First Figures from PAMCo's Barb Partnership

UK newspaper and magazine readership currency body PAMco has launched the new methodology developed through its partnership with its video viewing counterpart Barb, with the first readership figures showing the continuing massive reach of British print publications.

Last year Barb and PAMCo ran a pilot exercise in which 15,000 of the 53,000 households in Barb's Establishment Survey were invited to complete a short PAMCo questionnaire concerning their reading habits. The initial release, just out, suggests that the total market monthly reach of the combined 90 print and 83 digital brands PAMCo tracks is as high as 49.1m, with total weekly reach of 43.8m and daily reach 28.9m.

These figures are not directly comparable to previous counts due to the change in methodology, but according to www.themedialeader.com , on whose parent Adwanted's web site the data can be accessed, 'the figures suggest broadly flat readership since 2023 and up from H1.' When the new survey data has been fully integrated, each PAMCo release will be based on a total sample of 30,000 people - however the organisation will not release data based entirely on the new methodology until early 2027.

The new approach allows PAMCo to maximise its use of high-quality face-to-face CAPI interviews, and its questionnaire will continue to include the establishment survey questions for online measurement currency UKOM, as well as feeding into both TGI and Touchpoints. Print estimates will continue to be fused with Ipsos iris for digital measurement.

PAMCo MD Emma Holden (pictured) comments, 'Our collaboration with Barb represents a significant step forward in strengthening audience measurement. By delivering a more robust and representative data sample, this partnership will provide deeper insights that benefit published media, along with their agency and advertiser partners.'

The partners' home pages are at www.pamco.co.uk and www.barb.co.uk .