Apple News+ readership is reported to be declining for many of the top magazine titles. According to data obtained by the Press Gazette. The data shows that the combined circulation of the top 25 Apple News+ magazines reached just over 1.3 million in the first half of 2022, up from the first half of 2021 but down from the second half of 2021.
The number of readers is reportedly Apple News+ is declining
Here is the distribution of Apple News+ magazine publishers according to the Verified Media Alliance.
- H1 2021: 1,255,802
- 2021 H2: 1,622,823
- 2022 H1: 1,333,088
Here are the circulation data for the top 10 magazines. publishers on Apple News+, according to the Press Gazette. These numbers are calculated by Alliance of Audited Media by “using the average number of unique openings per magazine issue.”
“The top 25 magazines in each period are slightly different, meaning that many individual publications in the current top ranked significantly their circulation despite a broader trend,” the report explains.
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As you can see, this means that print runs for publishers have consistently declined but are growing year on year compared to the same time period in 2021. This data is difficult to compare because overall media traffic and readership is higher towards the end of the year than at the beginning of the year.
Therefore, there is a seasonal aspect to the industry, which could ultimately indicate an increase in Apple News+ readership. The key, however, will be circulation data for the second half of this year, which is of course not yet available.
It's also important to note that this data only applies to magazines published through Apple. News+, not the general readership of Apple News. Magazine accessibility, however, is one of the key incentives Apple offers to potential Apple News+ subscribers.
It's unclear how accurate this data is. Apple does not publicly provide any metrics for Apple News+ readers. Publishers, however, have access to information about readership, traffic, sources, and more. It's also possible (if unlikely) that these publishers are seeing a wider decline in readership that isn't exclusive to Apple News+.
Apple News+ is available on its own for $9.99/month. It's also included in the $32.95/month Apple One Premier bundle with Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, iCloud+ with 2TB storage, and Apple Fitness+.
Are you an Apple News+ subscriber? How often do you use the service? Let us know in the comments.
