#e4mExclusive:  ABC reworks membership norms to widen publisher base in RNI-dominated landscape

The Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC), a not-for-profit audit body for print media circulation, has constituted a high-level committee to address structural and communication gaps that are perceived to dissuade publishers from taking up ABC membership.

The four-member committee, chaired by Aniruddha Haldar of TVS Motor Co. — representing advertisers and agency stakeholders on ABC’s Council — will benchmark RNI and ABC rules and engage directly with publisher constituencies to understand impediments and propose pragmatic solutions.

The bureau held its board meeting in Kolkata last week, where increasing membership was a key agenda point. It was discussed that a notable number of publications hold registration with the Registrar of Newspapers for India (RNI), which functions under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, but have refrained from securing ABC membership. 

“While compliance remains crucial, it should not deter publisher participation. We have identified a communication gap between ABC and several publishers, and the committee is engaging with them to understand their perspectives, review existing norms and explore avenues to expand our franchise,” Mohit Jain, Vice Chairman of ABC and Chief Operating Officer (Publishing) at Bennett Coleman & Co. Ltd., told exchange4media. 

“Publishers have often voiced concerns that ABC’s compliance requirements are more stringent than RNI’s certification norms,” Jain noted. 

Notably, RNI has more than 1.44 lakh members including national, regional dailies and periodicals. The number of daily newspapers registered with RNI is over 21,000, as per the latest government data. According to the ABC website, the bureau has over 750 publishers, including 562 dailies, 107 weeklies and 50 magazines are its members. 

The development signals a proactive bid to reconcile regulatory rigour with wider industry participation. The move coincides with the optimistic backdrop for print media, Jain admits, adding, “ABC’s latest certified data for the Jan–Jun 2025 audit period shows a circulation increase of around 3% for daily newspapers over the previous audit term, suggesting renewed advertiser and reader confidence in the format.”

“It is not just about stringent norms. Some publications have also chosen to stay out of ABC for strategic reasons, particularly to avoid public disclosure of circulation figures that may have softened post-Covid. It would be interesting to see how ABC brings them on board,” said publishers, requesting anonymity.

 Also read: ABC to build cross-platform currency for confident brand spends: Karunesh Bajaj

Daily newspaper circulation rises 3% in Jan–Jun 2025: ABC

Why do publishers often favour RNI over ABC?

For many publishers, the choice between RNI certification and ABC audit comes down to the level of scrutiny and operational commitment involved.

According to industry experts, RNI certification is largely documentation-driven. Publications are required to submit a defined set of papers to obtain certification, with approvals based primarily on these submissions. The process does not extend to independent verification of circulation-linked commercial records such as advertising books, credit notes or counter-checking transactional data with external authorities. Nor does it involve physical audits of print runs, newsprint consumption or distribution mechanisms.

ABC audits, in contrast, follow a far more rigorous and forensic process, say publishers. Before issuing a certificate, ABC appoints an empanelled audit firm, rotated periodically from among India’s leading audit networks, which spends several weeks at each publication verifying every ledger, receipt, invoice and voucher across circulation, advertising and other revenue streams. The audit extends beyond books to physical validation, including surprise visits to printing centres, inspection of bundled newspapers before dispatch and checks across distribution points, newsprint consumption and transport records.

The trade-off is clear: while RNI offers operational ease and faster certification, ABC provides advertisers and agencies a significantly higher level of confidence in the integrity of circulation data, albeit at the cost of greater compliance intensity for publishers.