In this edition, we share the Q4 ABC results with a view on newspapers and magazines and take a closer look at ABC trends for Magazines in the UK and what this means to South Africa.
ABC Q4 2025 Newspapers:
Overall Circulation Down: Total newspaper circulation declined by 2.5% in Q4 2025, despite stabilising trends. Daily Newspapers Showing Resilience: Daily titles saw slight upticks in circulation after a general downward trend earlier in the year.
Strong Local & Regional Interest: Several local newspapers posted double digit quarter-on-quarter increases, signalling continued community demand for local print.
ABC Q4 2025 Newspapers: Dailies up but total sector down
ABC Q4 2025 Magazines:
Sustained Growth Momentum: Q4 2025 marks the 8th consecutive quarter of year-on-year growth in magazine circulation.
Quarter-on-Quarter Increase: Circulation grew 3.9% from the previous quarter, signalling ongoing consumer engagement with print magazines.
Robust Year-on-Year Performance: Magazines posted 8.9% growth year-on year, a standout result in print media.
Custom & Niche Titles Driving Strength: A large part of this resilience comes from custom and niche magazine segments that attract dedicated readerships (e.g., sport, hobbies, retail etc.).
Print Magazine Resilience Narrative: These figures continue a broader trend of magazine recovery and stability, contrasting with other print segments while reaffirming relevance.
ABC Q4 2025 Magazines: 8th consecutive quarter of y-o-y growth as magazines show resilience
ABC UK Trend
UK Magazine ABC 2025: The Shift That Matters for SA Distribution
1 — Scale has shifted
Retail titles now dominate circulation: Tesco Magazine (1.5M), Waitrose Food (669k), while T V Choice (850k) leads paid.
2 — Mid-scale is the new normal
Most paid titles sit between 150k–400k (e. g. Good Housekeeping 375k, BBC Gardeners’ World 176k).
3 — Grow this niche-led
While weeklies decline, specialist titles are growing (Women’s Health +9%, Nat Geo Traveller +13%).
4 — Circulation is now hybrid
400M+ copies annually, with ⅓+ from subscriptions — print is only part of the picture.
(Source: ABC Consumer Media Report 2025)
OVERALL TAKEOUT
Magazines are no longer a volume game — they are a distribution-led, audience-focused medium.
For South Africa, the opportunity lies in aligning the right titles to the right environments, not just
maximising copies.
Sources: ABC Consumer Media Repor t 2025; Diar y Director y; InPublishing; Bauer Media UK
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