Subscribe & Follow
Jobs
- Journalist Intern Johannesburg
- Acount Manager Johannesburg
- Senior Media Sales Executive - OOH Johannesburg
- Multi Media Journalist | South Coast Sun Durban
- Paid Media Specialist Cape Town
- Editorial Intern - (Bona) Cape Town
- TV Media Research Analyst Johannesburg
- OOH Site Developer JHB, CT or DBN
- Journalist Ballito
- News Editor Ballito
ABC Q3 2023: A quarter marked by stability as magazines show resilience
Magazines, in general, demonstrated resilience with an overall decline of -2%. Consumer magazines, exhibiting a positive trend, increased by 1.28%, attributed to a 4% rise in free copies.
Business-to-business magazines faced a -2% decrease. Subscriptions in this segment, however, grew by 1%. The Custom Magazines category remained stable, reflecting a minor loss of -1.1%, while maintaining consistent trends across all distribution channels.
In light of these figures, the ABC says it is pleased to report a quarter marked by stability, demonstrating commendable resilience in the face of challenging media trading conditions. These results underscore the industry's adaptability and determination to navigate the evolving media landscape.
Consumer magazines
This category has five publications with double-digit increases on the previous quarter. It gained three new members but saw five discontinued, two resignations and two ceased publications.
Within the category, the sector Business & News had two of its three publications show increases on the previous quarter and on the prior year. Both, Financial Mail and Forbes continued their upward movement in Q2 on the previous quarter and prior year.
The Farming sector had three of its five publications up on the previous quarter, while the Parenting sector had two out of three publications with an increase on the previous quarter.
The Woman’s General sector, the biggest sector under consumer magazines, had only three publications with increases on the previous quarter and two on the prior year. This is an increase of one publication on Q2.
Arts, Culture and Heritage | |||||
Publication | Frequency | Free circulation | Total circulation | % change quarter | % change year |
Jewish Life | Mtly | 8,499 | 8,499 | -0.7% | -2.2% |
Val de Vie Magazine | 2xA | 7,900 | 8,959 | -39.9% | |
Business and News | |||||
Financial Mail | Wkly, Fr | 2,346 | 15,574 | 6.1% | 30.4% |
Forbes Africa | AltM | 3,853 | 10,255 | 1.4% | 12.3% |
The Big Issue Magazine | Mtly | 697 | 4,713 | -9.5% | -22.6% |
Conservation and Wildlife | |||||
African Birdlife | AltM | 1,490 | 7,456 | 4.3% | 16.0% |
Entertainment | |||||
TV Plus (Afrikaans) | F | 0 | Discontinued | ||
TV Plus (English) | F | 0 | Discontinued | ||
Family Interest | |||||
Huisgenoot | Wkly, Th | 3,546 | 91,071 | -4.7% | -20.3% |
LIG | 11xA | 545 | 13,602 | -4.0% | -11.8% |
Plus 50 | 6xA | 1,343 | 6,277 | 99.1% | 6.8% |
Spot-On (Formerly known as Spotong) | AltM | 0 | Ceased publishing | ||
The Crest | 7xA | 0 | Discontinued | ||
The Ridge | 8xA | 0 | Discontinued | ||
You | Wkly, Th | 2,608 | 45,760 | -3.9% | -22.1% |
Farming | |||||
Farmer's Weekly | Wkly, Fr | 640 | 5,399 | -2.7% | -20.2% |
Grond tot Mond | Q | 32,019 | 32,019 | 4.5% | 369.1% |
Landbouweekblad | Wkly, Th | 16 | 14,689 | 2.7% | 33.2% |
Marktoe! | Mtly | 13,701 | 13,701 | 0.2% | 0.8% |
Veeplaas. | 11xA | 0 | Changed Sector | ||
Health & Wellbeing | |||||
Grow to Eat | 3xA | 5,718 | 14,525 | No Issue | Reporting Change |
Home | |||||
Conde Nast House & Garden | Mtly | 4,010 | 9,258 | -14.5% | -22.9% |
Easy DIY | Q | 0 | Resigned | ||
Food&Home Magazine | Q | 3,961 | 14,830 | -0.1% | New Member |
Lose It, | Q | 230 | 8,908 | No Issue | 5.2% |
SA Home Owner | 11xA | 5,040 | 18,083 | -6.5% | -7.7% |
Sarie Kos / Food | Q | 1,380 | 12,515 | -3.3% | -17.9% |
The Gardener / Die Tuinier | Mtly | 9,545 | 24,958 | 13.6% | -1.0% |
Tuis Home | 8xA | 3,385 | 57,114 | -3.5% | -14.4% |
Visi | 6xA | 1,146 | 9,671 | -13.7% | -29.4% |
Leisure | |||||
Let’s Braai / Kom ons Braai (former The Ultimate Braai) | Ann | 5,832 | 13,080 | No Issue | Reporting Change |
Life & Style. | 4xA | 0 | Resigned | Suspended | New Member |
Silver Digest | 4xA | 0 | Terminated | No Issue | Reporting Change |
Male | |||||
GQ | 5xA | 2,262 | 2,960 | -40.9% | -45.6% |
Men's Health | 6xA | 1,889 | 15,958 | -1.0% | No Issue |
Popular Mechanics | Mtly | 0 | Ceased Publishing | ||
Motoring | |||||
Car | Mtly | 10,983 | 33,104 | -10.6% | -21.4% |
Driven Magazine | Mtly | 6,892 | 6,892 | -8.0% | -5.5% |
Parenting | |||||
Baba & Kleuter | Q | 0 | 10,509 | 2.9% | -23.3% |
Baby's and Beyond | Q | 7,442 | 9,202 | -7.1% | -11.5% |
Your Pregnancy and Baby | AltM | 1,715 | 5,584 | 16.9% | -4.3% |
Sport and Hobby | |||||
Compleat Golfer | Mtly | 5,624 | 9,151 | 17.9% | 20.3% |
Magnum | 8xA | 0 | Resigned | Resigned | |
SA Rugby | Mtly | 2,431 | -16.3% | -31.4% | |
Travel, Tourism & Hospitality | |||||
Cape Etc | 3xA | 5,363 | 7,467 | 2.6% | No Issue |
Getaway | Mtly | 2,638 | 11,928 | -5.2% | -23.5% |
go! Drive & Camp and Weg! Ry & Sleep | AltM | 185 | 22,515 | -9.0% | -21.6% |
Weg / Go Platteland | Q | 320 | 16,051 | -4.8% | -16.2% |
Weg/Go | AltM | 195 | 41,182 | -8.8% | -14.5% |
Woman's General | |||||
BONA Magazine | Mtly | 5,150 | 14,210 | 0.0% | -17.8% |
Fairlady | AltM | 3,109 | 30,203 | 5.5% | 3.4% |
Garden & Home Magazine | Mtly | 4,868 | 14,111 | -0.4% | -19.7% |
Glamour, | Q | 8,451 | 10,292 | -16.8% | -23.1% |
Kuier | F | 77 | 46,255 | -4.2% | -17.9% |
Rooi Rose Magazine | Mtly | 7,447 | 29,290 | -0.7% | 3.7% |
Sarie | AltM | 4,534 | 55,702 | -5.8% | -17.8% |
True Love | AltM | 60 | 12,628 | 24.5% | -6.2% |
Women & Home Magazine | Mtly | 4,187 | 22,106 | -15.7% | -23.4% |
Women's Health | 6xA | 4,515 | 16,385 | 5.3% | No Issue |
Woman's Special | |||||
Wedding Guide | Ann | 0 | No Issue | New Member |
B2B magazines
The three biggest sectors Industry (11 publications), Management (10 publications), Mining and Quarrying (10 publications), all had less than half of their publications show an increase on the previous quarter and prior year.
The Mining and Quarrying sector had four publications increase on the previous quarter and the prior year, Management had three on the previous quarter and one on the prior year.
While Industry had three on the previous quarter and two on the prior year, it also had five no issues. It did gain a new member and one publication changed sector.
The best-performing publication is Stockfarm from the Agricultural sector, followed by MIMS from the Health and Wellbeing sector, and then, also from the Agriculture sector, Veeplaas, all showing double figure increases on the previous quarter.
Unfortunately, these three are the only publications in double-figure increases in the B2B category.
Stockfarm and Veeplaas have consistently increased from Q1.
The engineering sectors all fared well again. Six of the eight publications in the Engineering - Other sector, had increases on the previous quarter, with seven up on the prior year. Water & Sanitation Africa changed publisher.
Agricultural | |||||
Publication | Frequency | Free circulation | Total circulation | % change quarter | % change year |
OVK Nuus/News.: | 4xA | 4,755 | 4,755 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
SA Graan / Grain | Mtly | 20,981 | 20,981 | -1.6% | 0.1% |
Stockfarm | Mtly | 6,097 | 10,582 | 28.1% | 57.2% |
Veeplaas | Mtly | 6,675 | 11,102 | 17.1% | Changed Sector |
Wineland | Mtly | 3,107 | 3,180 | -0.3% | -0.4% |
Architecture | |||||
Leading Architect & Design.: | AltM | 5,769 | 5,811 | -12.7% | -12.8% |
SA Building Review.: | Ann | 0 | No Issue | ||
To Build.: | 4xA | 8,950 | 9,806 | -0.4% | -0.4% |
Automotive | |||||
Taxi Guardian | Mtly | 0 | Terminated | ||
Civil Construction | |||||
Construction World | Mtly | 17,195 | 17,195 | 3.9% | 9.4% |
IMIESA | 11xA | 0 | Changed Publisher | ||
Spec Handbooks.: | Ann | 28,421 | 28,426 | No Issue | 43.1% |
Communications | |||||
Future SA | 4xA | 0 | |||
SA Profile.: | Ann | 0 | No Issue | ||
Service | Q | 4,965 | 4,965 | 0.0% | No Issue |
Electrical Engineering | |||||
Electricity & Control | Mtly | 13,879 | 13,879 | 1.8% | 6.5% |
ESI Africa.: | Q | 4,772 | 4,772 | No Issue | Reporting Change |
Sparks Electrical News | Mtly | 14,924 | 14,924 | 3.3% | 7.9% |
Engineering - Other | |||||
Capital Equipment News | Mtly | 13,711 | 13,711 | 2.1% | 8.0% |
Dataweek | Mtly | 2,915 | 2,915 | 3.8% | 5.2% |
MechChem Africa..: | AltM | 10,703 | 10,703 | 3.0% | 3.3% |
Motion Control.: | Q | 2,021 | 2,021 | -4.3% | 1.4% |
Plumbing Africa | Mtly | 13,497 | 13,559 | 3.8% | 41.4% |
Refrigeration and Airconditioning | Mtly | 8,081 | 8,092 | -0.2% | 19.1% |
SA Instrumentation & Control | Mtly | 4,201 | 4,201 | 2.0% | 1.1% |
Water & Sanitation Africa.: | AltM | 0 | Changed Publisher | ||
Health and Wellbeing | |||||
Hi-Tech Security Solutions | 8xA | 3,850 | 3,850 | -11.1% | -6.7% |
MDR Medical Desk Reference.: | Ann | 0 | No Issue | ||
Medical Chronicle | 11xA | 28,165 | 28,165 | -4.2% | 5.9% |
MIMS | Mtly | 0 | 3,262 | 22.4% | -12.2% |
Modern Medicine Magazine..: | AltM | 2,996 | 3,463 | -13.0% | -4.5% |
South African Pharmaceutical & Cosmetic Review | 11xA | 2,976 | 2,989 | 2.2% | 3.1% |
The Specialist Forum Journal | 11xA | 22,570 | 22,570 | -7.9% | 2.4% |
Hospitality, Catering and Tourism | |||||
Meetings | AltM | 0 | Changed Publisher | ||
The Meetings & Event Planner (former SA Conference Directory).: | Ann | 0 | Changed Publisher | Reporting Change | |
Industry | 0 | 0 | |||
Analytical Reporter.: | AltM | 5,100 | 5,100 | -7.4% | -6.3% |
Cold Link Africa.: | AltM | 3,440 | 3,445 | 6.0% | -14.7% |
Eastern Cape Business...: | Ann | 0 | No Issue | ||
KwaZulu Natal Business...: | Ann | 0 | No Issue | ||
Lighting in Design..: | Q | 7,780 | 7,780 | 2.9% | 12.9% |
Mpumalanga Business.,.: | Ann | 0 | No Issue | No Issue | |
Northern Cape Business...: | Ann | 0 | No Issue | ||
Opportunity (Exploring Business Prospects in SA).: | Q | 0 | |||
Resource..: | Q | 0 | Changed Publisher | ||
South African Food Review | 11xA | 3,804 | 3,838 | 2.0% | 1.6% |
The Journal of African Business | Q | 4,964 | 4,964 | -0.1% | New Member |
Information and Computer Technology | |||||
Brainstorm | 11xA | 4,456 | 9,250 | 3.7% | 16.4% |
Management | |||||
African Decisions.: | Q | 10,613 | 12,039 | -6.2% | 5.1% |
Black Business Quarterly.: | Q | 38,675 | 38,895 | 5.2% | -17.8% |
Blue Chip,.: | Q | 0 | |||
Business Day Earth | Ann | 0 | New Member | ||
Business Day Empowerment | Ann | 0 | New Member | ||
FA News..: | AltM | 2,734 | 2,897 | 0.1% | -0.7% |
KZN Invest.: | Q | 0 | Discontinued | ||
Leadership.: | Mtly | 37,888 | 38,073 | 1.1% | -8.9% |
Money Marketing | Mtly | 6,530 | 6,532 | -9.8% | -12.2% |
South African Business Intergrator.: | 2xA | 8,789 | 9,848 | -0.2% | -0.6% |
Mining & Quarrying | |||||
African Mines Handbook.: | Ann | 0 | No Issue | Reporting Change | |
African Mining Brief.: | AltM | 0 | Terminated | ||
African Mining Inc. Mining Mirror | 11xA | 29,132 | 29,206 | 4.6% | 39.2% |
Earthbroker | Mtly | 5,382 | 5,382 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
Engineering News & Mining Weekly | Wkly, Fr | 11,976 | 14,692 | 8.0% | 12.8% |
Inside Mining | Q | 0 | Discontinued | ||
Mining Business Africa | 6xA | 0 | Terminated | ||
Mining Review Africa. | 11xA | 4,676 | 4,676 | -5.5% | No Issue |
Modern Mining | Mtly | 14,675 | 14,675 | 3.1% | 11.7% |
Modern Quarrying.: | Q | 6,992 | 6,992 | 3.2% | 5.6% |
Retail | |||||
DIY And Industrial Trade News | Mtly | 10,092 | 10,092 | -2.0% | -3.2% |
Pharmacy Magazine (former Frontshop) | Mtly | 18,871 | 18,871 | 2.1% | 9.9% |
Transport and Logistics | |||||
Freight News Features | Mtly | 5,574 | 5,780 | 2.8% | -1.7% |
Custom magazines
Across the 13 sectors in the Custom Magazines category, only eight had increases on the previous quarter, with Dairy Mail in the Farming sector, the only publication in double figures.
That said, in the Home sector, My Kitchen showed a good increase on the previous quarter and a double figure increase on the prior year.
In the In-Flight sector and the Male sector, In Flight Magazine and Male both increased on the previous quarter and a double figure increase on the prior year.
Both publications under the youth sector had good increases on the prior year.
Farming | |||||
Publication | Frequency | Free circulation | Total circulation | % change quarter | % change year |
Dairy Mail, The. | Mtly | 1,323 | 1,327 | 23.1% | 18.4% |
Health & Wellbeing | |||||
Fitlife. | Mtly | 0 | Ceased Publishing | ||
SA Pharmaceutical Journal..: | 10xA | 0 | No Issues | Reporting Change | |
South African Medical Journal | Mtly | 8,640 | 8,816 | -0.7% | Suspended |
Home | |||||
Fresh Living .: | Q | 0 | Resigned | ||
Living Space.. | Mtly | 432 | 39,005 | -0.6% | 5.5% |
My Kitchen.. | Mtly | 720 | 82,659 | 7.7% | 16.7% |
Industry Specific | |||||
Forum Tydskrif.: | Q | 0 | Resigned | ||
J S E.: | Q | 12,913 | 14,492 | -11.2% | -5.8% |
Sea Rescue.: | 3xA | 16,947 | 16,947 | -15.0% | -8.2% |
Servamus | Mtly | 50 | 7,165 | -3.0% | -16.0% |
In-flight | |||||
In Flight Magazine | Mtly | 38,489 | 38,489 | 4.5% | 28.1% |
Leisure | |||||
Private Edition.: | Q | 9,372 | 9,372 | 2.0% | 2.3% |
Taste. | AltM | 896 | 33,173 | -2.7% | -5.9% |
Male | |||||
Man | Mtly | 500 | 63,024 | 4.9% | 22.2% |
Tech.. | Mtly | 400 | 32,650 | -8.4% | 5.8% |
Motoring | |||||
Motor.. | Mtly | 0 | Ceased Publishing | ||
Retail | |||||
Club Magazine | Mtly | 7,000 | 250,445 | -1.5% | -5.3% |
Jet Club.: | 7xA | 0 | Outstanding Audit | ||
Sport and Hobby | |||||
Game & Hunt/Wild & Jag | Mtly | 66,902 | 68,271 | -0.2% | 2.6% |
SA Hunter/Jagter..: | 8xA | 0 | Resigned | ||
Soccer Club | Mtly | 500 | 53,013 | 4.1% | 12.0% |
Sports Club. | Mtly | 513 | 104,863 | 0.7% | 16.5% |
Travel, Tourism & Hospitality | |||||
Escapes | Mtly | 0 | Ceased Publishing | ||
Premier | Mtly | 7,940 | 7,940 | 0.7% | 0.7% |
Rove SA.: | 4xA | 8,199 | 10,198 | -3.6% | -3.1% |
Woman's General | |||||
Balanced Life | Mtly | 300 | 48,256 | -3.1% | -1.6% |
Youth | |||||
ClubX | Mtly | 500 | 104,655 | -2.7% | 13.0% |
Kids Super Club. | Mtly | 490 | 71,319 | -1.8% | 8.5% |
Free magazines
A better quarter for this category, with six of its nine publications showing increases on the previous quarter and the rest holding steady, with no increase or decrease.
Publication | Frequency | Total circulation | % change quarter | % change year |
Botswana Advertiser. | F | 99,965 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
Get It (Ballito to Umhlanga) | Mtly | 11,983 | 0.1% | 0.2% |
Get It (Bloemfontein) | Mtly | 6,890 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
Get It (Highway) | Mtly | 11,877 | 0.1% | 3.4% |
Get It (Jo'burg South) | Mtly | 14,750 | 0.1% | -0.3% |
Get It (Jo'burg West) | Mtly | 13,789 | 3.2% | -1.6% |
Get It (Lowveld) | Mtly | 6,200 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
Get It (Northern Suburbs Joburg) | Mtly | 14,657 | 0.8% | -1.6% |
Get It (Pretoria) | Mtly | 14,609 | 0.1% | -1.6% |
(Tables credit: Andre Rademan)