Magazine ABCs: The top 100 at a glance, for last six months of 2012

There were some notable exceptions, not least Time Out which rocketed by nearly 500% after becoming a free magazine during the period.

Elsewhere, the content marketing publication for Morrisons continues to grow in popularity, up more than 10% period on period, to 1,299,813. Similar marketing titles for Asda and Tesco claim the top two spots, reaching just under two million people respectively.

Out of the top 10 magazines, five are actively purchased (or are included in a wider membership subscription). TV Choice retains its position as the UK’s leading actively purchased title, with 1.23m copies, but it is upmarket rival, Radio Times, which reported the biggest growth during the period, up 3.2% to 893,512.

Kathy Day, managing director of the Radio Times, said the brand had been in "very rude health" since becoming wholly owned by Immediate Media last year.

She noted: "This is the biggest period on period increase of any actively purchased UK magazine, and is clear demonstration of the power of investing in a well-executed editorial vision.

"This hugely successful period has also seen Radio Times retain its dual market leading positions as both the biggest selling UK weekly magazine by subscription and the UK’s most valuable magazine at newsstand."

Among the women’s lifestyle monthlies, Hearst's Cosmopolitan and Kelsey Publishing's Psychologies both suffered double-digit falls, tumbling 12.7% and 15.9% respectively.

However, among those to buck the trend and increase circulations during the period, although not year on year, were Hearst's Elle UK, IPC's licensed Marie Claire, and its stablemate, InStyle.

There was reason to cheer over at Mike Soutar’s ShortList Media too, where its free men’s weekly Shortlist recording its tenth consecutive ABC rise to 531,733, and its female counterpart, Stylist, its sixth to 433,482.

Meanwhile, Dennis Publishing's The Week managed its 29th consecutive circulation increase to 194,122. It is now the most enduring circulation riser out of all the UK's consumer magazines, after weekly business rival The Economist stopped gaining sales after a record 33 consecutive rises in this audit.

Title	% Actively purchased	Dec end 2012	Prd/prd % change	Year/year % change
Asda Magazine	0.0%	1,960,222	-0.2%	0.6%
Tesco Magazine	0.0%	1,949,173	0.9%	-3.4%
The National Trust Magazine	0.0%	1,948,313	N/A	0.0%
Morrisons Magazine	0.0%	1,299,813	10.8%	12.9%
TV Choice	100.0%	1,230,076	-3.7%	-5.7%
What's on TV	100.0%	1,222,242	0.5%	-2.5%
Tesco Real Food	0.0%	1,213,333	-0.8%	-0.6%
Radio Times	99.7%	893,512	3.2%	-3.4%
Take a Break	100.0%	749,526	-4.7%	-5.2%
Birds	0.0%	600,885	N/A	-1.3%
Saga Magazine	99.6%	591,223	-6.5%	-6.4%
Shortlist	0.0%	531,733	0.5%	1.0%
Pet People	0.0%	527,431	N/A	-0.7%
Virgin Media Magazine	0.0%	500,000	0.0%	25.0%
John Lewis Edition	0.0%	496,000	3.3%	2.3%
Asos.com	0.0%	456,973	N/A	4.4%
Slimming World Magazine	99.9%	447,456	6.5%	11.1%
Stylist	0.0%	433,482	0.5%	1.0%
Glamour	99.8%	424,077	-9.8%	-9.1%
Good Housekeeping	99.9%	409,326	0.2%	-8.7%
New!	100.0%	403,425	-8.2%	-21.0%
Emma's Diary Pregnancy Guide	0.0%	400,430	-0.6%	2.1%
Closer	99.3%	396,014	-8.1%	-15.2%
The Caravan Club Magazine	0.0%	368,170	N/A	-2.3%
The Garden	0.0%	365,502	1.6%	3.7%
Benhealth	0.0%	359,823	1.0%	1.9%
Waitrose Kitchen	0.0%	356,083	1.3%	0.6%
Woman & Home	98.2%	352,586	-0.3%	-7.2%
Chat	100.0%	348,126	-5.5%	-7.1%
OK! Magazine	98.8%	342,495	-3.8%	-11.8%
Heritage Today	0.0%	322,882	N/A	3.0%
Time Magazine - EMEA (excluding BI/SA)	71.5%	322,579	N/A	-1.4%
Woman's Weekly	99.9%	316,869	-3.3%	-7.5%
Legion	0.0%	310,473	N/A	-1.2%
Cosmopolitan	98.5%	308,482	-12.7%	-18.3%
Hello!	91.4%	305,567	-13.4%	-18.1%
Time Out	7.8%	305,530	485.3%	455.2%
Sport	0.0%	302,466	-1.1%	-0.7%
Village Life	0.0%	299,995	N/A	0.0%
That's Life	100.0%	294,467	-3.5%	-9.8%
National Geographic Magazine	97.2%	285,515	-3.1%	-5.5%
CSMA Club Magazine	0.0%	275,766	N/A	-2.2%
TV Times	99.9%	275,526	3.8%	-6.5%
BBC Good Food	99.8%	274,297	2.7%	-12.4%
Yours	92.5%	272,040	-3.1%	-3.8%
Shortlist Mode	0.0%	268,879	N/A	N/A
Camping and Caravanning	0.0%	267,184	N/A	0.1%
Heat	97.1%	261,715	-9.8%	-19.6%
Woman	100.0%	261,170	-6.5%	-7.4%
Prima	99.9%	256,053	-3.1%	-9.1%
Marie Claire	84.1%	255,333	0.1%	-4.3%
Star	100.0%	252,058	-12.6%	-29.9%
Reader's Digest	91.8%	244,902	-14.1%	-36.2%
Now	100.0%	240,061	-7.4%	-8.5%
Peoples Friend	99.9%	239,920	-4.0%	-6.8%
Sainsbury's Magazine	98.1%	238,115	-2.6%	-9.8%
Best	100.0%	236,430	-9.6%	-14.7%
The Economist - Continental Europe Edition	66.2%	234,827	-0.1%	-2.9%
Moshi Monsters Magazine	99.8%	231,811	1.7%	36.3%
Look	91.1%	225,296	-9.9%	-19.7%
Private Eye	99.0%	224,796	-0.6%	-1.5%
Woman's Own	99.2%	222,571	-4.1%	-7.4%
Bella	100.0%	218,340	-4.8%	-6.9%
Red	96.0%	217,806	-3.7%	-5.8%
WI life	0.0%	211,830	N/A	1.1%
Reveal	100.0%	211,620	-9.2%	-24.1%
The Economist - United Kingdom Edition	75.3%	210,386	0.0%	0.0%
Candis	92.8%	208,425	-6.8%	-7.1%
Vogue	94.5%	203,356	-0.8%	-3.5%
BBC Gardeners' World	99.5%	202,733	-20.4%	-6.4%
Men's Health	90.5%	202,704	-6.3%	-8.4%
Odeon Magazine	0.0%	200,200	-9.6%	11.3%
Elle (UK)	91.6%	194,253	2.5%	-0.4%
The Week	86.7%	194,121	1.4%	3.5%
Pick Me Up	100.0%	191,972	-9.8%	-21.0%
High Life	0.0%	191,681	1.3%	8.1%
Ideal Home	99.0%	190,481	-1.4%	-2.5%
Take a Break Series	100.0%	190,142	N/A	N/A
Country Living	99.9%	188,174	-1.1%	-1.8%
Grazia	95.0%	186,493	-1.9%	-9.2%
Real People	100.0%	185,623	-5.9%	-9.2%
Scotland in Trust	0.0%	184,219	N/A	2.4%
Weightwatchers Magazine	99.9%	170,873	-8.9%	-6.9%
Empire	99.5%	167,748	0.4%	0.4%
Instyle UK	84.4%	165,903	1.5%	-5.7%
TV & Satellite Week	99.9%	165,735	-1.7%	-4.5%
Specsavers Magazine	0.0%	165,203	N/A	N/A
Oxford Today	0.0%	159,230	N/A	-7.7%
Love It!	100.0%	156,004	-9.3%	-22.0%
Inside Soap	100.0%	150,765	-2.5%	-4.2%
BBC Top Gear Magazine	91.0%	150,136	-3.1%	-16.7%
Easy Living	97.0%	150,020	-8.5%	7.1%
TV Easy	100.0%	148,759	0.1%	-1.1%
The Economist - Asia Pacific Edition	69.9%	142,143	-0.8%	-3.0%
Puzzler Collection	99.9%	141,380	N/A	-6.0%
Full House	99.2%	138,158	-8.0%	-19.7%
Balance	0.0%	135,603	N/A	N/A
Time Magazine - British Isles (BI)	66.5%	135,145	N/A	5.3%
Ikea Family Live	0.0%	135,000	0.0%	0.2%
Your Home	96.5%	130,029	0.0%	-1.3%

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This article was first published on mediaweek.co.uk