New to this report

The power of publishing - This year’s report shines a spotlight on why published media delivers such unique and valuable advertising opportunities, with a foreword and article from the PPA (Professional Publishers Association). As Sajeeda Merali, CEO of the PPA says in her foreword to the report, “Trust in our brands unites our sector. It underpins our agency and advertising partnerships, and verified and independently audited data is a core part of this.”

Publishers tell their story - Direct links from the report enable our publisher members to communicate key messages from their wider businesses and tell their own success stories.

Supporting green initiatives - With an increasing focus on sustainability, publishers want to minimise unsold retail copies being sent for recycling. ABC Standards have now enabled this. Unsold copies that have been ‘repurposed’ and either sold or distributed free to consumers can now be claimed in the total circulation. Agreed by publishers and buyers, this can reduce waste, benefit the environment and increase consumer reach.

Eleven titles have taken advantage of this new option and we anticipate a growing uptake going forward. 

Highlights from the data

  • Our report reveals a dynamic market that continues to evolve as the consumption habits of readers change.
  • In 2023, just shy of half a billion print and digital copies published by 64 media owners went direct to consumers, covering 52 different market sectors[1].
  • A significant rise in digital copies reveals evolving consumer habits, with an increase of 19%[2] compared with the previous year. 
  • Consumer commitment to magazines is illustrated by the strength of subscriptions numbers. These represent 32% of total circulation[1], with digital subscriptions increasing by an impressive 16% Year on Year[2].

Buyers value ABC data

The continued importance of ABC data to media buyers and planners was confirmed just last month, when we collated the results of our brand new Media Buyer Research. 

Feedback revealed that 84% buyers and planners are wary of self-reported data, 83% agree that ABC data is helpful as a sense check for other measurement data and 81% agree that ABC data is an asset for published media and helps attract advertising.

Simon Redlich, Chief Executive at ABC, said, “Trust is an essential ingredient to trade effectively, and it’s clear that independently audited data remains valuable to those responsible for buying and planning decisions. Our publisher members embrace ABC voluntarily, setting a high bar for transparency and data quality. According to feedback from agencies, this remains vitally important and appreciated.”

See our December end 2023 Consumer Media report (Available to ABC members and subscribers.)

1 ABC Consumer Media Report December 2023
2 ABC Consumer Media Report December 2023 - titles reporting ABC in 2022 and 2023