New company to 'start afresh' with UK audience data

The National Readership Survey (NRS), which has provided audience measurement data on the UK press for nearly 60 years, is to be replaced by the Publishers Audience Measurement Company (PAMCO) from early 2016.

The new company will look to provide more up-to-date information on readerships across different platforms and formats in the digital age.

"This is an opportunity to start afresh and say the publishing industry is getting to grips with digital," Simon Redican, chief executive of the NRS, told Journalism.co.uk. "So if you were starting out today in the 21st century how might you measure audiences across all the platforms? "

When your starting point was 60 years ago in a print-only world, a mindset change is neededSimon Redican, NRS

The precise nature of the new metrics to be included in PAMCO reports has yet to be made public as various companies tender bids to conduct the research.

Redican would not be drawn on any preferred measurements but said taking a different approach was a "fundamental" concern and NRS insiders are "excited about the plans on the table". The research provider will be announced later this quarter.

"My aspiration for the new solution is it would be more customer-friendly," he said, "and allow people to better plan and market the audiences that are delivered across all the platforms than maybe we had previously."

The NRS traditionally publishes quarterly reports of audience habits based on a face-to-face survey of 36,000 people. In 2012, the NRS updated its quarterly reports to include combined data from print and online readership, followed in 2015 by research into mobile audiences.

Reports would typically detail the average number of monthly UK readers in print, desktop and mobile devices, in both combined and segmented format.

While an announcement of the new metrics is "imminent", Redican said the focus will be on helping advertisers and publishers to better conduct "reach and frequency planning across all platforms, including mobile, and we can't do that at the moment".

"This new company needs to really be passionate about the new solution we've got and make sure the end users know why they can trust it, why they can use it, why it's credible and why ultimately it helps them to spend their advertisers' money in the best possible way," he said.

Advertisers and publishers will continue to fund the new company, which currently operates under a 'shadow' board including Redican and senior members of the International Publishing Association, News Media Association, Professional Publishers Association and leading advertising agencies.

"The market has changed so much and [PAMCO will] become a multi-platform, cross-platform audience measurement service," he said. "When your starting point was 60 years ago in a print-only world, a mindset change is needed."

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