New figures from the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) have recorded a modest decrease in the sale of the Republic's largest selling title, the RTÉ Guide.

The figures, to the end of June, put the circulation at 104,455, down 1.7 per cent year-on-year. The small drop came after sales fell by 35 per cent since 1996.

A spokeswoman for RTÉ yesterday said the figures showed that the decline in circulation has halted. "This is a strong performance. The market has stabilised and it show the RTÉ Guide has a strong and loyal readership," she said. Figures for its main rival, TV Now, are not included in these figures.

The Sky Ireland magazine recorded an 11 per cent increase in circulation in that period to 348,136, according to ABC.

Other Irish magazines included were the new women's magazine Prudence, which recorded an ABC circulation figure of 15,145. A 16 per cent decline was recorded for In Dublin, with its ABC circulation figure falling to 28,327.

Business & Finance magazine, which is published every fortnight, recorded a 7 per cent increase in circulation to 10,498 compared to 9,827 in the same period last year. Commenting on the figures, its publisher, Ian Hyland, said he was delighted wih its progress. "We are delighted that we are now showing consistent year growth in sales of Business & Finance and expect to move closer to our overall goal of 15,000 in our next audit," he said.

In Britain, fierce competition for sales in Britain's "lad mag" category saw IPC Media's Nuts stay ahead of Emap's Zoo in the weekly category, while the pioneering monthly Loaded clawed its way to second place behind FHM. In women's magazines Emap's new weekly Grazia is selling more than 155,000 copies per issue, putting it ahead of mainstays such as Condé Nast's Glamour and National Magazine Company's Cosmopolitan in terms of total monthly sales.