03 Mar 2003 |

FHM Sees Ad Revenue Slump Despite Circulation Increase

The latest ABC results for the six months to December 2002 brought good news to Emap’s flagship men’s lifestyle magazine, FHM, which saw circulation increase by 8.7% year on year to well above the 600,000 mark (see ABC Jul-Dec 2002: FHM Shows Growth In Men’s Lifestyle Sector). However, figures from Nielsen Media Research indicate that the magazine, which has been hard hit by the downturn in the men’s lifestyle sector, is not entirely out of the woods, with advertising revenue declining by 12.4% year on year to below £12.4 million.

Things were more positive for IPC’s Loaded, which despite a 6% drop in circulation, saw ad revenue increase by 2.8% year on year in the six months to December. However, the title, which is generally regarded as the original lad’s mag, still trails some way behind FHM in terms of ad revenue.

Elsewhere in the sector, Cabal’s Front improved on a 7.4% year on year decline in circulation with a 16.5% increase in ad revenue and IPC’s Uncut managed a healthy 34.6% improvement in ad revenue, despite seeing circulation decline by 24.6% in the six months to December 2002.

Arena‘s impressive 38.8% year on year increase in circulation was not matched in terms of ad revenue, which slipped by 5.2% year on year in the second half of 2002.

Meanwhile, Dennis Publishing’s Men’s Fitness proved that there is still plenty of get up and go in the men’s health market, with circulation rising by 9.4% and ad revenue increasing by 34.2% year on year in the six months to December 2002.

*Men’s Lifestyle Magazines: Year On Year % Change In Ad Revenue (£)**
Title	Publisher	Jul-Dec 2001	Jul-Dec 2002	Actual Change	% Change
Arena	Emap	2,797,249	2,652,901	-144,348	-5.2
Bizarre	I Feel Good	936,729	1,044,592	107,863	11.5
Esquire	National Magazine Company	5,505,447	5,751,932	246,485	4.5
Face	Emap	3,433,698	3,024,558	-409,140	-11.9
FHM	Emap	14,115,757	12,370,210	-1,745,547	-12.4
FHM Collections	Emap	991,998	970,070	-21,928	-2.2
Front	Cabal Communications	1,714,885	1,997,485	282,600	16.5
GQ	Condé Nast	9,664,536	9,527,346	-137,190	-1.4
Jack (launched 01/09/02)	I Feel Good	n/a	369,289	n/a	n/a
Loaded	IPC Media	5,588,535	5,747,155	158,620	2.8
Maxim	Dennis Publishing	4,730,962	4,258,027	-472,935	-10.0
Men’s Fitness	Dennis Publishing	793,711	1,064,804	271,093	34.2
Men’s Health	Rodale Press	3,456,266	3,355,184	-101,082	-2.9
Uncut	IPC Media	872,018	1,173,356	301,338	34.6
Total		54,601,791	53,306,909	-1,664,171	-2.4
*Only includes display ads – not classifieds