Independent Media shows growth in ‘trying times’

Cape Town - Independent Media (IM) grew its share of the daily newspaper market by 3.2% and the weekend newspaper market by 1.6% compared to the same period last year.

These results were released by the Audited Bureau of Circulation (ABC), which measures newspapers and magazine performance.

In the past quarter, total circulation of South African newspapers declined marginally by 0.78%: daily newspapers declined by 2.6%, while weekly newspapers remained static and weekend newspapers declined by 3%.

Local newspapers’ circulation increased by a marginal 0.5%.

Five of IM’s daily newspapers showed solid performance in the period January to March 2016: Isolezwe, which grew by 4%, and The Star, which grew by 2%, were the strongest performers in the group.

The Pretoria News, Cape Argus and The Mercury showed marginal growth.

Four out of the six weekend newspapers which showed an increase were in the IM stable. The Saturday Star grew by an encouraging 3% while Independent on Saturday, Pretoria News Saturday and Weekend Argus each grew by 1%.

IM’s market strength was further reinforced by the solid performance of its magazine division, Conde Nast Independent, which showed an overall increase of 1.1% compared to the previous quarter: GQ was up by 2.6%, Glamour by 1% and House & Garden remained stable.

“Our market share increase is a testimony to our readers’ confidence in our publications. All kudos to our hard-working editorial teams for showing tenacity and commitment during this very trying time in the print media industry,” said Independent Media executive chairman Dr Iqbal Survé.

CAPE TIMES