE: both Soaps in Depth titles failed to report numbers for 2H2011.
TABLOIDS & SOAPS: long-
term decline continued, with
-11.2M loss in units (-17%) and
$-38.6M (-16%).
Despite losing almost 60% of
sales since 2005, the category
still accounts for 9% of overall
newsstand sales, twice as
much as any category other
than celebrity and womens.
Note: ABC Fas-Fax provides units sold per issue; our analysis combines units sold with cover price and frequency to
generate a total volume number for each title.
15. Category Notes: Womens
Unit Dollar Unit % Dollar %
Womens Units Dollars WOMENS SERVICE:
Var. Var. Var. Var.
WOMAN'S WORLD 61.4 $109.9 -4.4 -$7.8 -6.7% -6.7%
budget-priced
FIRST FOR WOMEN 17.9 $44.7 -0.8 -$1.9 -4.1% -4.1% Woman’s World
O, THE OPRAH MAGAZINE 5.8 $25.9 -1.4 -$6.3 -19.5% -19.5% ($1.79) and First For
FAMILY CIRCLE 7.9 $19.0 -1.4 $0.7 -14.7% 3.5% Women ($2.49) both
GOOD HOUSEKEEPING 4.0 $13.9 -0.6 -$2.2 -13.4% -13.4%
outpaced
WOMAN'S DAY 5.4 $13.8 -0.8 -$2.7 -13.3% -16.3%
MARTHA STEWART LIVING 2.6 $12.8 -0.3 -$1.7 -11.8% -11.8% competitors, all of
MORE 1.6 $6.5 -0.4 -$1.5 -18.5% -18.5% which suffered
REDBOOK 1.3 $5.2 -0.1 -$0.6 -10.0% -10.0% double-digit losses.
EBONY 1.3 $5.1 -0.2 -$0.6 -10.8% -10.8%
LADIES' HOME JOURNAL 1.7 $4.2 -0.2 -$0.4 -9.5% -9.5% BEAUTY: category-
WOMENS SERVICE (13 Titles) 110.8 $261.2 -10.6 -$25.2 -8.7% -8.8% leader Cosmopolitan
COSMOPOLITAN 18.4 $76.0 -0.9 -$7.6 -4.6% -9.0% solidified its
GLAMOUR 5.5 $22.1 -0.9 -$3.5 -13.8% -13.8%
position, with
MARIE CLAIRE 2.6 $9.2 -0.5 -$1.8 -15.2% -16.1%
ALLURE 1.7 $6.8 -0.1 -$0.5 -6.3% -6.3% smaller losses than
BEAUTY (7 Titles) 30.2 $126.2 -2.5 -$14.3 -7.7% -10.2% others.
HEALTH (18 Titles) 20.4 $91.1 -2.0 -$9.6 -8.8% -9.5%
IN STYLE 6.8 $29.3 -0.9 -$3.1 -11.3% -9.7%
FASHION: Vogue
PEOPLE STYLEWATCH 5.5 $21.9 -0.1 -$0.4 -2.0% -2.0% one of the few titles
VOGUE 4.3 $18.0 0.1 $0.5 2.9% 2.7% to post
ELLE 2.9 $12.5 -0.5 -$2.0 -13.8% -13.9% improvements in
HARPER'S BAZAAR 1.6 $6.5 -0.2 -$0.8 -11.1% -11.1%
units and dollars
FASHION (10 Titles) 22.6 $95.3 -1.5 -$6.0 -6.4% -5.9%
WOMENS (61 Titles) 195.0 $615.6 -16.3 -$55.4 -7.7% -8.3% (+3%).
All numbers in millions
Note: ABC Fas-Fax provides units sold per issue; our analysis combines units sold with cover price and frequency to
generate a total volume number for each title.
16. Category Notes: News
Several noteworthy news events (Osama Bin Laden capture, royal wedding and 9/11
anniversary) enabled a number of titles to post significant gains within the often
beleaguered category. Time increased units 225K (+6%) and retail dollars nearly $1.5M
(+7.5%). Harvard Business Review posted a 4th consecutive gain, adding 65K units
and $1.1M in retail dollars (+20%).
Dollar Unit % Dollar %
News Units Dollars Unit Var.
Var. Var. Var.
TIME 4,093 $20,662 227 $1,447 5.9% 7.5%
LA SEMAINE 2,433 $10,498 (216) -$794 -8.1% -7.0%
NEWSWEEK 1,825 $9,067 (228) -$3,145 -11.1% -25.8%
MACLEAN'S 1,328 $8,303 172 $1,320 14.9% 18.9%
L'ACTUALITE 395 $2,259 145 $773 58.0% 52.0%
FOREIGN AFFAIRS 196 $1,946 (7) -$74 -3.6% -3.6%
NEWS TITLE COUNT = 10 10,492 $53,545 (405) -$2,942 -3.7% -5.2%
ECONOMIST (N.A. EDITION) 2,416 $16,887 (291) -$2,034 -10.8% -10.8%
BARRON'S 1,491 $7,456 (290) -$1,452 -16.3% -16.3%
HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW 390 $6,605 65 $1,103 20.1% 20.1%
BLOOMBERG BUSINESSWEEK 786 $3,920 (172) -$856 -17.9% -17.9%
FORBES 545 $3,339 (18) -$36 -3.2% -1.1%
MONEY 641 $2,619 (23) -$92 -3.5% -3.4%
BUSINESS TITLE COUNT = 16 8,909 $54,774 (853) -$3,892 -8.7% -6.6%
NEWS / FINANCE (26 Titles) 19,402 $108,319 (1,259) -$6,834 -6.1% -5.9%
All numbers in thousands
Note: ABC Fas-Fax provides units sold per issue; our analysis combines units sold with cover price and frequency to
generate a total volume number for each title.
17. Category Notes: Mens
Unit Dollar Unit % Dollar %
Mens Units Dollars
Var. Var. Var. Var.
MEN'S HEALTH 4,097 20,446 -380 -1,894 -8.5% -8.5%
MUSCLE & FITNESS 1,016 7,098 -310 -2,167 -23.4% -23.4%
MEN'S FITNESS 833 4,155 -116 -581 -12.3% -12.3%
FLEX 414 2,894 -86 -601 -17.2% -17.2%
FITNESS TITLES 6,360 34,594 -892 -5,243 -12.3% -13.2%
MAXIM 2,662 15,943 -516 -3,089 -16.2% -16.2%
MEN'S JOURNAL 934 5,593 75 447 8.7% 8.7%
JET 2,592 5,158 -343 -683 -11.7% -11.7%
DETAILS 439 2,191 -60 -275 -12.0% -11.1%
MEN'S GENERAL 19,345 98,072 -2,629 -14,087 -12.0% -12.6%
GQ - GENTLEMEN'S QUARTERLY 2,072 10,338 -351 -1,442 -14.5% -12.2%
ESQUIRE 971 4,843 -142 -601 -12.8% -11.0%
MEN'S FASHION 3,042 15,181 -493 -2,043 -14.0% -11.9%
MEN'S TITLES 17,884 90,751 -2,554 -13,681 -12.5% -13.1%
All numbers in thousands
MENS: broad and deep losses, with all three sub-
categories suffering double-digit declines in both
units and dollars. Category lost -2.5M unit sales
and $-13M (-13%). Only Men’s Journal was able to
avoid losses, with an +8.7% gain in both units and
dollars.
Note: ABC Fas-Fax provides units sold per issue; our analysis combines units sold with cover price and frequency to
generate a total volume number for each title.
18. Category Notes: Teen
Dollar Unit % Dollar %
Category Units Dollars Unit Var.
Var. Var. Var.
J-14 2.4 $9.6 -0.5 -$2.1 -17.9% -17.9%
M 2.0 $7.9 -0.4 -$1.8 -18.3% -18.3%
TWIST 1.4 $5.7 -0.2 -$0.8 -12.2% -12.2%
POPSTAR! 0.8 $3.2 -1.2 -$4.8 -60.3% -60.3%
Celebrity Titles 6.6 $26.4 -2.4 -$9.5 -26.4% -26.4%
SEVENTEEN 3.1 $9.3 -0.3 -$0.9 -9.2% -9.2%
TEEN VOGUE 1.3 $3.9 -0.1 -$0.5 -5.2% -12.0%
Teen Titles 4.4 $13.2 -0.4 -$1.5 -8.1% -10.1%
TEEN/CHILDREN 11.4 $41.4 -2.8 -$11.3 -20.0% -21.5%
All numbers in millions
NOTE: POPSTAR! Did not report num bers for 2H2011
Once-thriving celebrity-driven
“Tween” titles now falling
precipitously, losing -2.8M units and
$-11M (-21%). Traditional Teen titles
fared better but still lost -8% units
and -10% dollars. No title posted
gains in either units or dollars.
Note: ABC Fas-Fax provides units sold per issue; our analysis combines units sold with cover price and frequency to
generate a total volume number for each title.
19. For more information, log into EDGE, CMG’s industry-
leading newsstand data portal:
http://billings:8080/businessobjects/enterprise115/des
ktoplaunch/InfoView/logon/logon.do
You’ll find comprehensive ABC data back to 2001,
with views by total volume and average per issue
including analysis by:
•Title
•Publisher
•Category
•National Distributor
•Total Circulation
•Long-Term Trends