FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Rebecca McPheters
President
McPheters & Company
212-331-7845
rmcpheters@mcpheters.com

readership.com Partners with comScore Media Metrix to Provide Insight into Online Audiences

July 27, 2006. New York.  readership.com, the new print measurement service scheduled to begin continuous measurement of issue-specific publication audiences this fall, today announced a partnership with comScore Media Metrix, a leader in digital audience measurement.  Through this partnership, readership.com clients who subscribe to this service will have access to a single source of information on print readers, online readers, and readers who access a publication via both print and online versions.  As a result, clients will have a new level of understanding about the interaction of offline and online audiences.  Online audience data will be based on actual behavior recorded by comScore Media Metrix’s proprietary technology - an especially important feature given the fragmentation of the online media environment.

“As publications increasingly strive to reach consumers across multiple platforms, we see this as a critical expansion of our service,” said Rebecca McPheters, President of McPheters & Company, which is launching readership.com.  According to Lynn Bolger, Executive Vice President of comScore Media Metrix, “This partnership represents substantial progress for the magazine industry. Publishers will finally have a tool with which to analyze consumer media behavior, enabling them to maximize value for both online and offline audience components.”

In addition to near real-time information on issue specific publication audiences and reader engagement, readership.com will provide ongoing feedback on audience accumulation, making it easier for advertisers to document the effects of print advertising.  For the first time, advertisers will have current, readily accessible data of high quality to feed their market mix models.

readership.com utilizes a methodology that enables respondents to participate either online or via the mail.  Its survey requires only about 20 minutes and can be completed at a time – and in a manner – of the respondent’s choosing.  As a result, the reading behaviors of those unlikely to participate in other readership surveys – such as those who travel extensively or who are less likely to spend time at home – are well reflected in readership.com’s measurement.

McPheters & Company completed a full-scale Beta test of this new method in June.  The Beta test was supported by major publishers and leading agencies.  Sponsors included Condé Nast, Time Inc., Hachette, Hearst, Family Circle, TV Guide, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, as well as Starcom USA, GM Planworks, Mediavest and Universal McCann.

About McPheters & Company
McPheters & Company is a New York-based firm, founded in 1997, which specializes in serving the needs of the publishing and advertising communities regarding metrics relating to audience, distribution, and advertising effectiveness.

About comScore Media Metrix
comScore Media Metrix, a division of comScore Networks, provides industry-leading Internet audience measurement services that report – with unmatched accuracy – details of online media usage, visitor demographics and online buying power for the home, work and university audiences across local U.S. markets and across the globe.  comScore Media Metrix continues the tradition of quality and innovation established by its Media Metrix syndicated Internet ratings – long recognized as the currency in online media measurement among financial analysts, advertising agencies, publishers and marketers – while drawing upon comScore's advanced technologies to address important new industry requirements.  All comScore Media Metrix syndicated ratings are based on industry-sanctioned sampling methodologies. For more information, please visit www.comscore.com.