ABC: Latest digital edition circulation figures for magazines

The continental Europe edition of the Economist recorded the highest circulation for digital editions in the first half of the year, according to the latest magazine circulation figures from the Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC).

Figures released today for the first six months of the year show that edition of the Economist sold an average of 14,116 digital editions per issue. Other editions of the Economist are recorded separately.

Total Film, published by Future is second on the list, with a digital edition circulation of 12,280. That is closely followed by Conde Nast's GQ with 12,231 digital editions sold per issue, and by Men's Health, with the Hearst-Rodale published digital title recording a circulation of 12,018.

The Europe edition of the Economist has a print circulation of 229,841, Total Film's print circulation is recorded as 60,912, GQs was 117,778 and Men's Health was 203,741.

The Economist's digital circulation is up, an increase from 11,624 on the previous figures. The GQ digital circulation has also increased, from 11,779.

Men's Health has experienced a drop in circulation for digital editions from the previous six months when it topped the list and recorded a circulation of 12,676. Circulation for the first six months of 2013 is slightly lower than the same period last year when it stood at 12,142.

The Economist's Asia edition, Immediate Media publications BBC Top Gear and BBC Good Food, and How It Works from Imagine all sold more than 10,000 digital editions per issue.

Cosmopolitan, the Economist's UK edition, BBC History Magazine, Vanity Fair and Wired sold more than 8,000 digital editions per issue.

According to ABC, digital editions are print replicas. ABC refers to stand-alone publications with "no consideration of editorial or advertising similarity" as digital publications.

In a statement, Clair Porteous, deputy managing director of Film and Games at Future, said: “It is extremely promising to see our award-winning digital edition post a period-on-period increase."

Publishers association the PPA has published a combined circulation list, which shows the total digital and print circulations for publishers. It does not differentiate between publications which bundle access to digital editions within a subscription package and those which charge print subscribers extra for digital access.

A release from the PPA states that the chart "underlines the growing demand among tablet users for content from the UK’s leading magazine brands".

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