Magazines ABC Q4 2021: Signs of life for magazines?

The figures may have remained static or at a minimum increase, but they are there, and consistently so, while the categories appear to have sorted themselves out after the bloodletting of the past year.

"After substantial declines in 2020, there appears to be some stabilisation in the consumer magazine category with distribution numbers from 1,361,613 in Q3 2021 to 1,312,636 in Q4 2021 - a difference of 48,977," says the ABC.

However, the Clicks Clubcard magazine has seized print in favour of digital, and this has drastically impacted the Custom Magazine distribution category's figures negatively.

But, says the ABC, this is balanced by some good news. "Business-to-business publications is the hero of this quarter with growth of 7% quarter-on-quarter from 808,407 to 867,338, while the Free Magazine category is also up with 1% from Q3 2021, a growth of 502 in distribution."

Consumer magazines

Unlike Q3 where consumer magazines reflected very little increases as many magazines changed their reporting status, Q4 had pockets of good news in nearly every sector in this category.

Often, as in Q3, where there were no increases, there was a reporting change. The best sector was Sport & Hobby sector with three magazines out of five showing an increase over the previous quarter.

Publications that had an increase over the previous quarter in excess of 10% include The Big Issue, Farmer’s Weekly, Marktoe, Visi, Bike SA, Magnum and Cape Etc.

While there were some good gains in the prior year, most magazines showed a reporting change status.

B2B magazines

As so often, this category is a shining light. Over half the magazines in this category had an increase in the previous quarter. The best performing sector was Engineering – other with six of its eight magazines reflecting an increase over the previous quarter (with the other two showing a reporting change).

Sectors that reflected no increases in the previous quarter were Architecture, Communications and Hospitality, Catering & Tourism.

Generally, however, there were positive increases in the prior year, but many magazines still showed a reporting change status.

Standouts include SA Graan / Grain, The Specialist Forum Journal, and Pharmacy Magazine (former Frontshop).

Custom magazines

The Customs magazines category was lacklustre, as in Q3, with little movement up or down on the previous quarter. Yet, of the 15 sectors in the category, eight had magazines that showed an increase in the previous quarter.

Jet Club is the only magazine with a double-figure increase. There were no other standouts with other increases very incremental, ranging from 0.1% to 2.4%.

There were some good showings on the prior year for Premier, Game & Hunt/Wild & Jag, Taste, and In Flight Magazine, with a good sprinkling of reporting change status.

Free magazines

Get It (Jo'burg West), Get It (Northern Suburbs Joburg), and Get It (Pretoria) all increased over the previous quarter, while Get It (Jo'burg South) was the only magazine in this category to show a decrease over the previous quarter. The remaining five magazines in the category all remained flat on 0.0%.

Get It (Bloemfontein) had an over 50% increase on the prior year. Three magazines also had an increase in the prior year, but these were slight, one magazine remained on 0.0% and the rest showed losses.