The number of people in Scotland who read The Scottish Sun has overtaken those who read its rival, the Daily Record, for the first time ever.
According to figures from the National Readership Survey, The Scottish Sun had an average 901,000 readers in Scotland over the 12 months from October last year to September this year – compared to the Record’s 871,000.
Although The Scottish Sun has long enjoyed a sales lead of the Record – stretching back four years – only within the last few months has it been reflected in the number of readers.
But the 12-month average disguises the fact that the Record was still ahead, as far as readers were concerned, until the final, June-September quarter.
For the Record, its readership during the 12 months previously (October 2008 to September 2009) averaged 1,021,000, while the corresponding figure for The Scottish Sun was 966,000.
Meanwhile, the number of readers in Scotland of the Sunday Mail – sister title to the Daily Record – was 1,056,000 (over the same 12 months, between October last year and September this year) compared to 720,000 for The Scottish Sun's sister title, the Scottish News of the World.
The number of readers in Scotland of the Daily Record and Sunday Mail together and The Scottish Sun and Scottish News of the World together is estimated to be 1,374,000 for the former pairing and 1,195,000 for the latter one.
The Record's current readership for Scotland and beyond is estimated to be 909,000.
According to the latest Audit Bureau of Circulation figures, sales of the Sun in Scotland during November averaged 338,246, while those of the Daily Record were 289,720.
