The Times to focus on core readership

Times Media has announced a strategy to limit distribution of some of its newspaper titles in order to remove the costs associated with uneconomical circulation and strengthen the core of high-yield readers for advertisers.

The Times, currently South Africa’s best-selling English daily newspaper is one of the titles to have its circulation reined in. The plan is to reduce The Times’ print run from approximately 140,000 copies to a more sustainable level.  The product will primarily be linked to subscriptions, with the balance being sold in select retail areas nationally.

Trevor Ormerod, General Manager, Group Sales & Marketing for Times Media says that, “we know that advertisers want circulation (quantity) plus traction (quality).  We understand where traction is greatest, and it therefore makes sense to reduce unprofitable distribution channels.”

The strategy will affect the circulation figures reported quarterly by the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC), but Jason Sequeira, Circulation Manager at Times Media says this will be “primarily due to the focus on reducing low yielding routes to market.”  He says the initial process of reduction started about twelve months ago, but accelerated in the last quarter, “however the strategy is to maintain circulation levels as close as possible to where they are currently.”

“The Times is a metro, quick-read with to-the-point news.  It has a natural fit with the digital TimesLive website, and is a value-added subscription link for cream of the crop Sunday Times subscribers. We therefore don’t need to flood the retail market with copies when we can focus on innovating for the the succinct and discerning audience we’re already invested in,” concludes Ormerod.