The two print men's titles report big increases
By Toni Fitzgerald Feb 13, 2007
These days you can find pictures of naked women quite easily on the internet, many of them for free. How odd then that Penthouse and Playboy, which provide soft-core pornography for a price, are showing major circulation gains.
According to Audit Bureau of Circulations data for the most recent six-month period, ended Dec. 31 and released yesterday, Penthouse had the biggest subscription jump for any of the nine men’s magazines tracked by Media Life.
It jumped 40.4 percent compared with the same six-month period last year, to 247,184 from 176,093. Comparatively, GQ had the second-biggest gains in the category, up 26.3 percent.
Including subscriptions and newsstand, Penthouse’s total circulation rose 10.7 percent, to 361,322.
"We had a first-time offering of Penthouse in a digital format, and we picked up a nice number of new subscribers, and we feel we’ve transferred a good number of newsstand buyers to subscribers," says Diane M. Silberstein, president and publisher of Penthouse Media Group.
Meanwhile, Playboy had the biggest newsstand circulation jump in the men’s category, which is considered a strong indicator of a magazine’s appeal to readers. It rose 23.7 percent to 332,123, one of just two men’s publications, along with Men’s Health, to increase in the most recent period. Playboy’s total circulation was essentially flat at 3,000,723.
So why the rise for two magazines that have been hurting for so long? For Penthouse, it’s likely a matter of new management’s new vision catching on.
Bob Guccione sold his struggling publication to Marc Bell in 2004, following years of rumors that it was on the verge of collapse. Bell immediately set about making the magazine more mainstream, toning down the explicit pictures championed by Guccione and wooing away Playboy’s publisher, Silberstein, last year. New editor in chief Mark Healy, formerly of GQ, has also helped overhaul the magazine's content.
Though circulation for the men’s title is nowhere near the 5 million it boasted at its peak, the brand does seem to be reviving. In addition to ending its long circulation slide, Penthouse also recently announced it was relaunching a British version.
"We've had a rather marked change in Penthouse," Silberstein says. "Our March '07 issue is the first under our new editor in chief. That has signaled a nice metamorphosis. We plan to grow our circulation base organically, so we will have continued subscription marketing efforts, will do mailings, will continue the Zinio [digital newsstand] program and we’ll be doing some newsstand promotions to get the word out that this is a new Penthouse."
Playboy’s gains are harder to tag. The magazine has been expanding its digital properties, and that increasing web presence could be helping to build newsstand. It may also be that Playboy benefited from the closing of FHM. Playboy did not return calls seeking comment.
In other categories, circulation continues to rise for celebrity weeklies. Us Weekly, Life & Style, In Touch and Star were all up over last year, though not at the torrid rate they were growing two years ago.
Star, under editorial director Bonnie Fuller, had the second-biggest total circulation gain in the category, up 7.8 percent.
All but one of the five newsweeklies posted year to year growth, led by double-digit gains by The Economist and The Week. Newsweek was flat to last year.
Fast Company and Inc. saw major newsstand gains under relatively new owner Mansueto Ventures, which bought the two titles a year and a half ago and has since been investing heavily in their revival. Fast Company was up 37.4 percent and Inc. up 47.4 percent.
O, the Oprah Magazine was down 9.9 percent in newsstand sales and 0.9 percent overall, while Martha Stewart Living was down on the newsstand but did see total circulation rise.
Music
Averages for the six months ending Dec. 31, 2006
Title
Issues per period
2006 subs
% chg
2006 newsstand sales
% chg
2006 total paid circ.
% chg
BLENDER
6
681,731
11.5
62,532
-23.4
744,263
7.4
ROLLING STONE
12
1,326,751
13.0
135,344
5.3
1,462,095
12.2
SPIN
6
410,914
-16.0
40,680
-21.5
451,594
-16.5
VIBE
6
709,737
1.6
147,395
-10.2
857,132
-0.7
Source: ABC
Teen
Averages for the six months ending Dec. 31, 2006
Title
Issues per period
2006 subs
% chg
2006 newsstand sales
% chg
2006 total paid circ.
% chg
COSMO GIRL !
5
1,050,053
9.0
393,429
-3.6
1,443,482
5.3
J-14
5
104,010
-15.1
416,559
10.3
520,569
4.1
SVENTN
6
1,628,633
-1.0
406,223
5.3
2,034,856
0.2
TEEN PEOPLE
2
1,091,583
-1.6
454,525
16.3
1,546,108
3.1
TEEN VOGUE
5
722,307
283,130
1,005,437
-36.4
Source: ABC
Women's service/beauty
Averages for the six months ending Dec. 31, 2006
Title
Issues per period
2006 subs
% chg
2006 newsstand sales
% chg
2006 total paid circ.
% chg
ALLURE
6
839,234
-1.1
292,028
2.8
1,131,262
-0.8
COSMO
6
1,001,924
6.7
1,945,296
-5.9
2,947,220
-2.0
GLAMR
6
1,440,681
-2.4
861,006
-7.1
2,301,687
-4.2
JANE
5
600,282
7.5
113,299
-20.4
713,581
1.9
MARIE CLAIRE
6
564,268
32.2
397,757
-26.9
962,025
0.9
Source: ABC
Fashion
Averages for the six months Dec. 31, 2006
Title
Issues per period
2006 subs
% chg
2006 newsstand sales
% chg
2006 total paid circ.
% chg
ELLE
6
703,301
-4.3
357,333
4.2
1,060,634
-1.6
HARPER'S BAZAAR
6
545,778
-0.4
180,234
3.5
726,012
0.5
IN STYLE
6
994,605
5.7
765,937
-7.9
1,760,542
-0.7
LUCKY
6
894,430
7.5
266,848
1.4
1,161,278
6.1
TOWN & COUNTRY
6
406,471
1.0
53,265
-1.1
459,736
0.7
VOGUE
6
845,077
1.1
437,512
-6.0
1,282,589
-1.5
W
6
416,741
-0.3
43,415
-16.3
460,156
-2.1
Source: ABC
Entertainment/Celebrity
Averages for the six months Dec. 31, 2006
Title
Issues per period
2006 subs
% chg
2006 newsstand sales
% chg
2006 total paid circ.
% chg
ENT. WEEKLY
25
1,725,378
1.6
51,554
-17.3
1,776,932
0.9
IN TOUCH
26
41,229
7.4
1,227,350
7.7
1,268,579
7.7
LIFE & STYLE
26
8,473
48.4
744,453
25.3
752,926
25.5
PEOPLE
26
2,189,162
1.3
1,561,386
2.1
3,750,548
1.6
PRMR
5
436,378
2.2
56,120
-25.6
492,498
2.0
STAR
26
798,779
40.9
743,439
-13.9
1,542,218
7.8
TV GUIDE
26
3,005,864
-57.1
275,452
-20.2
3,281,316
-55.4
US
26
773,424
9.4
978,285
2.4
1,751,709
5.4
Source: ABC
Travel
Averages for the six months Dec. 31, 2006
Title
Issues per period
2006 subs
% chg
2006 newsstand sales
% chg
2006 total paid circ.
% chg
ARTHUR FROMMER’S BUDGET TRAVEL
5
581,403
11.
38,640
9.3
620,043
11.0
CONDE NAST TRAVELER
6
764,886
1.4
33,408
19.9
798,294
2.0
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELER
4
673,581
-2.1
61,277
26
734,858
-0.2
TRAVEL+ LEISURE
6
929,517
0.8
37,698
6.3
967,215
1.0
Source: ABC
Personal Finance
Averages for the six months Dec. 31, 2006
Title
Issues per period
2006 subs
% chg
2006 newsstand sales
% chg
2006 total paid circ.
% chg
BRRN'S
26
253,259
2.8
51,399
-6.2
304,658
1.2
KPLNGR'S
6
787,784
2.0
44,874
12.8
832,658
2.5
MONEY
6
1,808,723
-3.1
119,818
-6.0
1,928,541
-3.3
SMART MONEY
6
752,877
3.6
55,614
-32.5
808,491
-0.1
Source: ABC
Newsweeklies
Averages for the six months ending Dec. 31, 2006
Title
Issues per period
2006 subs
% chg
2006 newsstand sales
% chg
2006 total paid circ.
% chg
ECNMIST -N. AMER. ED
26
577,118
12.4
62,088
11.2
639,206
12.3
NEWSWK
24
3,007,844
0.8
110,588
-16.8
3,118,432
0
THE WEEK
23
442,849
21.1
1,103
5.6
443,952
21.0
TIME
26
3,933,461
1.3
133,084
-8.3
4,066,545
1.0
U.S. NEWS
24
1,999,595
0.3
36,666
-9.9
2,036,261
0.1
Source: ABC
Women's Service
Averages for the six months ending Dec. 31, 2006
Title
Issues per period
2006 subs
% chg
2006 newsstand sales
% chg
2006 total paid circ.
% chg
BTTR HOMES
6
7,417,579
0.2
221,333
6.8
7,638,912
0.4
FAM. CIRCLE
8
3,086,643
-10.0
867,008
0.3
3,953,651
-7.9
FIRST FOR WOMEN
8
211,372
-9.7
1,262,581
5.0
1,473,953
2.6
GOOD HSEKPING
6
3,986,265
3.3
755,088
-2.9
4,741,353
2.2
LADIES' HOME JRNAL
6
3,888,243
1.6
281,201
-1.2
4,169,444
1.4
MRTHA STWART LIVING
6
1,605,567
2.3
394,469
-1.9
2,000,036
1.4
MORE
5
1,004,932
2.8
184,000
29.0
6.1
9.9
OPRAH
6
1,516,033
5.2
866,884
-9.9
2,382,917
-0.9
REAL SIMPLE
6
1,564,266
5.4
395,724
4.6
1,959,990
5.3
RDBK
6
2,117,171
4.7
291,035
-28.6
2,408,206
-0.9
WMAN'S DAY
8
3,341,863
3.5
685,250
(20.0)
4,027,113
(1.5)
WMAN'S WORLD
26
107,275
8.6
1,407,355
(2.9)
1,514,630
(2.1)
WMEN'S HEALTH
5
451,008
263.1
197,973
(2.4)
648,981
98.5
WRKING MOTHER
5
831,368
-2.0
3,207
27.7
834,575
-1.9
Source: ABC
Parenting
Averages for the six months ending Dec. 31, 2006
Title
Issues per period
2006 subs
% chg
2006 newsstand sales
% chg
2006 total paid circ.
% chg
CHILD
5
739,316
-17.9
1,218
-85.1
740,534
-18.5
FAMILY FUN
5
1,830,113
2.8
21,394
4.7
1,851,507
2.8
PARNTNG
6
1,877,421
-1.3
23,342
-24.4
1,900,763
-1.7
PARENTS
6
2,017,961
1.2
50,372
-12.5
2,068,333
0.8
* Note: New magazines Wondertime and Cookie are not yet audited by the ABC
