±±¾©Èü³µpk10

The Daily Mirror fell 7.33% on last year to 1,929,122, and it has lost 68,727 readers since March, when it reported a circulation of 1,997,846. The loss is believed to have been a result of Morgan's hardline antiwar stance, but despite this decision, Trinity Mirror chairman Sir Victor Blank last week said the editor was not leaving.

The Daily Mirror's loss follows considerable gains at rivals The Sun and the Daily Star. The loss of readers has forced Morgan to reconsider his editorial policy and embrace strong coverage of 'I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here' over the last couple of weeks.

The Daily Star was up year on year by 9.78% to 849,514, a slight fall from last month's figure of 849,999 before bulks.

The Sun has put on more than 4,000 readers since last month as its circulation hit 3,525,669, a year-on-year increase of 5.2%.

The Daily Mirror was not the only tabloid to suffer in April's ABC figures. In the mid-market, the Daily Mail saw its circulation fall 2.68% on a year ago to 2,320,693, while its rival the Daily Express put on 2.5%, giving it a circulation of 898,394.

Among the daily broadsheets, The Times posted the most dramatic loss -- a year-on-year decline of 9.52% to 608,487 as The Telegraph held its lead in the sector, despite a 4.3% fall to 913,448.

The Financial Times has failed to halt its decline over the year with a 4.9% fall to 445,349, while at the bottom of the pile The Guardian slid 1.44% to 383,946 and The Independent lost 2.73% to a paltry 189,621.

In the Sunday market, there was more bad news for Trinity Mirror chief executive Sly Bailey as the standalone Sunday tabloid The People reported a 15.97% decline over the year to 1,102,109 and The Sunday Mirror posted a year-on-year drop of 6.3% to 1,623,054.

The Mirror titles are being hit by the launch of Richard Desmond's Daily Star Sunday, which posted a circulation for April of 463,633, up on March's figure of 437,766.

In the Sunday mid-market, the story was very much the same as in the daily mid-market. The Mail on Sunday fell 2.51% to 2,301,479, losing just over 26,000 readers since last month and The Sunday Express was up 2.19% on the year to 892,216.

All the Sunday broadsheets were down year on year. The biggest fall was from the Sunday Telegraph, which was down 4.66% over the year to 708,171, while market leader The Sunday Times fell 1.35% to 1,386,379. The Independent on Sunday fared a little better than its sister daily, with a 0.63% fall to 189,425. The Observer was down 1.02% to 430,738.

Some suggest that many of the falls, particularly among the broadsheets, come as readers turn increasingly to the internet for news.

If you have an opinion on this or any other issue raised on Brand Republic, join the debate in the .