The free excuses no longer work
Wemf circulation statistics I: Newspaper market All major daily newspapers suffered a sharp drop in circulation last year.
Wemf circulation statistics I: Newspaper market All major daily newspapers suffered a sharp drop in circulation last year, with the latest circulation figures for Swiss daily and weekly newspapers down by tens of thousands of copies according to the latest Wemf survey. Blick alone lost 5.5 percent of its circulation, Tages-Anzeiger 6.2 percent. Only a few titles were able to achieve modest growth. Only Der Landbote provided a surprise: under severe pressure from 20 Minuten in its home region of Winterthur, it was not only able to maintain its circulation, but increase it (+2.8 %). According to Wemf AG für Werbemedienforschung, the major titles lost a total of over 100,000 copies last year. For the first time, the big circulation hemorrhage is no longer attributable solely to the free newspapers. As expected, this time it is the Sunday market that has been shaken up by the NZZ am Sonntag (NZZaS). The circulation figures of SonntagsBlick and SonntagsZeitung, which have been stable for years, have collapsed for the first time: Both lost around 43000 copies combined. And what is particularly surprising is that the biggest losses were not suffered by SonntagsZeitung, as was almost unanimously assumed in advance, but by SonntagsBlick (minus 24,000 copies).
"Of course we knew that we wouldn't be completely spared by the NZZaS either. When there are so many free copies on the market, it leaves its mark on everyone," explains Bernhard Weissberg, Head of Newspapers at Ringier. He attributes the fact that his paper has become the unexpected loser on the Swiss-German Sunday newspaper market to the bleak economy. "When people cut back, it's poison for newspapers, which have to sell a large proportion of their copies at newsstands and in boxes."
NZZaS did not hurt so much
According to Tamedia newspaper boss Jürg Brauchli, only a good half of the 19,000 lost SonntagsZeitungs copies are on the NZZaS account: "Because of the uncertainties with Swiss, we no longer had their copies authenticated." In addition, a switch to "sustainable editions" has been initiated (see also page 23). "We are reducing the trial subscriptions and focusing on one or, if possible, two-year subscriptions."
Ringier was shaken up even more. Blick's losses exceeded those of the Tages-Anzeiger by over 2000 copies. This slump means that Blick has fallen below the 300,000 mark for the first time in many years. Only SonntagsBlick remains above this magic threshold.
The Giornale del Popolo has recorded a significant decline: the Ticino daily newspaper has lost almost a quarter of its circulation. Publishing director Matteo Oleggini also links the loss to the newspaper's separation from the diocese of Lugano. Under the new ownership constellation, the circulation has been "tidied up" and a stronger focus has been placed on "sustainability".
After the circulation losses of the commuter newspapers, the losses of the print titles are now home-made.
Two or three years ago, the circulation of the business press shot up in step with share prices - now the massive loss of confidence in the economy and the stock market is hitting these titles with astonishing force. The five most important business publications in German-speaking Switzerland have seen a combined decline of over 30,000 copies. In total, a decline of over 15 percent. Bilanz and Cash suffered particularly drastic losses - over 7,000 copies each. Financial publications such as Stocks and Finanz und Wirtschaft also lost circulation like never before. With a drop of 2,500 copies, HandelsZeitung fared the least badly. (dse)
Tops and flops(deviation from previous year in %)
Slow motion +11.4
Weltwoche +7.2
PCtip +7.1
HealthConsultation +6.0
Cucina di Stagione +3.3
Bieler Tagblatt +3.2
Fit for Life +2.9
The Landbote +2.8
Swiss family +2.7
We parents +2.6
Basler Zeitung -5.0
Le Matin Dimanche -5.2
View -5.5
Pegasus -6.0
Tages-Anzeiger -6.2
Revue Automobile -6.4
WoZ weekly newspaper -7.0
HandelsZeitung -7.1
SonntagsBlick -7.1
Automobile Review -7.3
The best -7.3
Sélection -7.8
Pulse tip -8.3
SonntagsZeitung -8.6
Cash -11.0
Finance and economy -12.1
Balance sheet -14.6
Bolero -17.0
You -19.3
Stocks -21.7
Facts -22.4
Giornale del Popolo -24.3
Annabelle -26.3
Dimanche.ch takes a break
The Sunday market in French-speaking Switzerland is going its own way: After Le Matin Dimanche, Dimanche.ch has also discontinued home delivery - but at the same time doubled the number of sales boxes. In this context, Ringier Romandie's Sunday paper does not intend to notarize again until next year, "once the Wemf rules for calculating the number of copies sold in boxes in particular have been changed", Ringier Communications states. However, the Dimanche.ch print run of 6,7,700 copies "only" confirmed by a notary this time is close to the Wemf counting method. (dse)
Daniel Schifferle
"Of course we knew that we wouldn't be completely spared by the NZZaS either. When there are so many free copies on the market, it leaves its mark on everyone," explains Bernhard Weissberg, Head of Newspapers at Ringier. He attributes the fact that his paper has become the unexpected loser on the Swiss-German Sunday newspaper market to the bleak economy. "When people cut back, it's poison for newspapers, which have to sell a large proportion of their copies at newsstands and in boxes."
NZZaS did not hurt so much
According to Tamedia newspaper boss Jürg Brauchli, only a good half of the 19,000 lost SonntagsZeitungs copies are on the NZZaS account: "Because of the uncertainties with Swiss, we no longer had their copies authenticated." In addition, a switch to "sustainable editions" has been initiated (see also page 23). "We are reducing the trial subscriptions and focusing on one or, if possible, two-year subscriptions."
Ringier was shaken up even more. Blick's losses exceeded those of the Tages-Anzeiger by over 2000 copies. This slump means that Blick has fallen below the 300,000 mark for the first time in many years. Only SonntagsBlick remains above this magic threshold.
The Giornale del Popolo has recorded a significant decline: the Ticino daily newspaper has lost almost a quarter of its circulation. Publishing director Matteo Oleggini also links the loss to the newspaper's separation from the diocese of Lugano. Under the new ownership constellation, the circulation has been "tidied up" and a stronger focus has been placed on "sustainability".
After the circulation losses of the commuter newspapers, the losses of the print titles are now home-made.
Two or three years ago, the circulation of the business press shot up in step with share prices - now the massive loss of confidence in the economy and the stock market is hitting these titles with astonishing force. The five most important business publications in German-speaking Switzerland have seen a combined decline of over 30,000 copies. In total, a decline of over 15 percent. Bilanz and Cash suffered particularly drastic losses - over 7,000 copies each. Financial publications such as Stocks and Finanz und Wirtschaft also lost circulation like never before. With a drop of 2,500 copies, HandelsZeitung fared the least badly. (dse)
Tops and flops(deviation from previous year in %)
Slow motion +11.4
Weltwoche +7.2
PCtip +7.1
HealthConsultation +6.0
Cucina di Stagione +3.3
Bieler Tagblatt +3.2
Fit for Life +2.9
The Landbote +2.8
Swiss family +2.7
We parents +2.6
Basler Zeitung -5.0
Le Matin Dimanche -5.2
View -5.5
Pegasus -6.0
Tages-Anzeiger -6.2
Revue Automobile -6.4
WoZ weekly newspaper -7.0
HandelsZeitung -7.1
SonntagsBlick -7.1
Automobile Review -7.3
The best -7.3
Sélection -7.8
Pulse tip -8.3
SonntagsZeitung -8.6
Cash -11.0
Finance and economy -12.1
Balance sheet -14.6
Bolero -17.0
You -19.3
Stocks -21.7
Facts -22.4
Giornale del Popolo -24.3
Annabelle -26.3
Dimanche.ch takes a break
The Sunday market in French-speaking Switzerland is going its own way: After Le Matin Dimanche, Dimanche.ch has also discontinued home delivery - but at the same time doubled the number of sales boxes. In this context, Ringier Romandie's Sunday paper does not intend to notarize again until next year, "once the Wemf rules for calculating the number of copies sold in boxes in particular have been changed", Ringier Communications states. However, the Dimanche.ch print run of 6,7,700 copies "only" confirmed by a notary this time is close to the Wemf counting method. (dse)
Daniel Schifferle
