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Audit Bureau Releases Controversial Report to Consumer Mags

The Audit Bureau of Circulations has announced that it plans to make its consolidated media report available to consumer magazines, a bold move considering the fact that many critics of the report believe that the data being combined is not audited with the same rigor as the circulation reports.

The consolidated report combines data on a magazine’s audited print circulation, pass-along readership and web traffic, and its release is a move designed to expand the ABC’s role as an authority in print audience circulation reports, writes MediaPost.

When the ABC released the report in August to business publications, it generated criticism saying that because the report does not provide identifying information of online visitors that would allow an accurate comparison against subscription lists, there is no way to know how much overlap is being reported. Newspaper researchers, particularly, objected to the term “total audience reach,” claiming it was misleading.
In response to the criticism, the ABC has said it will adopt a new term, “total contacts.” The term will replace the “total audience reach” term it has been using to describe the consolidated data.

The debate on audience measurement highlights the desire for publishers to increase the value of their magazines to advertisers. Time magazine, in a bold move, announced last week that it will reduce its rate base and instead work with advertisers to adopt a new measurement, one that will take into account the entire audience reach of the magazine, including pass-along readership.