The FT pulls out of ABCe audit
The Financial Times has become the first national newspaper to withdraw from the monthly ABCe audit.
It follows News International’s decision to withhold its monthly ABCe figures for its portfolio of titles last month, ahead of the Times Online moving to a paid-for model next month.
News International said it is continuing to work with ABCe as members, on the basis that its newspaper sites must be publicly certified at least once within the next year – a rule set by JICWEBS.
However, the move by Pearson to completely pull out of ABCe membership is expected to raise concerns over the metrics that are currently being used. One reports suggests that Pearson’s decision could result in a complete review of the auditing process in the UK.
In a statement, the Financial Times said: “The FT no longer participates in ABCes as volume traffic measures have become less relevant to our advertisers and clients. We do not intend to compete on volume, rather the quality of our registered and subscriber readership.”
The title’s decision comes less than a month since it launched is own audience measurement system, called the estimated Average Daily Global Audience (ADGA).
The FT’s model measures the number of people around the world who read FT print and/or online content on an average day.
The system, which is conducted with PricewaterhouseCoopers, uses syndicated national and regional readership surveys, unique user and browser data, FT research as well as ABC circulation figures.
Anita Hague, global research director at the FT, said: “We are happy to make the methodology available to any other interested party. It responds to the demands of media partners seeking more comprehensive and relevant audience analysis.”
Ben Hughes, deputy chief executive of the Financial Times, called the new measurement system “ground-breaking”, saying that it is “the first time that a single measure has been developed that takes into account a global digital and online audience”.
“Traditional measurements (ABCs and readership surveys) focus on one or the other and are not consistent across the globe. It’s the quality of our registered and subscriber readership that matters to our advertisers, rather than volume,” he added.
The Financial Times is also planning to launch an audited global paid-for circulation figure, which will take in to account everyone who pays to consume FT content.