The minimum actual sales figure is made up of dealer sales and subscriptions. Including a subscription in the figure is subject to strict conditions - and the Agency may verify it of its own motion.
The Actual Sales and Returns Table - Art. 44/1, Table-4
(Added phrase: Official Gazette 10/12/2025-33103) The daily minimum actual sales and return numbers and rates that newspapers must achieve through dealers and by way of subscription in their place of publication, according to their categories, are as follows:
| Category | Sales (copies) | Minimum dealer sales rate and number | Minimum return rate and number |
|---|---|---|---|
| Category 1 | 3,000 | 50% - 1,500 | 5% - 75 |
| Category 2 | 1,600 | 50% - 800 | 5% - 40 |
| Category 3 | 400 | 50% - 200 | 5% - 10 |
| Category 4 | 400 | 40% - 160 | 5% - 8 |
| Category 5 | 300 | 30% - 90 | 5% - 4 |
| Category 6 | 100 | 30% - 30 | - |
Art. 44/2: national newspapers must fulfil the sales and return conditions stated for Category 1.
Sales Actually and One by One - Art. 44/3
It is essential that the sales at the final-point dealers have been made actually and one by one, with the exception of sales made more than once for reasonable and acceptable reasons.
The Conditions for Including a Subscription in Daily Actual Sales - Art. 44/4
| Subpara. | Condition |
|---|---|
| a | Subscriptions of less than 1 month are not taken into account. |
| b | It is compulsory for each issue to be given, individually or in bulk with waybills issued, to those carrying out the subscriber distribution business, for delivery to the subscribers by 09.00 on the day whose date it bears, and for those transactions to be documented. |
| c | The number of newspapers for which a subscription invoice has been issued and which have been delivered to the subscribers at the time in subparagraph (b) is included in the daily actual sales. Newspapers are obliged to take the measures necessary to determine whether the copies have reached the hands of the subscribers. |
Per-Subscriber Copy Limits - Art. 44/5
| The newspaper's actual sales amount | A natural person subscriber | A public institution, NGO, union, political party organisation | Other legal persons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 1,000 copies | 1 | At most 10 | At most 5 |
| 1,000 and above | 1 | At most 20 | At most 10 |
Verification of Subscribers - Art. 45
Art. 45/1: whether the duties stated in relation to subscribers have been fulfilled may be verified by the Agency of its own motion.
Art. 45/2: if, as the result of any verification to be made by the Agency, it is established that the number of subscribers has fallen below the number affecting the minimum actual sales number, or that, while remaining above that number, 15% or more of the subscribers are not actually continuing, the publishing right of the newspaper is suspended.
| Determination | Result |
|---|---|
| The number of subscribers has fallen below the number affecting the minimum actual sales number | The publishing right is suspended |
| Above the number but 15% or more of the subscribers are not actually continuing | The publishing right is suspended |
If the Date of Suspension Cannot Be Determined - Art. 45/3
Where the date on which the publishing right was suspended under the second paragraph cannot be determined, the date of issue of the invoice belonging to the subscription with the oldest start date among the subscriptions not deemed valid is accepted as the date of suspension.
The Subscription Price - Art. 43/3
The subscription price may not be less than the amount found by multiplying the sale price determined after the discount, if any, is deducted by the subscription period. The total of the dealer commission and the subscription discount may not exceed 40% of the amount written on the newspaper (Art. 43/2).
A Checklist
- Are the subscription periods longer than 1 month?
- Are the copies delivered with a waybill to the subscriber distributor by 09.00?
- Has a subscription invoice been issued?
- Are the copy limits for legal person subscribers not exceeded?
- Is the subscription price not below the sale price multiplied by the period?
- Is it monitored that the subscriptions are actually continuing?
Summary
A subscription is included in the daily actual sales provided it is not less than 1 month, the copy has been given with a waybill to the subscriber distributor by 09.00 and an invoice has been issued. A natural person subscriber counts as 1, public institutions and NGOs as at most 10 or 20, and other legal persons as at most 5 or 10 copies. If the number of subscribers falls below the minimum threshold, or if 15% or more of the subscribers are not actually continuing, the publishing right is suspended.