The ABC Fas-Fax report numbers released earlier this week show single-copy newsstand sales are down 4.34%, an improvement from the dramatic 23% decrease reported for the same period last year.

The report measures circulation of the 76 reporting titles for July-December 2009 versus the same period in 2008.

Biggest gains for the period are for Hello! Canada which increased its paid subscriptions by 65.9 % and Canadian Business which saw its single-copy sales go up 78.0%

With the good comes the bad: the largest losses for the period were for Profit whose paid subscriptions declined 91.2% and Montreal Centre-Ville, whose single-copy sales dropped 71.6%.


Here is what the big picture looks like:

Total Paid & Verified Circulation:
‘09 -- 6,863,935
‘08 -- 7,133,812 

down 3.78% 

Total

Paid Subscriptions:
‘09 -- 5,370,465 

‘08 -- 5,550,847 

down 3.25% 



Total Single-Copy Sales:
‘09 -- 1,177,936
‘08 -- 1,231,430
down 4.34% 



Total Verified Subscriptions: 

‘09 -- 315,534 

‘08 -- 351,535
down 10.42%

Top 10 increases paid subscription:

1. Hello! Canada (65.9%)
2. Star Inc. (19.4%)
3. Maclean’s (13.4%)
4. Fashion (8.7%)
5. Echos Vedet (7.3%)
6. Canadian Business (6.9%)
7. Hockey News (6.8%)
8. 7 Jours (6.7%)
9. Moneysense (6.6%)
10. Elle Canada (2.9%)

Top 10 decreases paid subscription:

1.    Profit (-91.2%)
2.    Wild (-17.3%)
3.    Flare (-16.4%)
4.    Reader’s Digest (English edition) (-10.7%)
5.    Western Sportsman (-9.3%)
6.    TV Hebdo (-9.2%)
7.    Lou Lou (French edition) (-9.0%)
8.    Fleurs Plantes Jardins (-8.3%)
9.    Sélection Readers Digest (-8.0%)
10.  Chatelaine (-7.4%)

Top 10 increases single copy sales:

1.    Canadian Business (78.0%)
2.    Western Sportsman (76.2%)
3.    L’Actualité (53.4%)
4.    Lou Lou (French edition) (46.2%)
5.    Flare (43.3%)
6.    The Beaver (30.4%)
7.    Lou Lou (English edition) (27.4%)
8.    Harrowsmith Country Life Canada (17.3%)
9.    Clin D’oeil (17.0%)
10.  Star Inc. (16.1%)

Top 10 decreases single copy sales:

1.   Montreal Centre-Ville (-71.6%)
2.   Fleurs Plantes Jardins (-51.0%)
3.   Elle Canada (-44.6%)
4.   Canadian Home Workshop (-31.9%)
5.   Affaires Plus (-27.8%)
6.   Today’s Parent (-24.9%)
7.   Bel Age (-23.8%)
8.   Reader’s Digest (English edition) (-23.5%)
9.   Chatelaine (-18.4%)
10. Decormag (-17.9%)

Stay with Masthead for more analysis of the top gains and losses from the ABC Fas-Fax.