NRS has produced a series of trend charts, showing readership estimates and circulation data since 2004. Click on the menu above to select a title.
The charts show that for a very large majority of titles on NRS, there is a close correlation between readership and circulation over time. The conclusion is that NRS estimates provide as reliable an indication of readership trends as ABC data provides trends of circulation.
There are a number of examples where readership appears to be following a different trend to circulation for all or part of the 10-year period. There are many reasons why in certain circumstances readership and circulation will diverge, including:
- Measurement factors (e.g. NRS sample variation)
- Sudden shifts in circulation
- Methods of distribution
- Seasonal factors
- Changes in editorial format or content
- Heavy promotional activity
- Launch or closure of competitive titles
- Impact of digital media
There is a separate chart for each title: select a title at the top of the page to view the chart. Each chart plots Average Issue Readership (All Adults) and Circulation (UK only, or UK & Eire, whichever is available) across the period 2004-2013.
Each chart has two vertical axes, the left one for readership, and the right one for circulation. These axes are scaled in such a way that the readership and circulation plot-lines both appear in the same area of the chart, so that any period-on-period changes in either can be easily seen and visually compared.
NB For the purpose of this exercise, the full ABC figures have been entered into the spreadsheets for plotting the circulation trends and calculating the readers-per-copy, but the circulation figures displayed in the tables have been rounded to the nearest whole 1,000. For the actual certified ABC figures, please visit the ABC website at www.abc.org.uk
If you have any questions about these charts and their findings, please contact NRS Ltd.
