Following an announcement from the ABC extending publisher reporting options, News Corp-owned News Ireland has confirmed that it plans to undertake private auditing with immediate effect, as it shifts focus to a more comprehensive analysis of reach for its Irish Sun, Irish Sun on Sunday and the Irish editions of The Times and The Sunday Times.
The newsbrands will no longer feature in the ABC data hub but the privately audited ABC figures will continue to be available to all publishers and agencies who sign up to the ABC’s new confidentiality agreement. News Ireland will continue to use ABC data in its commercial trading, along with other metrics such as TGI, Comscore and Google Analytics.
In statement, News Ireland managing director Richard Bogie (pictured) said the news sector in Ireland needs a better single-source measurement of reach, which more effectively reflects the way consumers interact with brands across various platforms. There was a need for a focus on total audience across the various distribution platforms, Bogie added.
It allows the news sector, media agencies and advertisers to understand the true value of newsbrands. “While print remains an important way to distribute our editorial to readers and meet our advertisers’ needs, News Ireland is a multi-platform business with brands that reach more people via mobile, web, apps, video and audio, alongside print,” he said.
Staff at News Ireland’s publications, along with New Corp’s Wireless Ireland radio stations, voted to donate €28,000 to the Alone charity in helping to fund its work with older people facing social, health and isolation problems. The donation is part of the News Corp Giving programme that donates £100,000 to British and Irish charities each year.
Other beneficiaries include Age UK, Mind and NHS Charities Together.
