The process, initiated by the NPA and supported by a range of industry groups, will also see the publication on 31 October 2014 of a formal Request for Proposals, inviting a range of research and data analytics providers to bid to supply a new multi-platform measurement system for newspaper and consumer magazine brands. The deadline for submissions under the RFP will be 5 December 2014 and the new system will be trialled from mid-2015.
The RFP process is being managed by Mediatique Limited, the specialist media consultancy, with guidance from an industry advisory group chaired by Jed Glanvill, of interim management consultancy Glanvill & Co.
The advisory group is made up of the NPA and representatives from industry bodies, the IPA, ISBA and PPA, reflecting the interests of advertisers, agencies and media owners. NRS Limited and current major data provider Ipsos MORI will continue to be fully consulted in this process.
As well as a new approach to audience measurement, the current structure and governance model, as embodied by NRS Limited, will also be considered as part of the review.
The groups coming together to sponsor the RFP process share the view that the current measurement system is in need of modernisation and updating to reflect shifting patterns of consumption of the premium content generated by published media brands (national and regional newspapers and consumer magazines) for distribution in the UK and internationally.
A new measurement system aims to establish credible, comparable, scaleable, tradeable and transparent metrics that work across multiple platforms and permit buyers and sellers to quantify engagement with published media brands via these multiple routes.
Jane Ratcliffe, member of IPA Media Futures Group responsible for publishing & chairman of Mediacom UK, says: “We are fully supportive of a collaborative approach to develop a new audience measurement system for publisher content which will reflect fully the needs of the industry. We would encourage all interested parties to respond to the RFP in this exciting development.”
Rufus Olins, Newsworks CEO, says: “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 not 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, says: “The PPA is working in collaboration with the NPA, IPA and ISBA to establish an audience measurement solution which robustly measures the growing reach of published media brands across platforms. 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 multi-platform environment.”
The RFP is being issued by Mediatique on behalf of the NPA and the industry advisory group (expressions of interest may be sent to RFP@mediatique.co.uk).
