Vocento’s corporate strategy is built on three cornerstones that differentiate it from the rest of the market: leading brands, profitability and effectiveness, and operating cash flow generation. In 2014, the company consolidated its leadership of the general information press in both circulation and readership. It also deepened its digital strategy while maintaining its commitment to its other two business lines, audiovisual and classified advertising. In 2015, Vocento will explore opportunities to grow its advertising revenues, based on proactive commercial policies, increases in market share, new strategies for circulation (especially national circulation), and the continued development of the digital business.
In 2014, Vocento consolidated its undisputed leadership of the general press sector with a market share of circulation of 25.1% (35.9% including the circulation of newspapers which form part of Tarifa Comercial Única 3.0), more than 10 p.p. higher than the number two media group. It was also the leader in readership, with more than 2.5 million readers, according to the 3rd EGM survey of 2014). It is a leader on the Internet with almost 17 million unique monthly users (according to ComScore MMX, December 2014).
The increased consumption of news on mobile devices is an opportunity for the group, not only to attract new readers but also to understand them and register them so that the Group can improve its offering and add new businesses that are complementary (such as e-commerce), as well as giving advertisers new ways for reaching their users.
In this context, Vocento is working on a number of strategic initiatives that aim to deepen the understanding of users and their behaviour, as well as to develop platforms and technologies which enable multi-screen publishing, with ‘mobile first’ as the main driver, and also to develop new products and services that respond to this social reality, such as e-commerce services, increasing the presence on social media, and making greater use of video content.
In 2014, ABC continued to increase its market share of ordinary circulation in Spain. It was the best performing national newspaper in kiosk sales and in the year it also became the number two national newspaper for kiosk sales in the Madrid region and in ordinary circulation on Sundays.
The focus of the newspaper continues to be twofold: to increase market share and remain as one of Spain’s leading newspapers, but in a profitable way.
To achieve this twin target, ABC has developed a multi-vehicle presence, which enables it to generate synergies on the editorial side and in winning new audiences, especially digital readers. It has focused on ordinary circulation (individual subscriptions and kiosk sales), which are more profitable for the newspaper.
In accordance with these objectives, ABC carried out a series of actions in the year to improve the Kiosko y Más platform, including a new platform which has improved the user experience and a renewed offer for mobile devices, both in terms of content and of products.
For 2015, ABC has defined three priority areas where it will work to continue strengthening its current position:
In 2014, ABC.es continued to increase market share and to strengthen its position. According to data for December 2014, it had 11 million unique monthly users and outperformed all its main competitors, cutting the gap to elmundo.es by 68%. At the end of 2014, ABC.es was only 570,000 unique users behind its main competitor.
Of these 11 million unique users, 45% come exclusively from mobile access, reflecting the profile of the ABC readership and its very competitive position in terms of segmentation.
In the year, the ABC editorial team provided the widest and most accurate coverage of current affairs in the print edition and in the new digital formats where ABC is continue to grow rapidly.
The launch of ABCfoto, the canal which allows users to browse the newspaper’s archive, and the Atlético de Madrid portal, among other developments, confirmed ABC’s commitment to leading digital developments and to becoming a leading digital player for both readers and advertisers.
2014 was a crucial year for the development of ABC’s digital vision, with the consolidation of Kiosko y Más, the digital edition of ABC which transforms print reading into a multimedia experience, and with the increased use of the ABC in 20 app.
ABC in 20 is a response to the need for readers to be kept informed while they are on the move and when they have little time. ABC in 20 is a selection of the 20 most important items of information in the day’s newspaper (news, features, opinion pieces, etc.), adapted for quick and easy reading on a smartphone, in an exclusive app designed by ABC. In 2014, the app gradually increased its penetration, thanks to agreements with strategic partners such as Iberia.
ABC on Kiosko y Más continues to provide its readers with the most complete and accurate analysis of current affairs, enabling access to all the editions of the newspaper as well as its magazines, supplements and special multimedia content. Every day, at 23:30, readers can access the Morning Edition of the following day. Even on days without a print publication, such as Christmas and New Year’s Day, readers can enjoy ABC on Kiosko y Más when and how they choose.
In 2014, ABC increased its paid subscriptions on Kiosko y Más by 20%, with over 300,000 hits per month.
For yet another year, Vocento has consolidated its position as the undisputed leader of the regional press markets of Spain due to the deep roots and excellent positioning of its 11 regional newspapers: El Correo, El Diario Vasco, El Diario Montañés, La Verdad, Ideal, Hoy, Sur, La Rioja, El Norte de Castilla, El Comercio, and Las Provincias. The strength of these titles, some of which are over 100 hundred years old, their high level of local recognition and their strong links to their regions have turned them into clear references in their markets.
Vocento’s regional newspapers maintained their leadership in terms of circulation in 2014, with market share in the regional press of 24.9%, compared to 15.3% for the number two regional press group.
In terms of the readership for regional newspapers, Vocento remains the leader both in the offline market (with over 2 million readers, 0.7 million readers more than the nearest competitor), and also online, with a readership of 16 million unique monthly users. Every one of the eleven portals is the audience leader in their markets, except for El Comercio Digital.
Another strong point of the regional newspapers is their impact on social media. Together, the newspapers have around 700,000 followers on Twitter and more than 500,000 on Facebook.
In 2014, the main focus has been on reinforcing the leadership of the newspapers, regardless of the device used to read them, and on optimizing processes and resources, while continuing to invest in the quality of the editorial product.
For 2015, the various newspapers are focused on maintaining their leadership and their profitability. The steady evolution of the information industry calls for continued investment in high quality content to differentiate, and for the development of new revenue sources. In addition, in a context of consolidation, acquisitions continue to be an option for growth, as illustrated by the acquisition in 2014 of León Noticias, a digital portal that has a readership that complements el Norte de Castilla.
Other highlights in 2014 were the 160th anniversary of the oldest Spanish newspaper, El Norte de Castilla, the 125th anniversary of La Rioja, and the 80th of El Diario Vasco. All three newspapers are absolute leaders in their regions.
In the year, Ideal organized the largest Twitter event anywhere in the world, Talking about Twitter. Held in Granada, the event had more than 140 million impacts on the Internet and an audience of 15 million people.
Elsewhere, the Feria Gastronomika food event organized by El Diario Vasco attracted 1,000 delegates and more than 12,000 visitors. The Premios Web awards, which are run by many of our newspapers, including El Diario Montañés, La Verdad, Las Provincias, El Diario Vasco and others, are the most important newspaper prizes in the digital world. The newspapers recognized the best online platforms in each province in various categories: the best corporate websites, the best for e-commerce, the best mobile applications, organisations, personal websites, leisure, etc. The awards ceremony is one of the most important events of the year for each of the media involved.
Kiosko y Más now includes 100 Spanish publishers and more than 450 publications. As well as this vast range of magazines, it offers daily information in every province of Spain, with 150 regional publications and some 400 supplements. It is the largest platform for reading the daily press in Europe and an example to follow for major publishing groups around the world. With more than 300,000 registered users, , Kiosko y Más has been a profitable company for a year and a half and distributes to participating publishers 62% of the sale price, the highest share of revenue in the online reading market.
In 2014, Colpisa/Central Newsroom consolidated its new role at the centre of content production, increasing its delivery of general content, including both daily news and coverage of special events, in print and online, for the regional newspapers. In addition, Colpisa increased its delivery of audiovisual products, providing daily videos for the websites of the regional newspapers.
In the year, Colpisa also reinforced multimedia products such as Salud Revista, the monthly health publication which is updated daily online; Innova+, a print and digital supplement devoted to technology and business innovation; and the ski and travel channel that was launched in 2014. All of these products for the regional newspapers joined the special coverage that the Central Newsroom provided for events such as the Goya awards and the Oscars, the European elections, etc.
In 2014, the agency increased its portfolio of services with the addition of the Autoclub magazine from the RACE. Colpisa publishes this magazine in an innovative format, exclusively for Tablet, adding to the range of its portfolio. The publication, which is also available on the Internet, is monthly and includes news, trends, travel, style, sports and of course the automotive sector.
In 2014, Colpisa won two major prizes for Innova+ y Salud Revista.es. The feature ‘Wines with R&D in the Blood,’ on Innova+, was recognized at the VIIth ceremony of the Tecnalia Journalism Awards. The feature, by Antonio Villareal was based on the story of four Spanish wine companies who invest in research to improve their products and share their know-how. The other award was for the feature ‘Hyaluronic Acid, the magic substance,’ by Pilar Manzanares for Salud Revista.es, which won the top prize for journalism from the IBSA Internacional. The article explains the importance of hyaluronic acid in medicine as well as in beauty treatments.
Taller de Editores publishes the most widely read supplements in Spain: XLSemanal and Mujerhoy, and also Hoy Corazón and financial magazine Inversión & Finanzas. The quality of its journalists and its commitment to information are the cornerstones of its differentiated position and its reputation, which in recent years has been strengthened in terms both of readership and of advertising market share.
Vocento’s magazines and supplements had a combined readership of 4 million people in 2014, with XLSemanal (2.3 million readers, or around 1 million more than its nearest competitor, according to the 3rd EGM survey for 2014) and Mujerhoy (1.4 million readers) clear leaders in their sectors.
In terms of advertising, according to internal data both publications continue to increase their share of the market. In the Sunday supplements market, where advertising is weak, XLSemanal has share of 53.4%. In the women’s magazine market, which is stabilizing, Mujerhoy improved its share by 4.8 p.p. in 2014.
As well as maintaining this leadership position, in 2014 the strategy was also to increase the sources of revenues. Various initiatives were launched, including stimulating e-commerce with Guapabox, stepping up actions in the events space, publishing corporate magazines, etc.
In 2015, Vocento will continue to invest in a differentiated product with a journalistic vision that attracts readers and advertisers. Increased activity in events and special actions, and the development of digital initiatives, will be a key part of the business.
In 2014, XLSemanal had a readership of almost one million more than its closest rival, while maintaining its advertising market share according to the AEDE, consolidating its position for yet another year as the undisputed leader of the general information weekend supplements market. XLSemanal has a readership of 2.3 million people and reaches every corner of Spain every weekend.
Four out of every ten people who buy a Sunday a supplement choose Vocento’s supplement, which in addition to its other attractions has contributors who include Carlos Herrera, Arturo Pérez-Reverte, Juan Manuel de Prada, Carmen Posadas, and others.
In 2014, Mujerhoy, with 1.4 million readers, celebrated its 15th birthday. Over the course of the year, it consolidated its number two position in the Spanish supplements market, behind only XLSemanal. This magazine for the women’s market is distributed on Saturdays with Vocento newspapers and other leading regional dailies. Readership data show that it is one of the leading titles in its segment, providing information and news about current affairs, fashion and beauty, decoration and health.
The publication completes its offer in the women’s segment with Mujerhoy Moda, a quarterly large format, high quality publication that is focused on high end women’s fashion, with circulation of more than 150,000 copies.
Mujerhoy.com is the online edition of the leading women’s magazine in Spain. In 2014, it consolidated its position as leading portal for fashion, beauty, celebrities, health and trends, for more than one million unique users who accessed the portal (Source: ComScore MMX December 2014).
Hoy Corazón has no competition in the weekend supplements market, and completed eight years of life in 2014.
Hoy Corazón is dedicated to celebrity news, with upbeat, dynamic and respectful coverage. It has a circulation of over 140,000 copies a week (Source: OJD Jan-Dec 2013) and a readership of more than 300,000 readers (Source: EGM 3rd Survey 2014). With this level of coverage, Hoy Corazón has become one of the most read Spanish publications for celebrities and news on social life and entertainment.
A specialist investment and personal finance publication, Inversión y Finanzas is the only independent weekly magazine that is available at the kiosks to be focused on stock market analysis. According to the EGM, it has a weekly readership of 53,000.
Finanzas.com specialises in financial and economic information and offers up to the minute news on stock market prices and indices. It provides useful services to users, such as a very complete section on personal finance and consumption. Recent data reflect the upside potential of the portal, with an average of more than 500,000 users per month. (Source: ComScore MMX December 2014).
CÓDIGO ÚNICOFocused on the masculine high end readership, this monthly publication, co-published with La Vanguardia (Grupo Godó) with a print run of around 130,000 copies has now celebrated its second birthday, and is a product that has successfully differentiated from its competitors.
The events area of Taller de Editores continued to grow in 2014 and organised a series of events for various media. Inversión and Finanzes.com consolidated their professional conferences for areas such as Private Banking, Financial Advisers, CIO and Pensions. In the year, there was the relaunched fifteenth edition of the Bolsalia fair. In 2014, Mujerhoy organised two major beauty and fashion events: Beauty Days (two events with more than 1,500 visitors) and MHM, the leading event for professionals in the fashion industry. The women’s magazines also awarded its Mujerhoy Prizes to the Women of the Year and organized the Beauty Awards and the Motor Awards. In the year, the supplement Hoy Corazón launched its first Corazón Solidario Awards recognizing charitable activities.
