U.K.’s Audit Bureau of Circulations offers opt-out

The U.K.’s Audit Bureau of Circulations has announced new data reporting options for national papers in the U.K.

ABC releases data for the UK media industry to use when selling print, digital and event advertising. ABC normally publishes data monthly.

On May 21, the organization said national newspaper publishers can now opt for public or private reporting. Also, optional metrics can be reported in addition to mandatory metrics and there will no longer be a monthly Newsbrands report.

This addresses publisher concerns that monthly ABC circulation reports provide a stimulus to write a negative narrative of circulation decline, while continuing to ensure the data is available for agencies and advertisers who use it to buy print advertising, the agency says.

With the public option, arrangements remain as they currently are. This means ABC will publish a title’s certificate on its website and include it in the Data Hub and data feeds as usual.

With private reporting, publication of circulation figures will be under the control of the publisher.

The U.S.-based Alliance for Audited Media is making changes to its reporting as well. The organization is offering two options for the March 2020 filing period: simplified reporting with projections or normal filing with optional simplified ZIP code reporting. 

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