We are selling an
amazing 100 million
magazines every year

In a profitable and exciting year, BBC Magazines consolidated its position as the UK’s third largest consumer magazines publisher, and its 31 titles continue to be the gold standard in most categories.

Figures from the National Readership Survey (NRS) – the industry measure-ment of readership – for January to December 2001 show that 16% of UK adults and 21% of ABC1 UK adults read a BBC magazine. Despite declining advertising revenues across the industry, BBC Worldwide’s magazines business outperformed its larger competitors, with sales growing 2% year-on-year.

Our top priorities are editorial excellence – reflecting the qualities associated with the BBC brand – and a keen understanding of our readers.

We increased our focus on sales and marketing this year, creating a ‘key customer group’ to drive opportunities for advertisers across the magazines business’s range of titles, working closely with the individual teams within each genre and at Radio Times.

Altogether, our children’s magazines increased circulation within the pre-school market by 14% year-on-year (Audit Bureau of Circulations – ending December 2001) and we publish the top seven best-selling pre-school titles in the market.

Radio Times, the BBC’s first commercial venture, launched in 1923, continues to be the most profitable magazine in the UK.