Regional publisher National World is to be rebranded as Iconic Media, its new owner has confirmed.
Iconic Media is the name of the Irish newspaper publisher owned by Malcolm Denmark, who took control of National World in May.
Now it has been confirmed that National World’s 200-plus local and regional titles in the UK are to come under the ‘Iconic’ brand.
The move will re-unite Iconic’s 20 Irish titles – which until 2014 were part of Johnston Press Ireland – with the other former JP titles in National World under the same branding.
Confirmation of the change came as Mr Denmark explained the company’s reasons for withdrawing its titles from the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC), as reported by HTFP earlier this week.
In a statement, the company said the decision reflects its belief that the ABC’s traditional focus on print circulation “no longer provides a comprehensive or accurate measure of a modern media brand’s reach.”
Mr Denmark, pictured, said: “ABC certification has played an important role in the past, providing a consistent measure of print newspaper sales. However, in today’s media environment, audiences engage with our brands across multiple platforms — in print, online, on mobile, and through social media.
“Focusing solely on print circulation presents only a partial picture of our total audience and the influence our brands have in their communities every day.”
“To draw a parallel, it would be like judging a broadcaster’s success purely on its traditional television ratings, without considering its streaming and on-demand audiences. That simply doesn’t reflect how people consume media today.”
“Our focus is on developing a holistic view of our audiences — wherever and however they choose to engage with our journalism.”
The statement also revealed that Iconic Media is engaged in an advanced-stage project to develop an “alternative audience measurement solution” in association with JICREG, originally the joint industry committee for regional media research.
It would aim to provide the group’s advertisers and partners with “a more accurate and comprehensive understanding of the scale and value of its reach across all platforms.”