THE Scottish Sun on Sunday registered an average sale last month of 238,017 – down by around 85,000 on its launch issue in February, of 323,000, but placing it around the figure of the now defunct Scottish News of the World, which, last March, had an average sale of 244,789.
The News of the World was closed in July, amid allegations of phone-hacking and The Scottish Sun on Sunday, published by the same company, emerged less a new News of the World and more a Sunday version of The Sun.
Among the papers to immediately benefit from the demise of the News of the World were the Daily Star of Scotland – Sunday, the Sunday Mail, the Sunday Mirror, The People and the Scottish Sunday Express.
Says the Audit Bureau of Circulation today, of those, the Sunday Mail – which lost its title for a week as the biggest-selling newspaper in Scotland when The Scottish Sun on Sunday was launched – its year-on-year sales in Scotland figure, between March 2011 and last month, was down by 12.6 per cent, from 339,871 to 296,874.
During February, its average sale in Scotland stood at 347,541, meaning a shedding of around 51,000 between February and last month.
Last month, the Daily Star of Scotland – Sunday had an average sale in Scotland of 41,562, 77.2 per cent up on 12 months’ previously, but down on its February average of 53,912.
Similarly, last month, the Sunday Mirror had an average sale in Scotland of 21,259, down 2.5 per cent on 12 months’ previously and also down on its February average of 36,391.
In a similar vein, The People last month had an average sale in Scotland of 12,129, down 8.3 per cent on 12 months’ previous and also down on its February figure of 20,540.
And, again last month, the Scottish Sunday Express had an average sale in Scotland of 33,934, down 1.1 per cent on 12 months’ previously and also down on its February figure of 37,319.
Also among the figures issued by the ABC, the Sunday Herald dipped below the 30,000 mark, its sales in Scotland during last month registering an average 29,362.
In summary, the daily newspapers figures – issued at midday – concern sales in Scotland between March 2011 and last month and reveal the following:
Daily Mirror – 7.1 per cent drop = from 23,461 on average in March 2011, to 22,802 last month;
Daily Record – 9.5 per drop = from 288,717 on average in March 2011, to 261,081 last month;
Daily Star of Scotland – 11 per cent drop = 68,397 to 60,878;
The Scottish Sun – 4.5 cent drop = 329,795 to 314,726;
Scottish Daily Express – 10.5 per cent drop = 66,516 to 59,481;
Scottish Daily Mail – 2.6 per cent drop = 109,945 to 107,026;
Daily Telegraph – 6.3 per cent drop = 19,892 to 18,813;
Financial Times – 16.8 per cent drop = 3,815 to 3,173;
The Herald – 9.4 per cent drop = 50,444 to 45,660;
The Guardian – 11 per cent drop = 13,287 to 11,826;
i – 46.3 per cent up = 11,293 to 16,526;
Independent – 32.2 per cent drop = 7,780 to 5,275;
The Scotsman – 10 per cent drop = 40,864 to 36,797; and
The Times – 12.1 per cent drop = 20,790 to 18,274.
Meanwhile, the Sunday titles’ sales figures in Scotland were as follows:
Daily Star of Scotland – Sunday – 77.2 per cent up = 23,443 to 41,562;
Sunday Mail – 12.6 per cent down = 339,871 to 296,874;
Sunday Mirror – 2.5 per cent down = 21,797 to 21,259;
The People – 8.3 per cent down = 13,228 to 12,129;
Scottish Sunday Express – 1.1 per cent down = 34,317 to 33,934;
The Sunday Post – 9.9 per cent drop = 219,459 to 197,783;
Scottish Mail on Sunday – 0.4 per cent up = 93,453 to 93,862;
Independent on Sunday – 3.8 per cent down = 6,616 to 6,364;
The Observer – 8.5 per cent down = 17,335 to 15,863;
Scotland on Sunday – 19 per cent down = 54,020 to 43,790;
Sunday Herald – 5.3 per cent down = 30,999 to 29,362;
Sunday Telegraph – 4.3 per cent down = 17,192 to 16,459; and
Sunday Times – 11.8 per cent down = 57,565 to 50,777.
