Weekly NDM Story ..

TV Choice sales hit five-year high as it benefits from closure of TV Pick

http://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/feb/13/tv-choice-magazine-sales-five-year-high

TV Choice has increased sales to a five-year high of almost 1.4 million, the biggest beneficiary among listings magazines from the demise of Richard Desmond's short-lived TV Pick. H Bauer-owned TV Choice, the most popular paid-for title in the UK, reported an average weekly sale of 1,374,813 in the six months to the end of December, the highest since the first half of 2008, according to the latest Audit Bureau of Circulations figures published on Thursday.

• This represented a sales surge of 7.2% compared to the first half of 2013 and 11.8% year-on-year.
• TV Choice appeared to be the biggest beneficiary of the demise of Northern & Shell's TV Pick, which closed in July after just 22 issues.
• Desmond's launch sparked a price war in the listings sector. TV Choice dropped from its usual 45p to as low as 20p at one point – with the H Bauer title putting on the sales boost while returning to its usual cover price.

"The legacy of the ill-fated TV Pick launch has only been a positive one for TV Choice," said publishing director Liz Watkinson. "Even as our cover price moved back up at the start of the autumn our readers, both new and existing, stayed with us." TV Choice's surge will leave executives at IPC Media, owner of the second biggest title, What's On TV, scratching their heads. In the space of 12 months What's On TV has gone from touching distance of overtaking its arch-rival (just 7,800 sales behind) to a 325,255 gap in average weekly sales in the second half of 2013.

• What's on TV lost 3.1% of sales period on period, and 14% year-on-year to 1,049,558.
• The title also had 1,571 digital edition sales, which are included as long as readers pay at least 20% of the print cover price, taking its total sale to 1,051,129.

"There has been a lot of upheaval in the value end of the TV market in the first half of 2013 and, whilst this has impacted slightly on the volume sales of What's on TV, we are delighted with the brand's performance and in particular that What's on TV was the biggest selling title at Christmas for the eighth consecutive year," said publishing director Angela O'Farrell.

• Immediate Media's Radio Times, the third biggest title in the sector, boosted sales 2.3% period on period to 812,543. Sales fell 6.9% year-on-year.
• IPC's TV Times, number four in TV listings, grew 2.6% period on period to 247,896. Sales dropped 7.7% year-on-year.
• TV Times also sold 217 digital editions taking its total circulation to 254,593.
• The biggest faller was IPC's TV Easy, which shed 24.4% of its sales year-on-year, and 7.9% period on period, to 112,472.
• TV Easy also sold 203 digital editions taking its total circulation to 112,675.
• The ABC has published combined magazine print and digital circulation figures for the first time in it latest report for the second half of last year.
• Digital editions, which must be an almost exact replica of the magazine, can be included as long as they are sold for at least 20% of the cover price of the print edition.