Audited Media Association of Australia

What Audited Media Association of Australia does

The Audited Media Association of Australia (AMAA) is a Sydney-based, not-for-profit industry body that provides independent audit and verification services for media circulation and distribution claims across print, digital, email, web, and event channels. The organisation was formed in July 2013 as a Company Limited by Guarantee, consolidating two long-standing audit brands: the ABC (Audit Bureau of Circulations, est. 1932) for paid publications and the CAB (Circulation Audit Board, est. 1957) for free and controlled distribution titles. AMAA also operates AiMCO (Australian Influencer Marketing Council), an industry initiative launched in July 2020 with a Code of Practice developed by more than 50 contributing companies.

AMAA's product set includes the ABC Print and Digital Audit, CAB Free and Controlled Print Audit, Email Newsletter Audit, ePublication Audit, Website Audit / Web Measurement, Event Audit (EARS - Exhibition Audit Reporting Standard), and a Multi-Platform Report that consolidates verified audience data across all channels. The technology backbone is the eData portal, which delivers historical circulation data, trend reporting, and multi-platform reports to members; the Quick Find mobile app extends data access to registered free users. Audit standards are developed jointly with industry partners including the Exhibition and Event Association of Australasia (EEAA), the Media Federation of Australia (MFA), Interactive Advertising Bureau Australia (IAB), and the International Federation of ABCs (IFABC). The AMAA Orange Tick functions as a visual certification mark for audited titles.

The business model is membership-based with subscription and per-audit fees. Memberships are charged annually per masthead or per organisation (A$163-A$544.50 inc GST) and audit fees range from A$330 to A$700 depending on channel and complexity, with event audits starting at A$487 per event. In 2023, AMAA closed its publicly reported print and digital audits, narrowing the core business and shifting emphasis to AiMCO and remaining service lines. The organisation is governed by a 13-member Board with representation from media providers, advertising agencies, and advertisers, and operates exclusively in Australia. Leadership includes CEO Josanne Ryan.

Name

Audited Media Association of Australia

Legal name

Audited Media Association of Australia

Website

https://auditedmedia.org.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Audited Media Association of Australia (AMAA) is a not-for-profit industry body that provides independent audit and verification services for print, digital, email, web, and event media, serving Australian publishers, advertisers, agencies, and event organisers through subscription memberships and per-audit fees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Sydney

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Event Audit Fees: Exhibition and event audit services charged per event plus annual membership fee. Auditors verify attendance figures including Unique Visitor Attendance, Daily Breakdowns, Repeat Visits, Total Visits, Geographical Analysis, and Profile Demographics.
2. Email Newsletter Audit Fees: Annual subscription for email newsletter audits including two audits per year plus membership. Follow-up audits conducted every 6 months, with quarterly options available.
3. ABC Audit Fees: Membership per masthead based on sliding scale of circulation plus audit fees per publication. Reports Average Total Paid Sales per issue for print and digital publications.
4. CAB Audit Fees: Membership fee per masthead from July to June annually plus per-audit charges. Number of audits required depends on issues published per year (1-12 issues requires one audit; 12+ requires two audits).
5. Data Subscriber Access: Standard data access subscriptions for researchers and analysts to access historic circulation data and trend reporting through eData system.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Audited Media Association of Australia (AMAA) is a not-for-profit industry body that provides independent audit and verification services for media publications across print, digital, email, web, and event channels. It operates membership-based audit programs (ABC, CAB, Email, EARS) that verify circulation, distribution, and audience metrics, and delivers these audited data sets through the eData portal and Multi-Platform Reports. The organization also runs AiMCO, an industry council promoting best practice in influencer marketing.

Product overview

The Audited Media Association of Australia (AMAA) operates as an industry body providing audit and verification services for media publications across multiple channels. The organization historically housed the ABC (Audit Bureau of Circulation) and CAB (Circulation Audit Bureau) audit brands, though its publicly reported print and digital audits closed in 2023. Current offerings include: ABC Print and Digital Audit for paid publications; CAB Free and Controlled Print Audit for free distribution; Email Newsletter Audit; Event Audit (EARS); Website Audit; ePublication Audit; and Multi-Platform Report combining all channels. Additionally, the AMAA established AiMCO (Australian Influencer Marketing Council) as an industry initiative for influencer marketing best practice and the Code of Practice. Access to audit data is provided through the eData portal for members.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ABC: Audit brand for paid print and digital circulation of magazines and newspapers. Reports Average Total Paid Sales per issue including print and digital versions.
• CAB
• AiMCO

Products and services

• ABC Print and Digital Audit Audit service for paid print and digital publications that verifies average number of sales across print and digital versions per issue. Reports Average Total Paid Sales per issue, Average Net Paid Print Sales (ANPPS), and Average Net Paid Digital Sales per issue. Membership is required per masthead.
• CAB Free and Controlled Print Audit Audit service for publications distributing all or a large portion of copies for free, verifying the average distribution per issue. Reports Average Net Distribution (AND) per issue and how the publication was distributed to recipients. Membership is required per masthead.
• Email Newsletter Audit Independently audited summary of email newsletter distribution. Provides Average Net Delivery per Issue, with optional Open Rate, Click-Through Rate, and demographic data. Publishers receive the AMAA Orange Tick upon certification. Integrates with MailChimp and Campaign Monitor for data verification.
• Event Audit (EARS - Exhibition Audit Reporting Standard) Audit service for exhibitions and events that verifies attendance figures including Unique Visitor Attendance (UVA), daily breakdowns, repeat visits, total visits, geographical analysis, and profile demographics. Delivers the CAB Event Audit Certificate. Event audit fees start at $487 per event plus $173 annual membership.
• Website Audit / Web Measurement Audit service providing verified website traffic data for publishers. Delivers monthly updated reports for use in media kits or direct website links. Standards developed in consultation with MFA, IAB, and IFABC.
• ePublication Audit Audit service for digital magazines and newspapers published in electronic format, providing independent verification of digital publication distribution.
• Multi-Platform Report Reporting tool combining all audited channels (print, ePublication, website, email, and events) into a complete verified audience profile. Available online via the AMAA eData portal and provided to advertisers and agencies.
• eData Portal and Quick Find Mobile Online data portal and mobile application providing AMAA members and registered users access to audited media data including historical circulation data, trend reporting, and multi-platform report viewing. Quick Find mobile offers free search of the latest audited media data by title or publisher name across print, websites, email newsletters, and digital publications.

Quantifiable outcome

• AMAA audit verifies your circulation claim
• +2 more outcomes

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and moderate.

• Exhibition and Event Association of Australasia (EEAA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEEAA supports the AMAA's CAB Event Audit Certificate for Exhibitions, which is verified by AMAA's team of experienced auditors. The partnership provides quality accountability for event organisers and added reassurance for marketers that marketing data has been independently verified.
• ABC (Audit Bureau of Circulations)coreOthersABC was formed in 1932 to audit paid for print sales of magazines and newspapers. Now a brand under AMAA, it verifies the paid circulation per issue of publications across both print and digital versions.
• CAB (Circulation Audit Board)coreOthersCAB formed in 1957 provides advertisers, marketers and media buyers with verified distribution data for business, professional, specialty publications, community newspapers, exhibitions, email distribution publishers, and website publishers.
• AiMCO (Australian Influencer Marketing Council)coreOthersAiMCO is an alliance of Australian companies engaged in influencer marketing working together to elevate best practice. Formed by AMAA in 2020, it addresses industry trust and transparency issues through a Code of Practice. More than 50 companies contributed to developing the Code.
• Media Federation of Australia (MFA)moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerAMAA's consistent data collection methods and reporting procedures are endorsed by MFA. MFA members participate in standard-setting processes and benefit from comparable website figures.
• Interactive Advertising Bureau Australia (IAB)moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerIAB participates in standard-setting for web traffic data along with MFA and IFABC. AMAA's web audit service adheres to policies and guidelines created in consultation with industry bodies.
• International Federation of ABCs (IFABC)moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerIFABC is an international body that AMAA collaborates with on web standards and auditing guidelines. AMAA's web traffic data is held to standards created in consultation with IFABC and other industry bodies.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Comscore: Global digital audience measurement company that competes with AMAA's website audit service. Comscore offers cross-platform digital measurement at significantly greater scale and is a competitor in the digital verification segment where AMAA is active.
• Nielsen: Global media measurement and analytics company that provides audience measurement across television, digital, and other media. Represents a larger, broader incumbent that competes with AMAA's mission of independent media measurement and verification.

Regional players

• OJD (France): France's Office de Justification de la Diffusion audits print and digital media circulation. Operates the same independent verification model as AMAA, but serves French publishers and advertisers rather than the Australian market.
• IVW (Germany): Germany's independent audit body for print and digital circulation, providing the same third-party verification function as AMAA. Comparable in mission and structure but operates exclusively in the German market.

Others

• Interactive Advertising Bureau Australia (IAB Australia): Australian industry body for digital advertising that works with AMAA on web traffic standards. IAB is a strategic partner and industry association peer rather than a direct competitor, but serves overlapping members and adjacent standard-setting functions in the Australian market.

Direct peers

• IFABC (International Federation of ABCs): The international federation of national media audit bureaus of which AMAA is a member. IFABC develops global standards for media auditing and represents the same not-for-profit verification model that AMAA operates within.
• BPA Worldwide: US-headquartered media audit organisation that verifies business publications, events, and digital media for advertisers. Directly comparable to AMAA's circulation and event audit offerings, with overlapping service categories.
• Alliance for Audited Media (AAM): The North American counterpart to AMAA, AAM is a not-for-profit media verification organisation that audits print, digital, and cross-channel media. It is the closest structural peer, sharing the same membership-based governance and audit-driven business model.
• ABC (UK): The UK Audit Bureau of Circulations is the direct British equivalent of AMAA, providing independent media audits and standards for publishers and advertisers. Both organisations are members of IFABC and share the same ABC brand heritage.

Emerging players

• SimilarWeb: Digital intelligence platform offering website traffic and audience measurement as a self-serve SaaS product. Represents an emerging, technology-led entrant in the digital media measurement space that competes with AMAA's website audit service through a fundamentally different delivery model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/amaadigital
• Facebookfacebook.com/adspendprotectionclub
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/auditedmedia

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Audited Media Association of Australia