What ABC says about itself
On 9 October 2026 we read the What is ABC page on auditbureau.org. It says the following.
- ABC is a not-for-profit, voluntary organisation. Its members include publishers, advertisers and ad agencies.
- It was founded in 1948.
- It checks the paid circulation of its member publications. Chartered accountants on its approved panel do the checks.
- It issues ABC certificates every six months. These go to publisher members whose figures meet its rules.
- It says circulation data checked by an outside party is critical to people in advertising.
The ABC website also lists checked circulation figures by period. We do not copy any figures here, because they change with each audit. Read the current ones on the ABC site.
What the certificate is used for
Advertisers and agencies use the certificate to see how many paid copies a paper sells. They check it before they book space. They can compare newspapers on the same basis. It is a count of copies. It is not a count of readers, because one copy can be read by many people.
A made-up example in rupees
Say a furniture maker in Kochi wants to advertise in one of two papers. This is a made-up example with made-up numbers.
- Paper A: ABC certified copies of 2,00,000. Ad price: ₹1,00,000.
- Paper B: ABC certified copies of 1,00,000. Ad price: ₹60,000.
- Cost for every 1,000 copies in Paper A: ₹1,00,000 ÷ 200 = ₹500.
- Cost for every 1,000 copies in Paper B: ₹60,000 ÷ 100 = ₹600.
Paper B costs less in total. Paper A costs less for each 1,000 copies. The maker can see this only because both counts are checked by a third party. Copies are not the only test. Where the paper is read and who reads it also matter.
How it works for an Indian business
ABC applies to publications that are members. Many papers and magazines are not, so there may be no certificate for them. Then ask the publisher for its own proof and treat the number with care. For TV, a different body measures audiences. Read about BARC (Broadcast Audience Research Council).
Common mistakes
- Treating circulation as the same thing as readers.
- Using an old certificate. A new one is issued every six months.
- Assuming every publication has a certificate.
- Choosing a paper on circulation alone and ignoring the place and the audience.
- Copying a circulation number into an ad plan with no date and no source.
To use these numbers in a plan, read about media planning.
Related terms
- INS accreditation: the Indian Newspaper Society's system for recognising ad agencies.
- BARC (Broadcast Audience Research Council): the body that measures TV audiences.
- Media planning: choosing where and when ads run.
- Reach and frequency: how many people see an ad, and how often.
To buy newspaper space with checked numbers, see our newspaper advertising work.
Sources
- Audit Bureau of Circulations, "What is ABC" (auditbureau.org/about-what-is-abc.html), read 9 October 2026.
- Audit Bureau of Circulations, home page (auditbureau.org), read 9 October 2026: audited circulation figures are published by period.
