Publishing giants swoon over EMMA numbers

Australia’s major publishers have given a ringing endorsement to EMMA (enhanced media metrics Australia), which was released this morning.

News Corp CEO Julian Clarke (pictured), who last week took over the reins from former boss Kim Williams, went called it "an historic occasion for the media industry”.

In his statement, Clarke had a veiled dig at EMMA's chief rival, Roy Morgan Research, stating that “For years, media companies and advertisers have been crying out for a truly accurate measurement of what people are actually consuming across all platforms."

Clarke added that EMMA delivers “the accountability and transparency that marketers and their agencies have been asking for".

"EMMA verifies the strength and vibrancy of newspapers, and confirms what the industry has thought for some time – that true readership is significantly higher than previously measured. For example, News Corp Australia’s total Monday to Friday audience is 31 per cent greater than had been reported,” said the News chief.

Allen Williams, managing director at Fairfax's Australian Publishing Media, agreed in welcoming the new readership survey and stated that it gives the industry “a complete picture of our audience performance”.

“It is clear circulation has not been an adequate measure for modern media companies and has not provided the correct picture of the performance of our products,” said Williams.

Meanwhile, magazine publishers have been equally lavish in their praise.

“As an industry, we continue to demonstrate to advertisers the true power of magazines, both in size of audience and depth of engagement across platforms," said Magazine Publishers Australia executive director, Robin Parkes.

"EMMA allows us to do that with a greater depth of analysis, insights and more timely reporting. Magazines, like all mainstream media, are feeling the effects of a flat advertising market and continuing difficult retail conditions. However, readership of magazines is still remarkably strong. The new EMMA data shows that 72% of adults read magazines and the ABC figures show that 12.1 million magazines are sold in Australia every month," he added.

Pacific Magazines, the publishing arm of Seven West Media, which holds a gross readership share of 31.3% achieved with only 17 titles, said EMMA offers publishers improved timeliness and new insights into how readers enjoy magazine brands.

Nick Chan, CEO of Pacific Magazines, said: "EMMA has highlighted the strength of the Pacific Magazines portfolio, with an impressive 31.3% market share. Better Homes and Gardens is Australia’s most read magazine – and seven Pacific Magazine titles are number one in their categories.”

Peter Zavecz, commercial director at Pacific Magazines, added: “For the first time, Better Homes and Gardens has taken the lead as the country’s number one most read magazine. This incredible result is testament to the strength of the powerhouse multi-media brand – and the hard work of editor Julia Zaetta and the team."

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