Magazine and event auditing body BPA Worldwide yesterday announced a set of amended rules to clarify some of the industry’s buzziest;and blurriest;areas of circulation: digital magazines, consumer sponsored and public place copies.
Under the new rules, passed by BPA’s board of directors in December, stand-alone digital magazines are clearly-defined as auditable, digital products, a clarification that broadens the BPA’s previous definition of digital magazines as replicas of the print version.
The new guidelines also state subscriptions distributed as part of a barter agreement "may under no circumstances be reported as paid." The board also rejected a member request to allow the reporting of net or "pick-up" rates on bulk-distributed magazines.
For consumer magazines, the previous "Sponsored Public Place" category has been changed to "Public Place," language amended to clarify that the distributed copies may be paid or non-paid. The rules relating to third-party subscription agents were also amended to disqualify the so-called "doing business as" agent distinction.
SEE ALSO: BPA Board Release
