Newspaper industry expects new cross-platform audience measurement system launch by 2016
The UK’s newspaper industry should have a new system of measurement that stretched multiple platforms ready for use by early 2016.
Launch: The new metric is expected to be ready by early 2016
The timetable comes after the launch of a review into current audience measurement metrics announced during the summer and a formal request for proposals (RFP) will be published on 31 October 2014 inviting research and data analytics businesses to bid to supply a new measurement system. The deadline for submissions is 5 December with a view to trialling the new system from mid-2015.
The process was initiated by the Newspaper Publishers Association (NPA) and organisations such as the PPA, IPA, ISBA and Newsworks are working collaboration on the project.
Rufus Olins, Newsworks CEO, said: “The RFP process will be rigorous, objective, inclusive and fair. All stakeholders have agreed that the measurement system for published media and their digital variants has no sufficiently evolved to account for an increasingly multi-platform environment.
“We are seeking to establish a new measurement system for published media in the UK, capable of tracking readership and usage across multiple platforms and securing consistent measures of engagement applicable across the industry."
Barry McIlheney, PPA chief executive, said: “We are very keen to explore solutions which enable us to understand more about how consumers are connecting, engaging and interacting with our content and brands now and as they evolve into the future.
“It is vital that we provide our customers with the tools they need to effectively plan and trade with us in a multiplatform environment.”
The RFP process will be managed by media consultancy Mediatique Limited.