The titles published by Finland's leading magazine publisher, Sanoma Magazines Finland, continue to be popular with a growing number of Finns, according to the latest review by the Finnish Audit Bureau of Circulations (KMT 2008). The popularity of Aku Ankka – better known to English readers as Donald Duck – went from strength to strength last year, and 1,076,000 Finns now read the country's biggest weekly.
A total of 13 of Sanoma Magazines Finland's titles increased their readership, according to the KMT 2008 study, including women's magazines, family titles, and IT magazines.
"The current situation is clearly reflected in the readership figures. During depressed economic times, people tend to spend more time at home with something that helps take their mind off the negative news they're being bombarded with," says Clarisse Berggårdh, Director, Media Sales and Custom Publishing at Sanoma Magazines Finland.
"Magazines help people make sense of the world around them, and approach even big issues from a human perspective. This is great for relaxing and makes for enjoyable reading."
Aku Ankka recorded the biggest increase in readership, and attracted 43,000 new readers compared to the previous study (KMT S07/K08). The women's title, Sport, saw the largest proportional rise in readership, 10%, and is now read by 119,000 people. SARA, targeted at female readers in their 40s, also continued to grow strongly, recording a 9% rise to 135,000; while parenting title Meidän Perhe saw a 8% rise to 165,000 readers.
The readership of Finland's leading lifestyle title, Gloria, rose by 14,000 to 284,000; while the country's number-one health magazine, Hyvä Terveys, added 13,000 new readers to bring it to a total of 454,000. Science title, Tiede, attracted 12,000 new readers, taking it to 237,000 readers overall.
Finland's leading title for 50+ readers, ET-lehti, strengthened its lead over its competitors to 785,000 readers, as did Kodin Kuvalehti as the most widely read women's title (585,000). Me Naiset remains Finland's most popular women's weekly, with 406,000 readers, and Cosmopolitan is still by far the most popular title among young women, with 242,000 readers. The leading technology title, MikroBitti, attracted 15,000 new readers, reaching a total of 330,000.
"We want to welcome every new reader as a friend, and offer them and existing readers quality journalism that speaks directly to them. We believe strongly that magazines that are loved by their readers represent an ideal opportunity for advertisers as well," says Clarisse Berggårdh.
Further information: Clarisse Berggårdh, Director Media Sales and Custom Publishing, Sanoma Magazines Finland, tel. +358 (0)9 120 5020.
Sanoma Magazines Finland is Finland's leading magazine publisher and the market leader in women's and family magazines, children's and juvenile publications, and consumer IT titles. Sanoma Magazines is part of the Sanoma Group, a strong European media group operating in diverse fields of media in 20 countries.