Spits breaks half million barrier
Dutch free daily Spits, by Telegraaf Media Group, is boosting circulation to more than half a million copies a day. The free paper sees circulation grow because of distribution in 130 Plus supermarkets, more schools and universities, and extended distribution in public transport.
In 2007 Spits’ competitor Metro increased distribution 550,000 copies. In both cases the average circulation will be less – circulation in the summer months and during holidays is usually less. The average circulation for Spits for the first three quarters of 2007 was 413,000; Metro distributed 509,000 copies, De Pers 475,000 and DAG 334,000 copies.
The increase in circulation, however, is still remarkable because in 2007 new titles were launched on the Dutch market: De Pers and DAG. Total circulation is 1.73 million, almost a third of the total Dutch newspaper circulation.
In the last readership audit data Spits had 1.85 million readers against 1.95 for Metro; De Pers had 705,000 readers while DAG was not audited yet. In February new readership data are expected with again higher readership data for all three titles and the first results for DAG.