Murdoch declares permanent price drop for The Sun

In 1993, News International slashed prices from 25p to 10p, causing a jump in the newspapers’ circulation from just over 3m to more than 4m, forcing rival papers to follow suit.

It has been claimed that by doing this, Murdoch “bought himself 15 years”, as gradually circulation has dropped off to the point where it is now around the 3m mark again.

Earlier this year, a price drop of The Sun in the Carlton television region and Scotland led to an increase in year-on-year circulation growth.

News International, which has recently completed a £660m investment in three new press sites, has now taken the price drop, from 35p to 30p, nationwide – beginning yesterday (4 August).

In total, an additional 2.5m copies of the country’s best-selling newspaper will be sold at the lower price.

The Sun marketing director Roland Agambar said: “At a time when many companies, including our competitors, are constantly cutting costs to the detriment of their product, we are constantly looking to improve our product and increase the value we give to our readers.

“This cut will mean The Sun is delivering even greater value than ever to its readers at a time when every penny counts for the people of Britain.

“Our success has been built on always knowing what our customers want and trying to give it to them. This price cut is a recognition that customers are looking to save every penny possible in a time of economic uncertainty.”

News International’s move is a bold one as advertising revenue is expected to dip due to the potential of recession. It is as yet unclear how increasing circulation through a lower price could affect these drops.

Only in May, Sun rival the Daily Mirror saw its ad revenue drop by 4.3% for March/April this year and warned of an “uncertain outlook” for the industry.

Read the original article at www.printweek.com.

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