The latest newspaper readership figures throw up, as they often do, some odd figures. For example, the National Readership Survey (NRS) for the 12-month period October 2011 to September 2012 shows that the Daily Telegraph lost 12% of its readers compared to the same period the previous year.
Less surprisingly, the Daily Express also lost 12% of its readers, while The Sun lost 7% and the Daily Mirror 6%. These falls are regarded by the NRS as "statistically significant" (SS).
Similarly, declines on two Sunday titles - Sunday Express (-13%) and Sunday Times (-8%) - are SS, as is the 17% rise is the readership of the Daily Star Sunday.
I cannot grasp why the Independent on Sunday and The People should have enjoyed rises of 14% and 10% respectively when their sales have been slipping away.
Meanwhile, the figure that counts is that of the Sun on Sunday, the replacement for the News of the World. In the 12-month period it is estimated to have had an average readership per issue of 6.06m.
That is the largest Sunday newspaper readership by a wide margin (the Mail on Sunday had 4.9m). It beats the combined Sunday Mirror/People total too.
Looking also at the six-monthly data, the Sun on Sunday figure is almost the same while its three red-top rivals have shed readers.
Source: NRS
