Audit Bureau of Circulations (UK)

Not to be confused with the company with the same abbreviation American Broadcasting Company.

Audit Bureau of Circulations
Founded14 October 1931
FounderISBA (Society of British Advertisers)
FocusNewspaper and magazine circulation
Websitewww.abc.org.uk

The Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) is a non-profit organisation owned and developed by the media industry. ABC delivers industry-agreed standards for media brand measurement of print publications, digital channels and events. The company also verifies data, processes and good practice to these and other industry-agreed standards (such as those set by JICWEBS[1]).

Established in 1931 by the Society of British Advertisers (an organisation which later became ISBA[2]), ABC is a founder member of the International Federation of ABCs[3] and was the first UK Joint Industry Currency (JIC) for the media industry. JICs are owned by the industry to provide transparent and independent audience measurement for each medium.[4]

In May 2020, the board of the ABC voted to allow national newspaper publishers the option to 'opt out' of reporting their circulation figures publicly.[5]

  1. ^ "JICWEBS Certification". JICWEBS. 26 September 2017. Archived from the original on 8 March 2018. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
  2. ^ "About Us". ISBA. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
  3. ^ "About Us". IFABC. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
  4. ^ "A Matter of Fact". IPA. 1 October 2018. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  5. ^ "ABC introduces new reporting options for newsbrands". ABC (Press release). 21 May 2020. Retrieved 6 August 2024.