ABC circulation data for the first six months of 2009 reveals that Men's Fitness and Men's Health were the only paid-for titles in the men's lifestyle to increase circulation year on year. Men's Health (250,247), is, however, far ahead of Men's Fitness (67,987) in terms of circulation.
In addition, Men's Health has now overtaken Bauer Media's FHM in terms of circulation to take the spot as third-biggest men's lifestyle title, behind only free titles Sport and ShortList.
Free weekly ShortList upped distribution by 6.1% year on year to 510,720, Dennis Publishing's Men's Fitness was up 3.6% to 67,987 and NatMag Rodale's Men's Health was up 2.1% to 250,247.
However, the so-called lads' mags suffered major declines in circulation. Bauer Media's Zoo suffered the biggest decline in the sector, down 31.2% to 111,012.
Next was IPC's Nuts, which posted a 24.6% year-on-year decline in circulation to 188,532, followed by another IPC title, Loaded, which was down 23.8% to 72,679. Bauer Media' FHM shed 16.2% of circulation year on year to 235,027.
The upmarket men's lifestyle titles such as GQ, BBC Focus and Esquire posted more modest circulation declines. CondŽ Nast's GQ was down 7.7% to 120,019, while BBC Magazines' BBC Focus was down only 2.8% to 68,144. NatMags' Esquire averaged 52,705 copies an issue, down 9.3% year on year.
Sport, meanwhile, distributed an average of 305,341 copies per issue, down 2.5% year on year, making it the second-biggest title in the sector.
Full analysis of all the main magazine sectors will be included in the ABC supplement with Media Week's 18 August issue.
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