ABC adds apps to new multi-platform circulation reports

Apps can now be reported by publishers as part of the Audit Bureau of Circulation's multi-platform reporting.

As of this month, members of ABC will be able to report app figures on an ABC certificate, from unique browsers of apps, to a more detailed breakdown.

Speaking to Journalism.co.uk, ABC chief executive Jerry Wright said the bureau tried to "accelerate" progress of the agreement of the new rules due to publisher demand.

"Certainly if you look at the way the market is developing in terms of publishers developing new content delivery vehicles, apps seem to be at the forefront of that so I think it will have quite wide appeal.

"The mandatory metric you will have to report is unique browsers, beyond that there's a vast range of metrics, you can look at page impressions, visit duration etc. You can capture everything from size and scale of the traffic to your app down to some of the more detailed engagement metrics."

"We are following publishers, trying to respond to their needs."

Speaking today at the PPA Digital Publishing Conference, Wright added that publishers have told the bureau that they want more channels to be explored, and vitally, for a measurement of engagement as well as scope.

"The new world requires us to do things differently," he said.

"We need to widen the range of metrics. It is not just how many web browsers  or how many copies are sold, but how much did people pay for that, how long did they  spend on a web page etc.

"Many of those metrics already exist but are not that widely used."

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