NEWSPAPER SALES declined in the second half of 2010 for all Irish-owned daily and Sunday titles, according to the latest “Island of Ireland” survey published yesterday by the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC).
A similar picture also emerged in terms of readership, with most titles sold here recording a decline in 2010, according to a poll from the Joint National Readership Survey (JNRS).
Readership across the Irish morning market declined by an average 9.2 per cent.
ABC's figures showed that The Irish Timeshad a circulation of 102,543 between July and December 2010. This was down 4.1 per cent on the same period of the previous year.
The Irish Timeshad an average readership last year of 339,000, according to the JNRS. This was down 30,000, or 8.1 per cent, on 2009.
Circulation of the Irish Independentdeclined by 7.6 per cent in the second half of last year to 138,510, ABC's figures showed. Its average readership last year was 539,000, down 42,000 or 7.2 per cent.
The Irish Examinersaw its circulation fall by 6.3 per cent between July and December to 46,011 a day. Its average readership fell by 33,000 or 16 per cent to 175,000.
The Sunday Business Post, which along with the Examineris owned by Thomas Crosbie Holdings, recorded the steepest decline in circulation among Irish-owned national newspapers. It fell by 12.6 per cent year on year in the second half of 2010 to 45,696 a week. Readership of the Sunday Business Postfell to an average 187,000 in 2010 from 196,000 in the previous year.
The Sunday Independentswapped places with the Sunday World as the biggest-selling newspaper on that day, although both recorded circulation declines.
The circulation of the Sunday Independentfell by 5.2 per cent to 254,311, while the Sunday Worldwas down 7.1 per cent to 251,334.
The Sunday Independentshed an average 25,000 readers a week in 2010 but remained just above the 1 million mark.
The Sunday Worldincreased its readership last year in spite of falling sales – to 821,000 from 812,000 in 2009.
No ABC figure was published for the Sunday Tribune, which was placed into receivership at the beginning of this month by its main financial backer, Independent News Media.
But the JNRS figures showed that it recorded an average readership of 171,000 last year, down from 185,000 in 2009.
All of the British titles sold in Ireland recorded a decline in circulation, with the exception of the Irish Daily Mail.
The circulation of the Mail rose by just under 1 per cent to 49,389. But the Sunday version of the paper was down 1.4 per cent at 110,326.
The Daily Starhad an average daily circulation between July and December of 90,709, on the island of Ireland, a reduction of 7.1 per cent.
The Sunday Star, which ceased publishing an Irish edition recently, reported a 5.8 per cent drop in its weekly circulation to 52,752 in the second half of last year.
The Sunday Timeshad a circulation of 106,909 between July and December, down 6.6 per cent year on year.
In spite of the fall in sales, the average readership of the Sunday Timesincreased last year by 3,000 a week to 418,000.
British titles are not included in the “Island of Ireland” report. They feature in UK statistics which are produced by ABC on a monthly basis.
