What's On TV edges closer to market-leader TV Choice

IPC's What's On TV cut the gap with No 1-ranked TV Choice by almost 25,000 copies in the first half of 2011, leaving the two market leaders separated by just 80,000 sales. H Bauer's market-leading TV Choice boosted circulation by 3.5% year on year to 1,354,761, a decline of 0.6% period on period, according to the latest Audit Bureau of Circulations figures published today. IPC's second-placed What's On TV performed even better with a 5.4% year-on-year increase, up 1.4% on the previous six months, to 1,274,035. It cut TV Choice's lead from 105,000 in the second half of last year. The third-ranked Radio Times, which parent BBC Worldwide earlier this week agreed to sell off in a £121m deal , did less well than its top-ranked rivals. Sales fell 4.9% year on year and 6.2% period on period to 901,306. Outside of the top three, IPC's TV Times saw circulation fall slightly by 0.1% year on year and 6.2% period on period to 290,303. IPC stablemates TV & Satellite Week and TV Easy performed less well. TV & Satellite Week, the fifth-ranked title in the sector, reported a 4% fall in sales year on year and 2.4% period on period to 176,837. Seventh-ranked TV Easy fell 2.8% year on year and 4% period on period to 162,145. Among the soap-focused titles Hearst Magazines' Inside Soap, the sixth-biggest title in the sector, fell 5.7% year on year and 5.8% period on period to 165,022. Stablemate All About Soap lost 4.9% of sales year on year to 90,861. This represented a 0.8% period-on-period fall. IPC's Soaplife provided a bright spot with sales up 1.4% year on year and 0.6% period on period to 100,798. • To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email [email protected] or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly "for publication". • To get the latest media news to your desktop or mobile, follow MediaGuardian on Twitter and Facebook .