Millions of Brits love to read celebrity gossip and one in four men read it for ‘me time’

Research conducted by digital magazine and newspaper subscription service Readly found that celebrity and gossip magazines are a popular guilty pleasure with one in five Brits (17%) admitting to indulging in the habit.

The biggest cohort of gossip and celebrity magazine readers are women (24%) aged 30-39 followed by women aged 50-59. However one in four men (26%) reported reading celebrity and gossip as part of their ‘me time’!

The 2000 UK wide poll for Readly digital magazine and newspaper app also revealed that respondents love to curl up on the couch or sofa to read their favourite celebrity titles (32%), get up to date with celebrity news while sitting in waiting rooms at appointments (30%) or peruse the gossip pages whilst travelling or on holiday (12%).

Although one in five respondents (18%) said they felt embarrassed by the urge to catch up on their favourite celebrity's private life, most readers were unapologetic about their reading habits. The over 60’s were the least shy about their habit with almost nine in ten (85%) saying they are not the slightest bit embarrassed to be reading gossip on their favourite celebrities!

The top 10 celebrities searched for by Readly subscribers in 2022 were:

1. Rose Ayling- Ellis
2. Daniel Craig
3. Davina McCall
4. Kylie Minogue
5. Monty Don
6. Jamie Lawson
7. Ali Bastian
8. Kate Moss
9. Michelle Keegan
10. Holly Willoughby
     

–  Celebrity and entertainment is always one of the most popular categories in the UK. As the research shows, Brits love reading about their favourite celebs and men love reading the gossip pages too! One in five of our subscribers choose to read Celebrity and Entertainment titles alongside the breadth of digital magazines and newspapers on the platform. Reading about celebrities is a source of inspiration, entertainment and escapism that many of us seek to wind down, relax or switch off from a busy day, says Ranj Begley, UK MD and Chief Content Officer at Readly.

The research showed that the most avid celebrity readers were in London (22%), the West Midlands (21%) and the North West (19%). Respondents reported reading celebrity and gossip magazines as an easy way to pass time (56%), as a source of distraction from a busy day or things happening in the World (42%) or to relax them (21%).

With over 6,300 titles on the Readly app including top celebrity titles and the juiciest celeb reports to choose from in the Celebrity and Entertainment category, Readly makes it easy to sit back and catch up on the latest gossip at the touch of an app.

Readly is £9.99 a month for unlimited reading. Visit www.readly.com.

-ENDS

For more details contact: kate.tegelaars@readly.com or 07879 818 711

Research: The survey was carried out during the period from 11-13 April 2022 via the Internet, on the basis of the YouGov Panel, based on a sample of 2266 UK adults.

Readly in app data taken June 2021 - June 2022

About Readly
Readly is the European category leader for digital magazines. The company offers a digital subscription service that lets customers have unlimited access to 7,500 magazines and newspapers including the catalogue of ePresse. Readly has subscribers in more than 50 countries and content available in 17 different languages. In collaboration with 1200 publishers worldwide, Readly is digitising the magazine and newspaper industry. In 2021, revenues amounted to SEK 466 million. Since September 2020, the Readly share is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm Midcap. For more information, please visit https://corporate.readly.com/