Basic Cover Price - Consumer Magazines

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Basic Cover Price

The Basic Cover Price is the standard published price for an issue against which circulation is reported.

Principles

1. The Basic Cover Price is a recognised standard price

2. A cover price must be published to claim certain categories of paid circulation

3. Copies reported by rate, comparing price paid with Basic Cover Price

Requirements 

1. The Basic Cover Price is a recognised standard price

1. The Basic Cover Price is the published cover price at which a single copy of the publication may be purchased without limitation and for an on-going duration, in contrast to a short term price or special price only available to a limited class or under limited conditions.

2. For UK and Republic of Ireland copies where multiple cover prices by edition or UK region/Republic of Ireland exist, the Basic Cover Price will be the price at which at least 80% of the UK/Republic of Ireland retail and single copy sales circulation is sold at or below.

Guidance Available

2. A cover price must be published to claim certain categories of paid circulation  

1. The relevant circulation section of these Reporting Standards will stipulate if a cover price must be published for copies to be included in the ABC claim. Where a cover price must be published it must be published on or inside the front or back cover of the publication.

2. If you fail to publish a cover price for an issue (that includes circulation that requires a cover price to be published) then:

   1. You must notify ABC’s Group Executive Director, Standards, Operations & Compliance before the return submission deadline explaining the reasons why it happened and what steps are being taken to prevent a recurrence.

   2. We may request further information or documentation surrounding the omission.

   3. We will review the circumstances surrounding the omission and if it is decided the occurrence is exceptional and the claim verifiable then the copies may be claimed.

 3. Copies reported by rate, comparing price paid with Basic Cover Price

1. Circulation sections will stipulate if copies are reported by rate.

Reporting

You will report the following, which will be broken out on the ABC Certificate: 

1. The Basic Cover Price for the last issue included in the reporting period for the UK/Republic of Ireland. Note:

• • If the last issue distributed in the period is a double or one-off issue then the cover price of the issue prior to this must be reported

  • If you are not claiming any Retail or Single Copy Sales in UK or Republic of Ireland but you are claiming Retail or Single Copy Sales in other countries then you must report the Basic Cover Price for Other Countries as either:

    1. A single Basic Cover Price if there is only one. For example 5 Euros; or

    2. ‘Various’ if there are multiple cover prices covering different countries.

Guidance

G1. The Basic Cover Price is a recognised standard price 

1. Example showing the calculation of Basic Cover Price, if a magazine has varying cover prices within the UK and Republic of Ireland:

200,000 copies priced at £1.00

300,000 copies priced at £1.20

500,000 copies priced at £1.50

100,000 copies priced at £2.00

Then 80% of the total copies will have been sold at or below £1.50 and so £1.50 will be deemed the Basic Cover Price.

Therefore copies sold in the UK/Republic of Ireland with the cover price of £2.00 and £1.50 can be claimed as full rate and copies sold at £1.20 and £1.00 must be claimed at below full rate. (This allows for premium pricing).