The tricky problem of keeping up with the Times
Jack Zou
www.diecastingpartsupplier.com
2014-10-15 14:56:01
Serious newspapers often do seriously better in serious times, so the big month-on-month winners in
the dailies’ circulation struggle for September were the FT (up 3.3 on August) and the Guardian (up
1.63%). But year-on-year the Times (up 1.51%) is the only gainer, which poses a devilish question to
its competitors. No, it isn’t rigging the figures: full-rate sales as measured by ABC differ by only
six copies. It’s subscription sales, up 7,000, that make the difference. At which point, with too
little transparency on offer, you slither into the greyest, most contentious area of the lot. How does
Times print performance link with the 390,167 subscriptions it touts on its website? Can a virtuous
paywall bring success on both print and screen?
the dailies’ circulation struggle for September were the FT (up 3.3 on August) and the Guardian (up
1.63%). But year-on-year the Times (up 1.51%) is the only gainer, which poses a devilish question to
its competitors. No, it isn’t rigging the figures: full-rate sales as measured by ABC differ by only
six copies. It’s subscription sales, up 7,000, that make the difference. At which point, with too
little transparency on offer, you slither into the greyest, most contentious area of the lot. How does
Times print performance link with the 390,167 subscriptions it touts on its website? Can a virtuous
paywall bring success on both print and screen?