Sundays aren't what they used to be

Shopping, Starbucks and sport, as well as strong Saturday editions, are making life hard for Sunday newspapers.

The past few months have seen a flurry of reinvention in the Sunday newspaper world. The Mail on Sunday has undergone a substantial revamp, the News of the World has set its stall at upmarket advertisers with the glossy new Fabulous magazine, and The Independent on Sunday has abandoned a multi-section format in favour of a simpler newspaper plus magazine.

So what's the story? March's ABC figures showed a generally declining market for Sunday newspaper circulations, down overall by 3.7% year on year. The Observer was the only Sunday title to record a year-on-year circulation increase, up 1.3%.

Overall, the tabloid Sundays were down by 3.8%, the broadsheets by 2.0%, and the mid-markets by 4.7% (thanks largely to the Sunday Express' dramatic 12.0% plunge).

Look at readership figures over a longer period and another gloomy story emerges. According to research from the National Readership Survey published in December, the overall number of people reading one or more national Sunday newspapers has fallen from 59% to 45% since 1992.

Media consultant Richard Bedwell, whose clients include research group BMRB, says: "It's difficult to put a positive spin on it. The fact is, 20 years ago, two-thirds of the population in England and Wales read a Sunday newspaper, but now that figure is dipping below 50%. But what has really declined is the duplication between titles; the main problem is that people are no longer reading more than one title."

Various factors have been blamed, not least the proliferation of rolling digital and broadcast news services. Equally important are the changes in consumer behaviour patterns on Sundays.

Richard Webb, managing director, UK nationals at Trinity Mirror, says the relaxation of Sunday trading laws has been particularly significant. "People are spending more time on Sunday shopping, drinking or working," he says. "The drift of football fixtures from Saturday to Sunday is also a factor."

But there is another, even more insidious threat to Sunday newspapers: the rise of the Saturday edition. Since TV listings were deregulated in the early 1990s, Saturday papers have grown, with more content, supplements and magazines than ever before.

"Twenty years ago, Saturday editions were the poor relation of the weekday and certainly not a competitor to Sunday," says BMRB's Bedwell. "Now people might even view the Saturday edition as ‘my weekend paper'."

Andy Davis, editor at Saturday title FT Weekend, which is about to undergo its own refresh, believes there is a great advantage to be gained by "getting in early at the weekend", now the differences between Saturday and Sunday are less marked.

Celebrity focus
"The nature of internet news means that Sundays can no longer break so many exclusive stories, so I prefer the Saturday market as a place to operate news," he says.

"Sunday newspapers have become too focused on celebrity and, as a result, are very bland. While there is still quality, it is spread too thinly."

However, Paul Hayes, managing director of Times Media, argues that Saturday and Sunday papers can still play different roles. "If Monday to Friday is about news and sport, Saturday is a doing day: it's about what film to see, what DVD to watch, and what holiday to book. Sunday is more about luxuriating in the read."

Hayes agrees that readers are behaving differently on Sundays, but says The Sunday Times is addressing this with moves such as selling copies in Starbucks: "You have to think: if people are on the move on Sunday, where are they going?"

But there is another threat to the tradition of the Sundays: with cost-efficiency at the forefront of newspaper publishers' minds, talk of "seven-day publishing operations" abounds.

Most newspapers already run integrated sales teams for the Sunday and weekday print editions (and many are also integrated with online sales teams). But editorially, Sundays and weekdays have traditionally been separate.

There are signs that this is now changing for some organisations. The Daily Telegraph and The Sunday Telegraph, for instance, now run seven-day operations on the sport, business and diary desks.

While Telegraph Media Group would make no comment on any further integration, rumours persist that this is the ultimate goal.

However, at Times Media, Hayes is adamant that: "There is no way we would go to a seven-day publishing operation.

"There is greater integration across the website and The Sunday Times than there is between the two editorial teams," he says.

"We have to address the issue of how we can spread Sunday Times content throughout the week. For example, you can now read The Sunday Times match reports on Times Online on a Saturday afternoon."

The Daily Mirror and the Sunday Mirror maintain completely separate editorial teams, as well as a separate web address for the Sunday Mirror - something Webb says helps give both titles a distinct voice and personality.

At The Guardian and The Observer, some print journalists now contribute to web content, and both titles' content appears on the Guardian Unlimited website.

However, as yet, no digital/print departments have completely merged, although GNM commercial director Adam Freeman confirms: "We are looking at those sorts of synergies."

Resilient nature
Yet despite the challenges of web, weekend habits and Saturday rivals, the picture is not all gloomy for Sunday newspapers.

Matthew Watkins, group sales director at Telegraph Media Group, says: "Considering the challenges, Sundays have been remarkably resilient." He cites another recent NRS survey, which showed that people spend an average of 70 minutes reading a Sunday newspaper - far outweighing the dailies.

Trinity Mirror's Webb points out that Sunday sales figures still outperform the average for weekday editions.

"The perception is that Sundays are in disproportionate decline, but one has to remember that they started out from a much higher base, due to the habit of customers buying more than one paper on a Sunday," he says.

Media buyers are also optimistic. Mark Gallagher, executive director, press, at Manning Gottlieb OMD, says: "Sunday newspapers are still an intrinsic part of people's lives, and readers are still committed to getting more depth and analysis from a story."

And Steve Goodman, managing director, print trading at GroupM, believes Sunday newspapers could do more to promote the "fantastic package" and value for money they offer, rather than basing their marketing on promotional giveaways.

So how are the Sundays fighting to keep their place in the newspaper week? And how far are they integrating, or otherwise, with their weekday counterparts?

Three examples from the broadsheet, tabloid and mid-market stables.

Daily Mail/ The Mail on Sunday

The Daily Mail and The Mail on Sunday stand out as sticking most resolutely to their two identities. Associated's approach is described elsewhere in the industry as "old-fashioned purist" (or, somewhat less politely, "complete madness").

However, Guy Zitter, managing director at the Daily Mail and group commercial director at Associated Newspapers, claims his group role prevents the titles from competing too far to secure the best deals. "We don't want all-out war," he says.

Zitter maintains it is important that the weekday and Sunday papers keep separate identities, with completely autonomous sales and editorial teams. "If the Daily Mail carried the same stories as The Mail on Sunday, it would weaken the Sunday paper," he says. "The separate focus enhances the authority of the Sunday title."

Securing that authority is currently a priority for The Mail on Sunday, which, in January, underwent a major revamp as a two-section, two-supplement title. Associated executives claim the relaunch was more about new printing systems that allow 100% colour, than addressing competition from Saturday newspapers. But the redesign is also aimed at making it easier for both readers and advertisers to navigate their way throught the paper.

The new Mail on Sunday aims to cater for both sexes with "his" and "hers" elements, with two magazines, Live and You, targeting male and female readers respectively. And, in an attempt to cultivate a younger readership, it offers promotions aimed at this audience, such as exclusive CDs by the likes of Lenny Kravitz.

While the relaunch saw an initial circulation boost - ABCs were up more than 5% in January, but fell again in February - buyers continue to watch closely.

Mark Gallagher at Manning Gottlieb OMD, says: "The Mail on Sunday is certainly more user-friendly, with later deadlines for sections and more opportunities for colour. But does a change in format add circulation? It's usually only a spike. It does not normally add more readers to the mix in the longer term."

The Sun/News of the World

The Daily Mail and The Mail on Sunday stand out as sticking most resolutely to their two identities. Associated's approach is described elsewhere in the industry as "old-fashioned purist" (or, somewhat less politely, "complete madness").

However, Guy Zitter, managing director at the Daily Mail and group commercial director at Associated Newspapers, claims his group role prevents the titles from competing too far to secure the best deals. "We don't want all-out war," he says.

Zitter maintains it is important that the weekday and Sunday papers keep separate identities, with completely autonomous sales and editorial teams. "If the Daily Mail carried the same stories as The Mail on Sunday, it would weaken the Sunday paper," he says. "The separate focus enhances the authority of the Sunday title."

Securing that authority is currently a priority for The Mail on Sunday, which, in January, underwent a major revamp as a two-section, two-supplement title. Associated executives claim the relaunch was more about new printing systems that allow 100% colour, than addressing competition from Saturday newspapers. But the redesign is also aimed at making it easier for both readers and advertisers to navigate their way throught the paper.

The new Mail on Sunday aims to cater for both sexes with "his" and "hers" elements, with two magazines, Live and You, targeting male and female readers respectively. And, in an attempt to cultivate a younger readership, it offers promotions aimed at this audience, such as exclusive CDs by the likes of Lenny Kravitz.

While the relaunch saw an initial circulation boost - ABCs were up more than 5% in January, but fell again in February - buyers continue to watch closely.

Mark Gallagher at Manning Gottlieb OMD, says: "The Mail on Sunday is certainly more user-friendly, with later deadlines for sections and more opportunities for colour. But does a change in format add circulation? It's usually only a spike. It does not normally add more readers to the mix in the longer term."

The Guardian/The Observer

The Guardian and The Observer may be run in close conjunction on the commercial side, but they remain famously independent editorially. The Observer has often taken a different point of view from The Guardian, for example on supporting the Iraq war.

Although this issue was rumoured to have contributed to the departure of former editor Roger Alton (a rumour Alton has subsequently denied), Adam Freeman, commercial director of Guardian News and Media, says the ethos of the two newspapers is to have freedom in their points of view, while coming from the same stable of "liberal global journalism".

"The challenge is how we keep those perspectives but integrate where it is sensible," he says.

On the commercial side, advertising sales for the two titles have been integrated since Guardian News and Media bought The Observer in 1993, and there is now a centralised team where specialism is driven by platform, rather than title. Dedicated sales teams for sponsorship, digital, newspapers and magazines work across both The Guardian and The Observer.

"This works because of the nature of our audiences: some are common and some are unique," says Freeman.

Freeman claims The Observer is less affected by the increased power of Saturday editions than other titles, as the two papers only have a 40% crossover in readership.

"If you lock in readers seven days a week, you can be in trouble when it comes to Saturday versus Sunday," he says. "But we have to offer a competitive package."

With its circulation in considerably better health than most of its rivals - it is virtually the only Sunday paper to record consistent circulation gains over the past year - The Observer continues to fight for its place in the newspaper week by adding quality content.

In addition to its monthly supplements Observer Woman, Sport, Music and Food Monthly, it has launched an Observer Film Quarterly title, sponsored for 2008 by VW, and has included giveaways such as booklets of poetry.