NEWS10 April 2015

National Readership Survey to be replaced

UK — The Publishers Audience Measurement Company (PAMCO) is to replace the National Readership Survey (NRS) next year as the organisation overseeing audience figures for newspapers and magazines.

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In a statement issued by Newsworks, the newspaper marketing body, the creation of PAMCO “signals a new approach to reflect today’s multi-platform media landscape”. The NRS’s existing CEO, Simon Redican, will lead the new company. A shadow PAMCO board has already been established, and the search for its inaugural chair has begun.

“This is an exciting and welcome initiative,” said Steve Goodman, managing director of print trading at GroupM. “More comprehensive audience measurement data will allow us, on behalf of our clients, to create media plans that capitalise on everything that newsbrands and magazines have to offer. In particular, it will allow us to make better use of their scale and depth of engagement across all platforms.”

The NRS will continue to run until the new system — to be provided by one of the three research providers currently on a shortlist for the audience measurement contract — has been approved by the PAMCO board. The changeover will take place in 2016.