Magazine Ownership and NRS

The magazine industry is mostly owned by publishing companies, rather than the very large media conglomerates such as Disney, Amazon and Netflix that dominate film and television media worldwide.

Most magazines are struggling in a competitive market so this media form (print) may be best managed by owners who specialise in the print medium.

However, magazine publishing is globalised, like other media, with the most popular magazine brands (as measured by the National Readership Survey) in the hands of a few international companies.

Paid-for magazines with a readership over 1 million in the UK, in order of readership:

• What’s on TV - Time Inc - US magazine publisher

• Radio Times - Hubert Burda Media - German magazine publisher

• TV Choice - Bauer Media - German media conglomerate: magazines, radio and music

television

• Take a Break - Bauer Media

• Good Housekeeping - Hearst Communications - US media conglomerate: newspapers,

magazines, local radio and cable television

• Cosmopolitan - Hearst Communications

• BBC Gardeners’ World - Hubert Burda Media

How are magazine audiences categorised?

All adults (age 15+)	Adults aged 15-34 (15-44 prior to Q3 2012)
Men	Adults aged 35+ (45+ prior to Q3 2012)
Women	Adults in social grades ABC1
	Adults in social grades C2DE

How is readership and consumption measured?

The measures available are:

• Frequency of reading
• Source of copy
• Time spent reading
• Readership accumulation over time

How audiences are identified?

- interviews 

- questionnaire 

- sample

- survey