It was down and down for sales of printed newspapers Romania in the third quarter this year. Sales in July, August and September fell from the previous quarter and from the same period in 2011, according to the Romanian Bureau of Circulation (BRAT). Leading broadsheet Romania Libera showed significant drops on last year in each of the three months. Average sales per issue in July and August were around 30,500, before dropping further in September to a daily average of just under 30,000. All monthly averages were around 9,000 copies lower than the same months in 2011.

Second placed Jurnalul National recorded average sale per issue around the 20,000 mark in Q3 2012, however sales were at a similar level to the same period in 2011.

Adevărul, on the other hand, has suffered even bigger falls in circulation than Romania Libera. Average sales per issue dropped from a little over 21,000 in July to just under 18,000 in August and to barely above 14,000 in September. In the same months last year, Adevărul sales declined from over 36,000 to just above 30,000 per issue.

Sales of tabloids were far higher, but they also showed significant declines on 2011. Top seller Click!, published by Adevarul Digital Media, sold around 137,000 copies an issue in July and August, before dropping to just under 123,000 in September. Last year, average sales per issue ranged between 163,000 and 172,000 in the same three months.

Financial newspaper Ziarul Financiar recorded average sales per issue of around 8,500 in Q3 this year.

editor@romania-insider.com