Sun on Sunday suffers lowest-ever circulation

The Observer upped its cover price from £2.20 to £2.50 on 16 September, making it, along with The Sunday Times, the most expensive Sunday national paper in the UK.

In official ABCs figures, The Observer reported an average circulation in August of 246,245.

According to unofficial figures, in the first week of The Observer's price rise (16 September), the paper’s circulation was up 17,000 copies, backed by TV support.

This was across a tough week for the quality Sunday market, which impacted on all the Sundaty quality titles.

The week prior to this, The Observer's circulation was down 18,000 week on week.

One source says executives at the newspaper will be happy with the performance of The Observer on the first day of its price rise, but warned that people’s buying habits may take time to settle.

Across the Sunday tabloid market, The Sun on Sunday recorded its lowest circulation since its launch in February this year, according to unofficial estimates.

The Sun on Sunday reported a low of 2.02 million copies on 16 September, albeit in a difficult week for tabloid newspapers.

In August, the Sun on Sunday reported a circulation of 2,133,616 copies.

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This article was first published on mediaweek.co.uk