The bite-size approach to newspaper reporting – as embodied by the 'i' newspaper – appears to be continuing in popularity in Scotland, according to the latest set of newspaper circulation figures.
According to the latest set of figures from the Audit Bureau of Circulation, sales in Scotland of the i during last month were up an average 52.7 per cent on 12 months previously. And not only that, the paper's month-on-month figure, from April to May, was up from an average 16,686 to an average 17,005.
That said, the paper's sister title, the Independent, suffered a year-on-year drop of 41.2 per cent in Scotland, one of the more dramatic drops among across-the-board declines in newspaper sales in the country.
However, some consolation will have been enjoyed by the Daily Star of Scotland and its Sunday sister, plus the Scottish Daily Express, the Sunday Mirror, the Daily Telegraph, the Scottish Mail on Sunday and Scotland on Sunday: their year-on-year drops contained a sales increase between April and last month.
Meanwhile, the relatively recently-launched The Scottish Sun on Sunday sold, last month, an average 224,861 copies. During April, it was an average 228,712.
In summary, the daily newspapers figures – issued at midday – concern sales in Scotland between May 2011 and last month and reveal the following:
Daily Mirror – 8.2 per cent drop = from 23,772 on average in May 2011, to 21,821 last month;
Daily Record – ten per drop = from 284,152 on average in May 2011, to 255,790 last month;
Daily Star of Scotland – 12.3 per cent drop = 67,773 to 59,432;
The Scottish Sun – 5.4 cent drop = 328,842 to 311,126;
Scottish Daily Express – nine per cent drop = 68,012 to 61,880;
Scottish Daily Mail – 9.2 per cent drop = 115,063 to 104,382;
Daily Telegraph – 10.4 per cent drop = 22,024 to 19,715;
Financial Times – 19.7 per cent drop = 3,763 to 3,021;
The Herald – 10.4 per cent drop = 50,247 to 44,974;
The Guardian – 12.5 per cent drop = 13,660 to 11,951;
i – 52.7 per cent up = 11,133 to 17,005;
Independent – 41.2 per cent drop = 7,920 to 4,657;
The Scotsman – 13 per cent drop = 40,736 to 35,472; and
The Times – 12.7 per cent drop = 21,509 to 18,774.
Meanwhile, the Sunday titles' sales figures in Scotland were as follows:
Daily Star of Scotland – Sunday – 66.8 per cent up = 24,655 to 41,146;
Sunday Mail – 12.1 per cent down = 330,761 to 290,546;
Sunday Mirror – 2.7 per cent down = 22,540 to 21,936;
The People – ten per cent down = 13,126 to 11,808;
Scottish Sunday Express – 1.2 per cent down = 35,634 to 35,200;
The Sunday Post – 11.8 per cent drop = 214,377 to 188,987;
Scottish Mail on Sunday – 10.5 per cent down = 103,218 to 92,363;
Independent on Sunday – 2.4 per cent down = 6,824 to 6,658;
The Observer – 8.2 per cent down = 17,559 to 16,119;
Scotland on Sunday – 11.1 per cent down = 51,752 to 45,993;
Sunday Herald – 13.6 per cent down = 32,189 to 27,783;
Sunday Telegraph – seven per cent down = 18,174 to 16,896; and
Sunday Times – 13.9 per cent down = 59,342 to 51,056.
