“ABC” stands for Audit Bureau of Circulation. It is an organization which acts independently to verify distribution/circulation sales numbers of print and other forms of online or digital media, and then disseminates this information to pertinent advertising markets.
Audit = independent verification.
Bureau = organization and operations.
Circulation = reporting the number of circulated items (copies).
An ABC is a non-for-profit organization formed and owned by a country’s media industry (advertisers, advertising agencies, and media). Its structure encompasses the three areas of auditing process, organization in an operational sense and within a country’s legal framework, and reporting.
The first ABC was established in 1913 in the United States of America. Currently, there are approximately 40 ABCs around the globe, and the number of ABCs continues to grow.
The ABC’s global parent organization is the International Federation of Audit Bureaux of Certification (IFABC).