ABC edges closer to rule change on paid sales
The Audit Bureau of Circulation is set to unveil its new rules on what constitutes a paid sale, seven months behind its original schedule.
The review was triggered by growing concerns that audited numbers lacked transparency, with it almost impossible to tell how many copies had been sold at full, or near full, price.
In October, the ABC said it was setting up a committee to look at the issue. The committee was going to meet on a weekly basis with the hope of instituting a rule change before Christmas.
After that deadline slipped, the ABC said further delays had occurred because of flooding in Queensland affecting some members of the committee.
But today, ABC boss Paul Dovas told Mumbrella that a draft of the new rules has now been completed, and is now out for consultation to the ABC’s council. He said: “There is a very strict process in the constitution. We would hope to get it done by early June and have the new rules in place by July 1.”
He added: “Media buyers and advertisers have been involved in the process and there’s broad agreement.”
He said that the ABC has also been reviewing the rules on how digital editions including on tablets are assessed. He said that he hoped these could be in place from October 1.
Tim Burrowes founded Mumbrella in 2008. He worked on Mumbrella until 2021. At various points he was editor, content director and editor-at-large.
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