The Audited Media Association of Australia (AMAA) is shifting its reporting frequency from quarterly to half-yearly as publisher support of the audit wanes.
The changes follow a “comprehensive review process” which involved discussions with publishers and media agencies, according to the AMAA.
The review of the industry body recommended quarterly data reporting was “no longer required”.
The move follows a publisher exodus of the AMAA's circulation audit at the end of last year, which involved NewsLifeMedia, Bauer, Pacific Magazines and Fairfax Media, which removed its digital numbers from the audit.
The exits left the AMAA with only 20 magazine brands in the audit, which AdNews understands has led to redundancies at the AMAA. The AMAA disputes this and says there have been no redundancies from its team.The publishers are now leaning more heavily on Emma, Roy Morgan and Nielsen to provide independent metrics.
There is a consensus between major publishers that the audit no longer represents the depth of their audience and advertising is bought using readership figures rather than circulation.
There have been mixed responses in the industry to publishers shifting their support of the AMAA, with some major brands calling for more transparency from media companies.
The move angered some media agencies leaders who believe it’s self-serving to pull out of the AMAA as they don’t like the picture it paints of their readership.
Others, such as PHD CEO Mark Coad, welcomed the decision, adding circulation is no longer the metric media agencies trade on.
AdNews does not submit its figures to the AMAA ABC audit
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