Measurement Criteria

Any publisher-owned print or digital brand can apply to have their brand included in PAMCo. For digital brands this is the case even if there is no corresponding print brand, or the print brand does not have a readership estimate published.

Print brands

For print publications the key consideration is that display advertising is carried. Publications that are not normally covered are:

  • Titles carrying only classified advertising, or not carrying advertising at all
  • Trade, business or professional titles, or special-interest titles whose readers are unlikely to be properly represented in the sample
  • Titles aimed primarily at children (aged 14 or under)
  • Titles appearing less often than quarterly, or titles that appear irregularly

There is no minimum circulation requirement for print publications, but a publication must achieve a minimum sample before any data can be released.

Digital brands

Publisher owned websites that deliver primarily text/visual content, including short videos, as part of the published media sector can be reported by PAMCo. Sites primarily delivering other types of content, e.g. for listening/extended viewing, as well as store/retailer/membership websites could be part of the overall PAMCo dataset as non-publisher websites.

Since PAMCo digital figures are provided by Ipsos iris, appropriate Ipsos iris tagging is highly recommended in order to achieve the best possible figures, although it is not essential for inclusion in the PAMCo dataset.

Assuming a minimum monthly sample of 20 panellists is achieved, Ipsos iris reports digital audience figures even if brands are not tagged, using weighted figures derived from their panels.  These figures can be integrated within the PAMCo database.  However appropriate tagging is highly desirable, as this will improve Ipsos iris’ estimates by ensuring all activity is credited. It also allows smaller websites to be reported, since tagged sites are not subject to the panel threshold.

Newsbrand Printed In-Paper Sections

In-paper sections are not measured by PAMCo (from January 2025 onwards) but combinations of weekend parent paper AIR and interest in a range of relevant topics are reported in both the cross-tab and reach and frequency software as proxies for in-paper section readership.

Digital sections

Digital sections can be included in the PAMCo dataset if measured by Ipsos iris.

Search