The Turkish Press Market

1. The market for Turkish press
1.1. The Turkish newspaper market
Istanbul represents 45% of the total newspaper sales in Turkey. Total paid for circulation per day in all Turkey is about 5.2 Million (2007). Annual turnover is about 540 Million USD. Newspapers account for 33% of Turkey adspend. VAT is 1% for newspapers. In Turkey there are 89 newspapers in total, 33 of which are regional, the others being national. Regional dailies are not very popular in Turkey and they are mainly published for advertisement purposes. In total they represent 3% of total newspaper sales. The top ten Turkish newspapers are Zaman, Posta, Hürriyet, Sabah, Milliyet, Fotomac_, Fanatik, Aksam, Türkiye and Vatan. The leading newspaper Zaman, published by Feza Yayıncılık, is conservative. Postaleads the category of low-cost dailies in terms of local sales. In the sphere of economics and politics, Turkey’s leading daily is Dünya. 90% of its sales are based on subscription (total number of subscribers is 30.000). There are two free newspapers: Gaste (with a total circulation of 500.000) by Free News Iletisim and the 20 Dakika (with a total circulation of 250.000) by Dogan Yayin Holding. Since they have been launched recently, their effect on the local press market cannot be evaluated before the end of the year. In average 77% of the newspaper circulation is sold through single-copy sales and 23% through subscriptions. Single-copy prices range between EUR 0.10 and 1.18 for national newspapers and EUR 0.07 and 0.62 for regional newspapers. Turkish newspapers usually are in broadsheet format; only free newspapers are tabloid. Most of the main actors of the Turkish press market are active not only in the media sector, but also in other sectors including energy, construction, health, real estate, banking, etc. The rise of the Internet doesn’t seem to hurt the newspaper business: Since 2001 there has been a 40% increase in the sales of Turkish newspapers.

1.2. The Turkish magazine market
The annual quantity of magazines sold in all Turkey is about 53 Million (2007). Annual turnover is about 127 Million USD. Magazines account for 4% of Turkeys adspend. VAT is 1% for magazines. Over the last few years, Turkey has experienced an increase in magazine sales. Every year over 200 new magazines are introduced in the market. Magazines in four categories – kids, comics, women, news and current affairs – account for 54% of the sales. In average 97% of the magazines are sold through single-copy sales and 3% through subscriptions.

1.3. The press distribution
The national press distributors are Yay-Sat and Turkuvaz Dagıtım. The share of Yay-Sat is 58% in total sales, and its share in the total turnover 61%. The share of Turkuvaz Dagıtım in total sales is 42% and its share in the total turnover is 39%. The total number of press sales points is 26.000. While all of these sales points supply daily newspapers, only 8.500–9.000 supply local magazines. 1.500 of this total number is composed of market chains (the main ones are Migros and Carrefour) and bookstores (the main ones are Remzi, D&R, Nezih and Inkilap bookstores). There are no newsstand or wholesale chains in Turkey, all wholesalers and newsstands are independent. While the sales of newspapers are generated in kiosks and groceries, the sales of magazines mainly come from supermarket chains and bookstores.

2. The market for imported press in Turkey
The market for imported press represents only 3% of the total press market in Turkey. The market for imported press mainly relies on tourism. Foreign population living in Turkey generates only 0.14% of the total population, or about 98.000 people. However, it is expected that there are over 460.000 unregistered expatriates. The main tourist destinations are the cities of Antalya, Istanbul, Mugla, Izmir and Aydin. Despite the overall increase in tourism revenue, per capita expenditure was down 6% in 2007 compared to the previous year, mainly because of all-inclusive hotels and a decrease in purchasing power of the tourists coming to Turkey, which also affects foreign press market adversely. According to 2007 figures, Germany, Russia and the UK rank first in terms of tourist arrivals. One of the recent important developments with an effect on the foreign press market has been the introduction of a law in July 2003 that allows foreigners to buy property in Turkey. This has increased the number of foreign residents in places along the southern and southwestern coast of Turkey, like Fethiye, Didim, Bodrum. The total turnover of the market for imported press is over 20 million USD. While in winter the sales are generated in big cities like Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir, in summer season most of the sales occur in the tourist destinations in Mediterranean and Aegean regions. There are 97 newspaper titles and 186 weekly, 31 fortnightly, 702 monthly and 989 bi-monthly, quarterly or seasonal magazine titles imported. English and German titles rank first in terms of press sales. The top ten foreign newspapers in Turkey are Bild, The Sun, International Herald Tribune, De Telegraaf, Het Laatste Nieuws, Financial Times, Daily Mail, Daily Mirror, Daily Star, and The Wall Street JournalEurope. The top ten foreign magazines/weeklies are Bild am Sonntag, The Economist, Newsweek, Ok Weekly, Time, Bild der Frau, Der Spiegel, Nur TV, Sternand TV Direkt. 95% of the foreign publications are imported by air, the main hub being Istanbul. In summer Antalya is used as a second hub. In big cities bookstores sell the biggest share of imported press (52%). In tourist destinations groceries and hotel shops are the major points of sales (92%). The leading company in foreign press distribution sector is Dünya Super Dagitim with a market share over 70%, followed by Dogan Burda and Yab-Yay.

Edited by presstrends GmbH, with the contribution of Dünya Süper Dagitim A.S.