Audit Bureau of Circulations to merge print and digital operations

The Audit Bureau of Circulations has merged its print and digital distribution arms into one single brand: ABC.

They say the re-organisation - which has been a year in the planning - will help simplify how publishers report their circulation figures across multiple platforms.

Circulation figures will still be published separately however - and ABC say their print services are still the "bedrock" of their operation.

"Our customers are moving into the multiplatform world," Martyn Gates, group executive editor of standards, operations and compliance told Journalism.co.uk.

"It helps if ABC is a multiplatform brand. We're merging the ABC brand."

In January, the group launched the Cross-Platform Certificate which meant publications could publish circulation figures for print and digital alongside each other.

The certificate, Mr Gates says, gives advertisers a clear and trustworthy measure of the reach of a publication.

Digital monitoring now accounts for 30 per cent of ABC's annual turnover, a sign that Mr Gates believes shows that publications are serious about understanding their non-print audiences.

"Publishers think, 'My [print] circulation is going down, but I feel I'm reaching more people'. The re-organisation helps us do that better."

In a press release announcing the changes, Jerry Wright, Chief Executive of ABC and President of the International Federation of ABCs, said: "As the media industry has developed with increasing emphasis on digital media, so have we.

"ABC's re-organisation will further integrate our expertise across print and digital disciplines, making it easier for our clients to do business with us. ABC remains committed to ensuring decision makers – including advertisers, digital traders, media owners and their clients ‐ have access to comparable and transparent data."

As part of the announcement, ABC have relaunched their website and unveiled a new logo.

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