The future of newspapers: News UK pushes for NRS change

News UK’s commercial director Dominic Carter.

The Jed Glanvill-led review into newspaper audience measurement – and the future role of the National Readership Survey (NRS) – will kick-off today, as clarity emerges over how newspaper publishers regard the current system.

The review begins a little over a week since the NRS set an industry first by supplying newspaper readership data for mobile and tablets, however, News UK’s commercial director has laid his cards on the table by telling industry the development is still not the answer his organisation is looking for.

“There’s an issue around what level of information publishers and advertisers need,” said Dominic Carter during the Future of National Newspapers conference on Monday.

“What we know is that as our consumers have changed that hasn’t been reflected in the research that’s out there. I think everyone agrees we need a more robust set of audience research…[and] what we have today isn’t robust enough for our business moving forward.”

Referring directly to the NRS’s publication of mobile and tablet data earlier this month, which covers an initial 19 news and magazine brands, Carter said he felt it was “a step in the right direction” but that it “isn’t the answer” News UK wants.

Other publishers, however, have been less hostile, with Jim Freeman, group trading director at Telegraph Media Group describing the NRS as being ahead of the game.

“We have to have a consistent, unified currency across the market,” he said. “I think we’re ahead of the the game here and I think we should be proud of that and move forward.

“The NRS has been fantastic for us and could continue to be – all we need to do is make sure it’s fit for purpose.”

Jed Glanvill, who has spent the last month recruiting the advisory group for his review after the Newspaper Publishers Association (NPA) served notice on the NRS, has refused to be drawn on the matter, but did say there was a consensus across the industry that there is “possibly a better way of cracking the measurement” for newspapers.

The NRS has been providing readership data for the UK’s national press since 1958 and sets the industry-wide trading currency for which publishers sell advertising space. The NRS also provides readership data for UK magazines, although these are not under review meaning the NPA could effectively divorce itself from the committee that governs the body.

From an agency perspective, Jane Wolfson, head of commercial strategy at Initiative, said on Monday that although the data does need to be improved, it broadly works well and advertisers remain satisfied.

“The NRS is one of the most robust surveys in the UK and our clients have confidence in it, but more does need to be done,” Wolfson said.

Specifically, she said the frequency with which agency planners can access the figures should be improved and that a new platform to use the data would be welcomed.

A much mentioned word during Monday’s debate – and an ongoing subject in the trade press – is the concept of measuring “engagement”. It is expected the Glanvill review will try to seek an answer for a better industry definition and possible way to measure it.

Although there were very broad definitions from Monday’s conference panels, it was clear the term is currently loosely understood with no real way to capture data related to it.