Paid subs down 3.25% for first 6 months of 2009 according to ABC

The latest Fas-Fax data from the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) -- which tends to represent the larger circulation titles in the marketplace -- says that Hello! Canada enjoyed a circulation increase of more than 15% in the first six months of 2009, mostly made up of 66% in subscription growth. Maclean's magazine saw its circulation increase by 3%, based on a 5.5% increase in subscriptions; newsstand sales actually dropped by 15%. 

According to a report in the Globe and Mail, the analysis of data from 57 paid Canadian titles shows that total paid subscriptions fell by 3.25% and single copy sales by 4.3% in the first six months of 2009.

Among other notable figures:

• Reader's Digest Canada remained the largest total paid circulation, albeit with a 7.5% decline from the comparable first six months of 2008. It has a total paid circulation of 763,000
• Canadian Living had a drop of 1%  from last year, to 515,357
• Chatelaine declined 11% to a circulation of 507,438; 10% of that was subscriptions and single copy sales dropped 18.4%
•  Elle Canada increased subscriptions by 10.7%; Fashion magazine by 8.2%. However Flare lost almost 8% in subs, though increasing single copy sales by 43%

Mastheadonline reported the top 10 increases and decreases in paid subscription and in single copy sales.