NRS breakthrough as it fuses online and offline readership figures

The National Readership Survey (NRS) is about to produce statistics that will fuse both print and online readership figures for newspapers and magazines. This is regarded within the publishing industry as an important breakthrough because it will create a much more comprehensive picture of audience numbers for every title. The NRS decision to launch this new database follows a trial that impressed all its stakeholders - newspaper and magazine publishers plus the advertisers' trade body. It means that from spring next year, NRS print readerships will be shown alongside online audiences measured by UKOM/Nielsen. It will be known as NRS PADD (for Print And Digital Data). For the first time, it will provide authoritative research for everyone - most obviously advertising media buyers - who depends on the "currency" of newspaper and magazine readerships. It will enable the planning, buying and selling communities to access a continuous single-source trading and planning currency. NRS regards the introduction of online audience data as representing the most significant development for the NRS in over 50 years. Readership estimates will continue to be collected by Ipsos MORI on behalf of the NRS, and this service will remain. The online estimates monitored and collated by UKOM will be an addition. So it will be possible to see both sets of figures separately. Mike Ironside, the NRS chief executive, spoke of his delight that the fusion trial had been successful. "We will be able provide the industry with the so far elusive combined audience data across print and online," he said. "This is a major step forwards that we believe will shape the future not only of NRS but media measurement as a whole." Simon Marquis, the NRS chairman, said it "marks a major milestone in the history of the organisation." Jane Ratcliffe, chairman of the media buying agency, Mediacom, described the introduction of the fused NRS PADD figures as "welcome news." She said: "The industry has been sorely lacking an independent and trusted measurement of a media brand's collective print and online audience." That view was echoed by Jackie Newcombe, managing director at IPC Media. She said: "We have been crying out for a robust currency for trading across both platforms that captures the full extent of our brands' reach of their target audiences." And Douglas McArthur, chairman of UKOM, said: "I am sure we'll look back on this move in a year or two and wonder why all media metrics haven't worked to integrate as NRS and UKOM have done." COMMENT: I have been pleading for this kind of initiative for ages. Under the slogan "preach the reach", I have long thought that newspapers and magazines required a single, authoritative set of statistics to show their true audiences. There will, of course, be questions - as there always are - about the quality of the online metrics. No-one seems to agree about how it should be accomplished. No matter - the important thing to note is that the measurements will be the same for everyone. It won't be a case of comparing apples and pears. We should welcome this development. I think NRS PADD is going to prove an invaluable database. No jokes please about padding the figures, of course. Source: NRS