Telegraph gets its wires crossed

The Telegraph has been making claims about The Times which might be expected from a rattled competitor but which are at best selective (MW December 1)

The Telegraph has been the leader in the daily broadsheet market for many decades since it cut its cover price to below The Times, in fact. But brand leadership is not for life; which is exactly why The Times took on The Telegraph 18 months ago.

The Times has so far almost doubled its circulation, increasing readership across the board. The industry has seen nothing like it this half century.

The Telegraph has made much of its new younger readers, as well it needs to since its older readers have been dropping for years. The facts are that the Telegraph lost nearly one in three of its under-24s this time round, while the Times lost none. Even with its circulation disadvantage The Times beats The Telegraph on straight volume of under-24-year-olds.

And talking of class – which The Telegraph claims has been diluted in The Times’ unprecedented circulation hike – The Times increased its AB profile significantly more than the Telegraph. The Times has also increased the number of its readers earning ú29,000 or more by one third. The Telegraph increased at only half that rate.

Camilla Rhodes

Director of Advertising

Times Newspapers

London E1