Doctor Who Magazine and Doctor Who Adventures have both seen huge rises in circulation over the past six months, with DWM recording it’s best-ever figure and DWA reversing a slump in readership.
The latest figures for Jul to December 2013 were published at midday today by the Audit Bureau of Circulations and showed that DWM, published by Panini, had a total average net circulation of of 36,151 per issue, up by 4,459 and a 14.1% rise on the previous six months.
DWA, published by Immediate Media Co, posted a total average net circulation of 28,443 per issue for the same period, an increase of 3,946, a rise of 16.1% on the Jan-June 2013 period.
Doctor Who Magazine’s results include a remarkable individual sale of 50,000-plus copies of it’s 50th Anniversary issue. The overall figure equals a year-on-year increase of 25.8% for the four-weekly magazine but a drop of 10.9% for DWA, although it should be noted that in previous figures, released last August, DWA recorded a 23.2% fall year-on-year, so the latest result is a huge turnaround over the same period for the fortnightly publication.
Doctor Who Magazine editor, Tom Spilsbury, said:
Doctor Who Magazine has been running non-stop for more than 34 years. With the general downturn in sales across the magazine industry it’s extraordinary to see that DWM has just recorded its highest circulation figures since 1980. The 50th anniversary edition – DWM 467 – ended up selling more than 50,000 copies and had to be reprinted to try to meet demand.
The six-month average figure for the magazine is an incredible 36,151 copies, which is also the best average figure for more than 33 years. Thank you to all of our loyal readers who have stuck with us over the years, as well as to all the new readers who have joined us more recently.
The next challenge will be to try to maintain these excellent numbers now that Doctor Who’s 50th anniversary celebrations are over! But with a new Doctor waiting in the wings, in the shape of the brilliant Peter Capaldi, I’m sure the future is going to be very bright for both the show itself and it’s official magazine.
Katie Wilkinson, the circulation manager at Panini, added:
It has been a fantastic year for Doctor Who. At a time when many magazines are struggling to maintain their circulation figures it is really exciting to be able to post great growth in sales both on the newsstand and in subscriptions.
Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat commented:
Huge congratulations to Panini and Doctor Who Magazine. This is a stunning achievement. It’s hard to remember now the dark days when Doctor Who was off the air, but DWM kept the fires burning through those long wilderness years. That makes it especially pleasing to see their loyalty, dedication and endless creativity rewarded. Hooray and onwards. Year 51, that’s the big one!
DWA spokeswoman Jaynie Bye said:
We’re absolutely thrilled with our 16 per cent period-on-period increase. The hard work of the team, fronted by editor Moray Laing, is really paying off. The title has recently undergone a complete editorial overhaul and is looking stronger than ever. This, coupled with the excitement that surrounded the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who and the imminent arrival of Peter Capaldi as the new Doctor, puts Doctor Who Adventures magazine on a sound footing for the future.
The circulation figures for the first six months of this year are currently due to be published on Thursday 14th August.
Thanks to the Doctor Who News page