The board of the Audit Bureau of Circulations approved a series of changes to US newspaper rules to coincide with other broad modifications set to take effect in October. The new policies include fresh standards for newspaper subscriptions that include digital editions while addressing the growing market for paid content across multiple platforms, such as e-readers and mobile apps. The board's aim is to establish a foundation for the future as more newspapers move to bundled print/digital subscription offers and hybrid publishing plans.
The new rules also introduce the concept of a "branded edition" – a publication of the ABC member newspaper often targeted at a specific audience or geography but containing a different name. Beginning October 1, 2010, these editions may be included in a newspaper's total average circulation.
The extensive changes for US newspapers are reflected in a new prototype ABC Publisher's Statement, which was given final board approval and takes effect with the March 2011 reporting period. It incorporates branded editions, subscriptions via e-readers, websites, and mobile apps, readership data, and a new "verified" category of nonpaid circulation.
For US and Canadian consumer magazines, the board modified the public notification policies that address the late filing of ABC Publisher's Statements. The board also agreed that claims of analysed nonpaid bulk circulation can include replica digital editions accessed via an unrestricted website.
The magazine committee of the ABC board has formed a task force to examine new publishing platforms and how to best incorporate these distribution methods on ABC reports. The goal is to allow publishers to present advertisers with a more comprehensive picture of a magazine's publishing channels—across print and digital platforms—while providing the transparency and data required by media planners and buyers. The task force anticipates finalizing its recommendations by early 2011.
For US and Canadian business publications, the ABC board approved a new policy allowing publishers to report products with different frequencies as separate circulation averages. This will give more visibility to digital products that are published weekly, for example, as a complement to a monthly print edition. The board also agreed that farm publications could use ABC's multimedia report to detail an array of print and digital media distribution.
