DWM and DWA drop in latest circulation figuresBookmark and Share

Monday, 24 August 2015 - Reported by Harry Ward
The latest circulation figures for publications have been released by the Audit Bureau of Circulations for the January to June 2015 period, which indicates that Doctor Who Magazine has taken a significant knock on its circulation. The report revealed the magazine has dropped 23.2% of readers since the July to December 2014 period. Doctor Who Adventures changed publisher during the Jan-Jun 2015 period. The last issue under Immediate Media (#363, 25 March 2015) the total circulation was 24,441, while Issue 1 (23rd April 2015) under Panini was 19,873. Between July and December 2014 the magazine dropped 2.09% of its circulation.

The full breakdowns can be found by clicking on the relevant linked publication certificate below.

Jul-Dec 2009Jan-Jun 2010Jul-Dec 2010Jan-Jun 2011Jul-Dec 2011Jan-Jun 2012Jul-Dec 2012Jan-Jun 2013Jul-Dec 2013Jan-Jun 2014Jul-Dec 2014Jan-Jun 2015
Doctor Who Magazine29,00035,374 (+22%)33,554 (-5.1%)30,682 (-8.6%)30,614 (-0.2%)27,089 (-11.5%)28,743 (+6.1%)31,692 (+10.3%)36,151 (+14.1%)33,538 (-7.2%)33,419 (-0.4%)25,663 (-23.2%)
Doctor Who Adventures44,66453,559 (+20%)56,648 (+5.8%)50,013 (-11.7%)48,470 (-3.1%)31,903 (-34.2%)31,935 (+0.1%)24,497 (-23.3%)28,443 (+16.1%)19,966 (-29.8%)20,944 (+4.9%)20,506 (-2.09%)
All figures are from the Audit Bureau of Circulations apart from the Jul-Dec 2009 figure for DWM, which is an estimate provided by DWM and included for comparison purposes.
ABC figures for DWM only started being calculated in 2010. Percentages shown are the change on the previous six months.

DWM's editor, Tom Spilsbury, told Doctor Who News:
Doctor Who Magazine has endured a bit of a decline since the last round of ABC figures, although we're not too disheartened. The first half of 2015 has been a relatively quiet time on the Doctor Who front, and so it's good to see that there are 25,000 loyal DWM readers who like to regularly pick up the magazine even when the show isn't on air, and we're looking backwards to older Doctors and earlier eras. After all, we're still the Number One best-selling sci-fi-themed magazine in the UK, which is a pretty incredible fact when you think about it!




FILTER: - Circulation - DWA - DWM - Magazines

Latest circulation figures for DWM/DWABookmark and Share

Wednesday, 4 March 2015 - Reported by Chuck Foster
The latest circulation figures for publications have been released by the Audit Bureau of Circulations for the July to December 2014 period, revealing that Doctor Who Magazine has remained stable in its circulation (with only a slight dip of 0.4%), whilst Doctor Who Adventures has seen an improvement in its circulation of some 4.9%.

During the Jan-Jun period last year both publications had suffered in their circulations, with DWM decreasing by some 7% and DWA losing nearly a third of its readers - this period occured as the celebrations of the 50th Anniversary cooled off and no new Doctor Who on the horizon on television until the late Summer. However, breakdown by issues show that both publications saw a huge boost as the series returned (with August's figures for DWM and DWA showing 35,559 and 26,830 respectively). Figures dropped as the series progressed, but improved again by December for the Christmas Special. The full breakdowns can be found by clicking on the relevant linked publication certificate below.

 Jul-Dec 2009Jan-Jun 2010Jul-Dec 2010Jan-Jun 2011Jul-Dec 2011Jan-Jun 2012Jul-Dec 2012Jan-Jun 2013Jul-Dec 2013Jan-Jun 2014Jul-Dec 2014
Doctor Who Magazine29,00035,374 (+22%)33,554 (-5.1%)30,682 (-8.6%)30,614 (-0.2%)27,089 (-11.5%)28,743 (+6.1%)31,692 (+10.3%)36,151 (+14.1%)33,538 (-7.2%)33,419 (-0.4%)
Doctor Who Adventures44,66453,559 (+20%)56,648 (+5.8%)50,013 (-11.7%)48,470 (-3.1%)31,903 (-34.2%)31,935 (+0.1%)24,497 (-23.3%)28,443 (+16.1%)19,966 (-29.8%)20,944 (+4.9%)
All figures are from the Audit Bureau of Circulations apart from the Jul-Dec 2009 figure for DWM, which is an estimate provided by DWM and included for comparison purposes.
ABC figures for DWM only started being calculated in 2010. Percentages shown are the change on the previous six months.

Overall, the 2014 average for DWM shows that their readership has remained stable, with a less than 1% change; however, DWA has shorn some 22.6% of its readership compared to the previous year (the magazine has now switched from fortnightly to monthly so the next biannual report will reflect the less frequent publication).

DWM's editor, Tom Spilsbury, said:
Everyone at Panini is delighted that Doctor Who Magazine's sales have managed to hold so steady, despite overall sales for the magazine industry dropping once more. It's remarkable that our figures for 2014 were pretty much level with those for 2013, which of course coincided with the 50th anniversary. A huge thanks to all of DWM's loyal readers – we hope you'll stay with us over the coming months, as we've got lots of fascinating stuff to come, before the new series starts in the autumn.

Figures for January-June this year are expected to be released in August.





FILTER: - Circulation - DWA - DWM - Magazines

DWA and DWM celebrate circulation successBookmark and Share

Thursday, 13 February 2014 - Reported by John Bowman
Doctor Who Magazine and Doctor Who Adventures have both seen huge rises in circulation over the past six months, with DWM recording its best-ever figure and DWA reversing a slump in readership.

The latest figures - for July to December 2013 - were published at midday today by the Audit Bureau of Circulations and showed that DWM, which is published by Panini, had a total average net circulation of 36,151 per issue - up by 4,459 and a 14.1 per cent rise on the previous six months. This includes an extraordinary individual sale of 50,000-plus for the 50th-anniversary edition - issue 467.

Meanwhile, DWA, which is brought out by Immediate Media Co, posted a total average net circulation of 28,443 per issue for the same period - an increase of 3,946 and representing a rise of 16.1 per cent on the Jan-Jun 2013 period.

The new figures equal a 25.8 per cent year-on-year increase for the four-weekly DWM, but a 10.9 per cent drop year-on-year for DWA, although it should be noted that in the previous figures, released last August, DWA posted a 23.2 per cent fall year-on-year, so the latest result is actually a massive turnaround over the same period for the fortnightly publication. The consumer magazine market as a whole has recorded a year-on-year drop of 6.3 per cent.

DWM 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 its 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.
For detailed breakdowns of the new figures, click on the relevant links in the table below.

 Jul-Dec 2009Jan-Jun 2010Jul-Dec 2010Jan-Jun 2011Jul-Dec 2011Jan-Jun 2012Jul-Dec 2012Jan-Jun 2013Jul-Dec 2013
Doctor Who Magazine29,00035,374 (+22%)33,554 (-5.1%)30,682 (-8.6%)30,614 (-0.2%)27,089 (-11.5%)28,743 (+6.1%)31,692 (+10.3%)36,151 (+14.1%)
Doctor Who Adventures44,66453,559 (+20%)56,648 (+5.8%)50,013 (-11.7%)48,470 (-3.1%)31,903 (-34.2%)31,935 (+0.1%)24,497 (-23.3%)28,443 (+16.1%)

(All figures are from the Audit Bureau of Circulations apart from the Jul-Dec 2009 figure for DWM, which is an estimate provided by DWM and included for comparison purposes. ABC figures for DWM only started being calculated in 2010. Percentages shown are the change on the previous six months.)

The circulation figures for the first six months of this year are currently due to be published on Thursday 14th August.




FILTER: - Magazines - DWM - Circulation - DWA

DWM's Circulation Rockets But DWA's PlungesBookmark and Share

Thursday, 15 August 2013 - Reported by John Bowman
Doctor Who Magazine has seen a bumper rise in circulation but Doctor Who Adventures has recorded a sizeable fall.

Figures released at midday today by the Audit Bureau of Circulations showed that DWM had a total average net circulation of 31,692 per issue between January and June 2013 - a 10.3 per cent rise on the previous six months and a 17 per cent year-on-year increase.

However, DWA - which last time reported a slight rise - had a total average net circulation of 24,497 per issue for the same period: a drop of 23.3 per cent on the Jul-Dec 2012 period and a 23.2 per cent fall year-on-year.

Tom Spilsbury, the editor of DWM, which is published by Panini, told Doctor Who News:
I'm absolutely delighted – and a little bit stunned – to see Doctor Who Magazine's ABC figure increase by so much for the first part of 2013. Whenever these figures are published, we always brace ourselves – sometimes we might have gone up a bit, sometimes we might have gone down a bit. In fact, even holding steady is always a major achievement in the current magazine climate. For us to have increased by more than 10 per cent since the last report is staggering, and also highlights our strong sales in North America, due to the increasing popularity of Doctor Who there.

Of course, the second half of 2013 will see the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who itself, so here at Panini we're very hopeful that we can keep these strong sales – and improve on them – in time for the next ABC report in six months' time. We've got some great plans for the 50th anniversary, which will include strong coverage of the forthcoming Anniversary and Christmas Specials, as well as the Adventure in Space and Time drama for BBC Two. We're also planning further ahead, as we look forward into next year and the arrival of the Twelfth Doctor.

I'd like to thank all of DWM's readers for staying with us over the years, and to give a huge welcome to anyone who's picked up the magazine for the first time recently. Doctor Who Magazine has been around for almost 34 years now, and we're going to be here for a long time yet. For DWM, the best is definitely still to come!
Jaynie Bye, of Immediate Media Co, which publishes DWA, told us:
After changing frequency, Doctor Who Adventures magazine is now the top-selling boys' fortnightly title in a tough and challenging market. With a new Doctor just announced, the 50th anniversary of the programme, and renewed interest in the Time Lord, we are very optimistic about the future of this well-established magazine.
For detailed breakdowns of the latest figures, click on the relevant links in the table below.

 Jul-Dec 2009Jan-Jun 2010Jul-Dec 2010Jan-Jun 2011Jul-Dec 2011Jan-Jun 2012Jul-Dec 2012Jan-Jun 2013
Doctor Who Magazine29,00035,374 (+22%)33,554 (-5.1%)30,682 (-8.6%)30,614 (-0.2%)27,089 (-11.5%)28,743 (+6.1%)31,692 (+10.3%)
Doctor Who Adventures44,66453,559 (+20%)56,648 (+5.8%)50,013 (-11.7%)48,470 (-3.1%)31,903 (-34.2%)31,935 (+0.1%)24,497 (-23.3%)

(All figures are from the Audit Bureau of Circulations apart from the Jul-Dec 2009 figure for DWM, which is an estimate provided by DWM and included for comparison purposes. ABC figures for DWM only started being calculated in 2010. Percentages shown are the change on the previous six months.)





FILTER: - Magazines - DWM - Circulation - DWA

Circulation Figures Rise For DWM And DWABookmark and Share

Thursday, 14 February 2013 - Reported by John Bowman
Latest figures for Doctor Who Magazine and Doctor Who Adventures show both publications defying economic hard times and adding to their total average net circulations during the second half of last year.

The Audit Bureau of Circulations report for consumer magazines from July to December 2012, issued at midday today, showed that the weekly Doctor Who Adventures, published by Immediate Media Company, was up by 0.1 per cent to 31,935, having added 32 to its net average total, while the net average total for Panini's monthly Doctor Who Magazine was up by 6.1 per cent to 28,743, thanks to an extra 1,654 on its figure.

DWM had been experiencing six-monthly falls in circulation since the second half of 2010 and the same had been the case for DWA since the first half of 2011. Year-on-year, both are still showing drops in circulation, with DWM's down by 6.1 per cent on July to December 2011 and DWA's down by 34.1 per cent for the same period, but the new figures show encouraging signs for both publications.

DWM editor Tom Spilsbury told Doctor Who News:
Everyone at Panini is delighted that DWM's circulation figures have risen for the second half of 2012. Times remain tough for the magazine industry generally, with overall figures continuing to decline. In the current market it's a huge deal for any magazine's sales to hold steady, let alone increase. And, of course, it's always a major achievement for DWM to record higher sales than all the general sci-fi magazines – especially those that claim to be "Number One"!

I'd like to thank all of DWM's loyal readers, who have kept the mag going for over 33 years – such a massive achievement. We've got lots of exciting stuff planned for the rest of 2013, so I hope you'll all continue to enjoy it. And if you're a Doctor Who fan who hasn't picked up DWM before, why not give us a try?
and DWA editor Natalie Barnes told us:
We're absolutely delighted that we have been able to continue to reach so many of Doctor Who's young fans. We're still the best-selling title in the primary boys' market. Doctor Who Adventures was released across the world as an App to celebrate issue 300 and we’ve got many more exciting things planned for 2013. Geronimo!
For detailed breakdowns of the latest figures, click on the relevant links in the table below.

 Jul-Dec 2009Jan-Jun 2010Jul-Dec 2010Jan-Jun 2011Jul-Dec 2011Jan-Jun 2012Jul-Dec 2012
Doctor Who Magazine29,00035,374 (+22%)33,554 (-5.1%)30,682 (-8.6%)30,614 (-0.2%)27,089 (-11.5%)28,743 (+6.1%)
Doctor Who Adventures44,66453,559 (+20%)56,648 (+5.8%)50,013 (-11.7%)48,470 (-3.1%)31,903 (-34.2%)31,935 (+0.1%)
(All figures from Audit Bureau of Circulations apart from the Jul-Dec 2009 figure for DWM, which is an estimate provided by DWM and included for comparison purposes. ABC figures for DWM only started being calculated in 2010. Percentages shown are the change on the previous six months.)

The next set of figures, covering the period January to June 2013, is due to be published on Friday 16th August.

UPDATE - 29th MARCH: The bureau has changed the publication date for the next set of figures to Thursday 15th August.




FILTER: - Magazines - DWM - Circulation - DWA

Official Magazine StatisticsBookmark and Share

Friday, 17 August 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster
The Audit Bureau of Circulations have now released statistics relating to the distribution figures of magazines for the first half of 2012, which includes details relating to both official publications, Doctor Who Magazine (Panini) and Doctor Who Adventures (BBC).

When compared to previous periods, the data reveals how the average circulation trends have fared:

 Jul-Dec 2009Jan-Jun 2010Jul-Dec 2010Jan-Jun 2011Jul-Dec 2011Jan-Jun 2012
Doctor Who Magazine29,00035,374 (+22%)33,554 (-5.1%)30,682 (-8.6%)30,614 (-0.2%)27,089 (-11.5%)
Doctor Who Adventures44,66453,559 (+20%)56,648 (+5.8%)50,013 (-11.7%)48,470 (-3.1%)31,903 (-34.2%)
Figures: Audit Bureau of Circulations

Whilst figures indicate a regular decline in readership since the boost thanks to Matt Smith's arrival in 2010, the last six months have shown a significant reduction with both magazines dipping to below their circulation prior to Smith's debut year. This trend might well indicate the impact of not having a regular series to tune into - in particular, Doctor Who Adventures, aimed for a younger readership, showed a loss of over a third of its readers! However, the imminent return of Doctor Who to our screens might well improve circulation for the latter half of the year, with those figures due out in February.

Select either magazine line above for a detailed breakdown of their distribution for this period.





FILTER: - Magazines - DWM - Circulation - DWA

Latest DWM and DWA Circulation Figures ReleasedBookmark and Share

Thursday, 16 February 2012 - Reported by John Bowman
Figures out today for Doctor Who Magazine and Doctor Who Adventures show both titles experiencing a drop in total average net circulation per issue, with the latter falling beneath the 50,000 mark.

In the results, part of the Audit Bureau of Circulations report for consumer magazines over the period covering July to December 2011, DWM registered a negligible decrease of 0.2 per cent to 30,614 per issue from 30,682 over the preceding six-month period (January to June 2011), while DWA's circulation fell by 3.1 per cent to 48,470 from 50,013.

When compared against the similar period of July to December 2010, however, both publications showed a far more significant drop, with Panini's DWM recording an 8.8 per cent fall from 33,554 and Immediate Media Company's DWA sliding by 14.4 per cent from 56,648.

During the July to December 2009 period, DWM's circulation figure was estimated to be about 29,000 (this was before it was included in the ABC figures) and DWA's was 44,664.

For the official certificates for each title, which include a comprehensive statistical breakdown, click here for DWM and here for DWA.

The next set of circulation figures, covering January to June 2012, will be published on 16th August.





FILTER: - Magazines - DWM - Circulation - DWA

Official Magazine StatisticsBookmark and Share

Saturday, 20 August 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster
The Audit Bureau of Circulations have now released statistics relating to the distribution figures of magazines for the first half of 2011, which includes details relating to both official publications, Doctor Who Magazine (Panini) and Doctor Who Adventures (BBC).

When compared to previous periods, the data reveals how the average circulation trends have fared:

 Jul - Dec 2009Jan - Jun 2010Jul - Dec 2010Jan - Jun 2011
Doctor Who Magazine29,00035,374 (+22%)33,554 (-5.1%)30,682 (-8.6%)
Doctor Who Adventures44,66453,559 (+20%)56,648 (+5.8%)50,013 (-11.7%)
Figures: Audit Bureau of Circulations

The figures show that both magazines saw a decline in circulation for the first half of this year, with DWA dropping to below its circulation for the same period in 2010. Further breakdown on circulation can be found within the publication certificates linked to above.

(with thanks to John Bowman)





FILTER: - Magazines - DWM - Circulation - DWA

Official Magazine StatisticsBookmark and Share

Thursday, 17 February 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster
The Audit Bureau of Circulations have now released statistics relating to the distribution figures of magazines for the second half of 2010, which includes details relating to both official publications, Doctor Who Magazine (Panini) and Doctor Who Adventures (BBC).

When compared to previous periods, the data reveals how the average circulation trends have fared:

 Jul - Dec 2009Jan - Jun 2010Jul - Dec 2010
Doctor Who Magazine29,00035,374 (+22%)33,554 (-5.1%)
Doctor Who Adventures44,66453,559 (+20%)56,648 (+5.8%)
Figures: Audit Bureau of Circulations

The figures show that both DWM and DWA saw a surge in circulation during the first half of last year - tying in with Matt Smith's debut as the Eleventh Doctor! The latter half saw DWM's readership tail off a bit, whilst DWA continued to increase (the latter offering a free gift every week to its readers!).

Jaynie Bye, joint Managing director for BBC Children’s Magazine told the BBC Press Office:
"In this digital age it is really heartening to see that our top brands continue to have huge appeal with the pre-teen audience. In particular, I am delighted with the performance of Doctor Who Adventures magazine – up by an impressive 26.8% year on year – demonstrating the continuing strength of the title and the increased interested generated by Matt Smith in his role as the Doctor.

Publication certificates provide further breakdowns on circulation; for instance 14% of DWM's and 17% of DWA's sales are through subscription, whereas figures for general sci-fi magazine SFX over last year show a much higher subscription rate of 31% (total average circulation 31,360).

The figures for the next six months are expected on 18th August 2011.






FILTER: - Magazines - DWM - Circulation - DWA

Magazines Circulation AuditBookmark and Share

Tuesday, 17 August 2010 - Reported by Marcus
Figures released by the Audit Bureau of Circulations show Doctor Who Adventures Magazine had an average circulation figure of 53,559 for the 25 issues published between 1st January and 30th June 2010. The figure is up compared to the last six months of 2009 but down on the first six months of 2009. 8,034 subscriptions were in force during the period. The weekly magazine has been published by BBC Worldwide since the spring of 2006. The circulation peaked in 2007 when it had an average circulation of around 155,000.

Figures are also available for the first time for Doctor Who Magazine, which had an average circulation figure of 35,374 for the 7 issues published in the first half of the year. 73% of the readers were in the UK or the Republic of Ireland. 4,476 subscriptions are in force for the magazine with 27 interested parties receiving free copies. The magazine is currently selling more issues than at any time since the mid eighties. Before the return of the series in 2005 the average circulation was 12,000. Doctor Who Magazine is published by Panini UK and was named in April by Guinness World Records as the world's Longest Running Magazine Based on a Television Series.

Radio Times had a circulation of 947,131,




FILTER: - Magazines - DWM - Circulation - DWA