The ABC audit process verifies the paid circulation per issue of a publication in a defined audit period.
A not-for-profit industry organisation, the ABC is governed by an Executive Committee and General Committee elected from the membership on an annual basis. Committee positions are honorary and represent the tripartite nature of membership with representation from Advertisers, Advertising Agencies and Publishers.
The ABC is a leading member of the International Federation of ABC’s.
We work closely with the industry to provide services relevant to members needs while providing the integrity of third party verification of data.
The ABC has four reporting periods each year, covering 13-weeks for daily and weekly publications with circulation greater than 25,000 including National, Metropolitan, Newspaper Inserted Magazines, Saturday and Sunday Newspapers, Weekly Magazines and Regional Dailies.
Monthly magazines and publications with a circulation less than 25,000 report twice per year, with each of these periods covering 26 weeks.
13 week periods are January to March, April to June, July to September and October to December.
26 week periods are January to June, and July to December.
Audits are conducted by either staff or registered ABC auditors who are independent of the publication.
History
The ABC was formed in 1932 when advertisers, advertising agencies and publishers established the ground rules for circulation auditing. As an independent not-for-profit industry body, the ABC’s role has been to maintain and develop those rules.
The requirement for audited circulation stemmed from the need for credibility. Publishers needed independent verification of their circulation sales to provide a basis for their rates. Advertisers as well as advertising agencies needed to be assured their print advertising decisions were being based upon independently verified circulation data. The ABC provides audited circulation information to both the buyers and sellers of advertising space.
Objectives
Today, those needs have not changed, although as the methods of buying and selling print advertising space have evolved, there is now a need to audit ‘new media’. The ABC continues to serve its members by upholding this basic mission.
ABA Launches Mobile Website to Help Protect Advertiser Dollars
The Audit Bureaux of Australia (ABA) has launched an innovative online tool that allows advertisers, media buyers and business owners to quickly check a publication’s audited circulation data, to help advertisers make safe and informed decisions when purchasing media ads.
Newspapers Embrace New Rules For Reporting Day-of-Week Sales
11 November 2011 -The Australian, the Daily Telegraph and the Herald Sun together with APN News & Media’s entire stable of regional daily newspapers are among the major newspapers that have begun voluntarily reporting their average sales numbers for each day of the week, the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) announced today.
CAB Elects Advertising Agency Representive To Lead New Board
7 October 2011 -The Circulations Audit Board (CAB) highlighted the importance of the protection of advertisers and media buyers with the return of an advertising agency representative as President at the CAB’s annual general meeting held in Sydney on Thursday October 6, 2011.
CAB Calls on Advertisers to ‘Count On Us’ in new Advertising Campaign
5 August 2011 - The Circulations Audit Board has launched its biggest-ever awareness campaign to promote the importance of audited media with the support of CAB members through the roll out of ads across over 800 CAB audited print publications in September.
CAB Conference Here to Stay
28 July 2011 - The Circulations Audit Board’s inaugural Accountability in Ad Spend conference brought together its community of media buyers, print and digital publishers to discuss sex, auditing and macarons with roaring success this month.
Australian Businesses Losing Millions Through Media Scams
11 July 2011 - Australian businesses are losing more than $29 million annually as a result of media scams, with small and medium businesses bearing the brunt of the losses. The Circulations Audit Board (CAB), who is hosting the upcoming Accountability in Ad Spend conference on 21 July, has identified the millions lost each month.
ABC Launches Landmark New Rules to Increase Transparency and Accuracy of Print Sales Data
1 July 2011 - The Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) has today launched significant new rules for the auditing and reporting of sales data for print publications, encompassing changes to deliver day-of-week reporting for newspapers, voluntary reporting for all publications and updates to the auditing and reporting of sales categories.
CAB Launches Major Review of Exhibition Auditing
27 June 2011 - The Circulations Audit Board (CAB) has launched the first major review of its exhibition audit rules and guidelines in more than six years, forming a committee of industry leaders to review the existing rules and bring them in line with current market needs.
