ABC open to more frequent reporting if it offers value at proportionate cost: Mohit Jain

The newspaper may be under pressure, but the question facing the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) is no longer simply how to certify how many copies are being sold. As print markets fragment, advertisers seek richer audience evidence and publishers look for ways to defend the medium’s value, India’s oldest print currency is being pushed to remain relevant without compromising the independence that gives its numbers credibility.

Mohit Jain, newly elected Chairman of ABC, who is also the Chief Operating Officer and Board Member of The Times of India group (Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd), does not see that as a case for reinventing the Bureau. 

Instead, he wants to strengthen what already works—its independent audit processes, consistent standards and governance bringing publishers, agencies and advertisers together—while using technology to make the system faster and easier to engage with. He also sees scope for ABC to contribute to a broader measurement ecosystem as media consumption evolves, provided circulation remains distinct from readership and other audience metrics.

Jain, who previously served as Vice Chairman of ABC, spoke to exchange4media in Mumbai on Friday after taking charge as Chairman, sharing his plans and vision for the Bureau, what has worked so far and where he sees scope for change.

Excerpts: 

What are your top three priorities as ABC Chairman, and what would you like to have changed by the end of your tenure?

ABC is a long-established institution with time-tested processes and a governance model that brings publishers, advertising agencies and advertisers together. I do not see my role as reinventing it, but as carefully stewarding and strengthening what already works.

My priorities are to preserve the integrity and consistency of ABC’s audits; ensure that its rules remain responsive to changing realities in circulation and distribution; and use technology judiciously to improve efficiency and ease of compliance.

By the end of my tenure, I would like ABC to remain the same trusted institution, while becoming even more responsive, efficient and easy for its stakeholders to engage with.

What do you see as ABC’s biggest challenge today—maintaining the credibility of circulation data, keeping pace with changing media consumption, or making print measurement more relevant to advertisers?

Credibility is not ABC’s challenge; it is its greatest strength, built through independent and rigorous processes over several decades.

The challenge is to remain relevant as media consumption and advertising requirements evolve. ABC must continue to meet the needs of publishers, agencies and advertisers without compromising the independence, consistency and comparability on which its credibility rests. Innovation is important, but it must strengthen the institution’s foundations, not dilute them.

With circulation and pagination declining in several markets, and some publishers reducing print editions to protect profitability, how can ABC ensure that the numbers reported remain accurate, comparable and independently credible?

ABC does not rely on a publisher’s declaration alone. Its certification is based on a layered audit trail covering production, dispatch, distribution, sales and relevant financial records.

Material or unusual movements are subject to rechecks and additional scrutiny. Since the processes and standards are applied consistently across publishers and periods, they capture a decline just as objectively as they capture growth.

Market conditions may change; the audit standard does not.

ABC leadership has earlier spoken about becoming faster and more technology-driven in collecting and reporting data. What specifically will change under your leadership, and can ABC move towards more frequent or near-real-time circulation reporting?

Technology should be adopted wherever it can make ABC’s established processes faster, more efficient and less burdensome, without weakening verification.

Near-real-time reporting is not automatically better. Circulation is a certified metric and requires an adequate measurement period to ensure stability and comparability. The present January–June and July–December cycles have served the industry well.

If more frequent reporting offers clear value to stakeholders at a proportionate cost, ABC can certainly examine it. Any change, however, should be evidence-led rather than change for its own sake.

Advertisers increasingly want a single view of audiences across platforms. Does ABC see a role for itself in developing a credible cross-platform measurement framework combining print circulation with digital reach?

A cross-platform view can be useful, but we must avoid creating a false equivalence. A print copy, a digital user and a television impression are not identical measures of attention or engagement.

A meaningful framework must consider reach alongside time spent, engagement, context and trust. ABC can contribute robust, audited circulation data and work with other appropriate industry measurement bodies.

The objective should be a credible and comprehensible framework—not merely a single headline number that overlooks how differently each medium is consumed.

ABC had earlier announced that it would revise its norms to accommodate more publishers into its fold and encourage publishers who had left to rejoin. How has the response been to that move? Have you seen an increase in the number of members?

We are not revising the norms anymore. The membership has remained stable. Many publishers do want ABC certification for their publications, and today, one of the other options available to them is RNI.

The prolonged absence of a current IRS has left advertisers without a comprehensive readership currency. How do you see the ABC–IRS relationship evolving, and should the two bodies work towards a more integrated measurement ecosystem?

ABC and IRS answer different but complementary questions. ABC certifies circulation, while IRS estimates readership, reader profiles and reach.

The absence of a current IRS has created a gap, particularly in readership and demographic information. Once MRUCI finalises an updated methodology and relaunches the IRS, there would be merit in exploring sensible linkages between the two datasets.

However, the distinct methodology, purpose and independence of both currencies must be preserved.

Advertisers say the lack of fresh readership data has made it harder to assess print audiences and may be holding back print ad growth. What is your message to marketers who believe print needs to prove its audience proposition more clearly?

Marketers are right to seek current and credible evidence. ABC continues to provide recent, independently audited circulation data, while a revived IRS should add current readership and demographic insights.

At the same time, no medium’s value can be assessed through reach alone. Attention, engagement, context, trust and campaign outcomes are equally important.

Print offers a deliberate and credible reading environment. Publishers must demonstrate this value by combining audited circulation with broader evidence of audience quality and advertising effectiveness.

The INS has advised publishers to introduce a 15% advertising surcharge from August, but many remain reluctant to raise rates for fear of losing advertisers to rivals and other media. Can print command higher ad rates without stronger, independently validated audience data?

ABC is not a rate-setting body. Its role is to provide trusted, independently audited circulation data on which publishers, agencies and advertisers can base their decisions.

 That said, there is no denying that the industry has faced substantial cost inflation in recent months - across newsprint, production, logistics and distribution. It is neither practical nor sustainable for publishers to absorb the entire increase indefinitely. Just as businesses across sectors have revised consumer prices in response to higher input costs, a reasonable part of this burden must also be reflected in advertising rates.

Five years from now, what should ABC stand for: an audit body that certifies circulation, or a broader industry institution providing the trusted audience currency for print and helping publishers demonstrate their value to advertisers?

ABC should remain, first and foremost, an independent circulation audit body. That core responsibility is the source of its authority and credibility.

At the same time, its unique structure—bringing publishers, advertising agencies and advertisers together—allows it to serve as a constructive industry forum for evolving standards, sharing best practices and helping print demonstrate its value.

These roles are complementary, provided the broader role builds upon, rather than blurs, ABC’s audit mandate. Five years from now, ABC should continue to stand for trusted, relevant and independently verified evidence for print.