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July proved to be a bright month for tabloid marketing in general, but was not so good for national broadsheet circulations.

Leading red-top The Sun was up 0.35% for the month, but was down 2.44% on last year when it was priced 20p, at 3,521,527.

The Mirror showed a month-on-month rise of 0.33%, down 6.54% year on year, at 1,955,315 -- failing to regain the landmark 2m figure it had before editor Piers Morgan alienated readers with his anti-Iraq war stance.

Following a recent group review by its parent Trinity Mirror, chief executive Sly Bailey said from now on the Mirror would reflect its readers' views. She said: "The title must be about what matters to readers alone -- and must see the world through their eyes."

In the Sunday tabloid market, The People was up on June by 1.17% to 1,113,137, but this was still a 15.97% fall since July 2002. However, Bailey dismissed suggestions that Trinity Mirror would sell it and has promised to invest in the paper. Sister paper the Sunday Mirror was down 0.14% month on month to 1,630,766, a year-on-year drop of 7.48%.

Rival Sunday red-top News of the World was up 1.15% on June, a 0.07% increase year on year to 3,864,864, despite a cover price increase to 70p, while Daily Star Sunday continued to rise, up 10.81% month on month to 528,107.

The mid-market tabloids also looked healthy, with the weekday sector showing an overall increase of 2.35% on June. The Daily Express rose 2.73% month on month, but fell 2.71% year on year to 965,975, while rival the Daily Mail, owned by Associated Newspapers, was up 2.2% on June an increase of 2.02% year on year to 2,465,732.

The Sunday mid market titles were also up, with the Mail on Sunday rising 4.38% on June to 2,408,549, a 1.15% increase over the year, while the Sunday Express was up month on month by 3.29%, but was down 2.18% on July 2002.

The good news continued for Associated, with its London daily The Evening Standard climbing back over the 400,000 mark, with a month on month increase of 1.51%, a year-on-year increase of 0.17% to 401,825.

The weekday broadsheet sector was not such a happy story, with the Financial Times adding to the woes of its parent Pearson in July with a 5.44% drop in circulation.

The FT saw its circulation fall to 437,944, down from 463,160 in June, a 4.62% decline from last year, and the paper's ad revenues have fallen at the same time. Last month Pearson said FT ad revenue was down 5%, which it blamed on "the deep recession in corporate and financial advertising".

The Times and the Telegraph both showed small month on month declines, but were hit more severely year on year. The Times had a circulation of 633,067, a 7.27% drop on a year ago, while market leader the Telegraph was down 8.28% on July 2002 at 921,741.

The Sunday broadsheet market was much the same, with The Business providing a bright spot as it continues to benefit from a cost-cutting strategy. The weekly business paper was up 7.59% to 110,423, up 31.29% year on year, but will soon be recording an ABC of over 400,000, as it enters into a distribution agreement with Associated's Mail on Sunday to be given away free with the title in certain markets.

For the other Sunday broadsheets the picture was quite bleak. The Sunday Telegraph managed a 0.43% increase to 703,035, down 8.91% year on year. The Sunday Times retained its lead but was down 3.93% on June to 1,322,293, down 1.39% year on year.

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