Qualification and Reporting of Digital Circulation

View a prototype for reporting (PDF*).

For magazines distributed in a digital version, the following reporting and qualification standards should be followed.

REPORTING AND QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

• The label “Digital Edition” will be used to describe all copies distributed via electronic or paperless means.
  
  
• Paragraph 1 must report print and digital circulation separately in applicable categories of circulation (subscriptions versus single copy). Circulation reported as average paid in Paragraph 1 must be net of duplications.
  
  
• Information regarding the service of duplicated subscribers must appear in the explanatory paragraph.
  
  
• Separate analyses of print and digital circulation are required in all paragraphs reporting average statistics including Paragraph 6.
  
  
• When downloading and/or viewing the digital edition, the format to be offered must be structured such that the complete edition, including all editorial and advertising content, is received in a fashion which is consistent in content and layout as its print counterpart. Therefore, the format must be created to provide its readers the same opportunity to review advertising as its print counterpart.
  
  
• Advertising may be sold so as to be included or excluded in/from the digital edition.
  
  
• Programs must be structured to require notification of their issue being available for digital recipients. Such notification is most frequently achieved through e-mail notice to the subscriber.
  
  
• Digital editions delivered to recipients will qualify for reporting as paid circulation provided the recipient has requested delivery of the publication and the publisher has documentation available to verify the request.
  
  
• Publisher’s considering converting existing print subscribers to digital service must provide an “opt-in” option to subscribers. Only those who respond positively to the opt-in can be converted to digital delivery.
  
  
• Copies identified as delivery issue “bounce backs” may be included in qualified circulation for a limited time frame provided the delivery issue associated with the bounce back is rectified, or the subscriber is purged from the subscriber file in accord with the following scale:
  • Daily 10 issues
  • Weekly 4 issues
  • Biweekly 2 issues
  • Monthly 1 issue
    
    
  In some situations, the initial delivery of a subscriber’s digital edition may take place outside of the publisher’s normal means of distribution, or subsequent to the delivery of the publication’s main file. In those situations the above schedule is effective with the next scheduled delivery of the main file (both print and digital editions). As a result, any initial digital edition distribution which is served outside the publisher’s normal distribution channel or subsequent to the main file would not be subject to the bounce back schedule. The initial digital edition distribution would not be eligible for inclusion with qualified circulation.

A publisher may elect to report the download/access of the edition within the ABC statement on an optional basis. For those publishers opting to report download/access data, the requirements needed include the following:

1. For digital publications requiring download, qualification would be those copies that were downloaded by the recipient through either active or passive action on the part of the recipient.
   
   
2. For publications using a web-based browser, access records supporting the recipient accessed the magazine site would be required.

In addition, it should be noted that the full ABC board expressed an interest in reviewing current qualification and reporting requirements for all divisions for digital (electronic) circulation at a future meeting to determine how each division’s rules align with other media divisions.

Posted 05/20/08