At a time when India’s print industry stands at a crossroads — grappling with shifting readership patterns, advertisers’ growing tilt towards digital and the urgent need for credible cross-platform measurement — the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) finds itself in a defining moment. Stepping into this critical phase is Karunesh Bajaj, Executive Vice President – Marketing & Exports at ITC Limited, who has recently been elected as Chairman of the ABC for 2025-26.
A seasoned business leader with over two decades of experience, Bajaj brings a rare combination of marketing insight and strategic business acumen to the role. Having steered brands and businesses through dynamic market transitions, he now faces the formidable task of steering ABC through an era where circulation numbers are under scrutiny, advertisers are demanding more transparency, and the coexistence of print and digital has redrawn industry boundaries.
In this exclusive interview, Bajaj shares his vision for ABC, the challenges that lie ahead, and how he plans to strengthen the bureau’s role in ensuring trusted data, fostering collaboration among publishers, advertisers, and agencies, and driving innovations in audience measurement. His agenda, which he exclusively shares with e4m, reflects a critical balancing act between legacy and transformation — one that could shape the future of India’s print ecosystem.
Excerpts:
What are your top priorities as the ABC Chairman?
The ABC Council has, over the years, established itself as the gold standard and the most credible authority for certifying circulations. My endeavour will be to ensure this legacy not only continues but grows stronger. However, as with any organization or industry, we must remain alert to the changing environment and embrace continuous innovation to stay relevant and ahead of the curve.
Going forward, I see our focus being guided by a few broad themes. First, we must continue to reaffirm ABC’s position as the gold standard by streamlining definitions and modernizing audit protocols. In an increasingly dynamic environment, leveraging AI and other digital tools will be critical to ensure speed, simplicity, and efficiency. ABC’s role has always been certification not regulation. It provides advertisers and publishers with independent, rigorous and neutral circulation data to guide investment decisions, while leaving business choices to the competitive market.
Equally important will be the creation of a unified, cross-platform currency that empowers media buyers and brand owners to make comprehensive investment decisions with confidence. At the same time, a strong culture of compliance must be upheld to ensure transparency and accountability across the ecosystem. This will not only build greater trust but also reinforce ABC’s credibility.
Lastly, we must actively encourage sustainable and environmentally friendly practices among members to align with the evolving priorities of our industry and society at large. These themes will be further deliberated and refined through discussion and brainstorming within the Council, ensuring that ABC remains future-ready and continues to play a pivotal role in today’s hybrid media landscape.
What are the major challenges before ABC and how do you plan to overcome them?
The perception that print is losing relevance against digital channels remains a critical challenge. We must continue to demonstrate the complementary value of print in a digital-first world. As per the last FICCI & EY Report on the Indian Media & Entertainment sector, print continues to be a preferred medium for affluent audiences and remains one of the most trusted platforms for advertisers.
Advertisers now demand real-time or near real-time data. Meeting this expectation may require investments in technology to accelerate certification, strengthen compliance and enable more collaborative engagement with stake holders. We also need to further increase memberships for which an active outreach program is already underway. Perhaps most importantly, the relevance of audited circulation figures must be reinforced with media agencies and brand owners. Their confidence that circulation data enhances platform evaluation and maximizes advertising ROI will be central to our future positioning.
Given the changing landscape of print media and growing consumption of digital news, how do you see leading media brands navigating growth and circulation challenges?
The print industry is resilient. Even as digital grows, regional language markets continue to show strong engagement. Brands will need to reimagine their growth strategies — leveraging their deep trust in print while also building credible digital extensions. I see a future where publishers use both platforms synergistically, offering advertisers unmatched reach and reliability.
Many publishers have been facing declining circulation and pagination in several markets. Some have even dropped their news prints to remain profitable. How will you ensure figures reported are accurate?
What is relevant from ABC’s perspective is to ensure accuracy in the figures audited. Circulation patterns differ across geographies and segments, and the medium continues to show resilience in many markets. I can confidently say on behalf of the bureau that our audit protocols are robust and the figures we report are backed by well-established and strong SOPs.
In an era where digital and print co-exist and advertisers’ money is increasingly shifting towards digital media, do you have any plans to introduce a comprehensive cross-platform measurement system combining print & digital reach?
Advertisers increasingly expect a unified view of audience reach across both print and digital platforms. ABC will pursue the development of a robust cross-platform measurement framework that combines the trusted rigor of traditional audits with the precision of modern digital analytics. Attention is also emerging as an interesting measure beyond impressions, since engagement quality matters as much as reach. It will be useful to explore new metrics that better capture this. The objective is to deliver a single, credible currency that gives advertisers confidence in evaluating performance and maximizing the return on their media investment.
Given the six-month certification cycle do you think ABC needs to adopt a faster, more tech driven approach to meet the changing needs of the advertisers and agencies?
The six-month cycle has served the industry well for decades, but we must evolve. In today’s environment, advertisers cannot wait half a year for updated circulation data. Marketers, who depend on accurate circulation data to allocate their budgets effectively, deserve a robust system that reflects the true reach of their messaging.
My vision is to move towards a more tech-driven system where data can be reported and verified in near real time, without compromising on audit integrity.
What do you see as the biggest challenge for ABC going forward especially when balancing the interests of publishers, advertisers and agencies?
Our biggest challenge is balancing credibility with flexibility. Advertisers demand transparency, agencies want comparability, and publishers need recognition of the realities they face. The role of the chairman of the council remains to ensure that no stakeholder feels disadvantaged, and that ABC continues to serve as a neutral, trusted platform for all as it has in the past.
What are your thoughts on the Indian Readership Survey (IRS) and the ABC–IRS relationship?
The IRS is essential because it measures readership, while ABC measures circulation. Both are complementary. A stronger collaboration between the two can give India one of the strongest, most transparent media measurement ecosystems in the world.
The IRS is essential because it measures readership, while ABC measures circulation. Both are complementary. For marketers, IRS provides crucial insights into who is reading, where they are reading, and the quality of that reach. At ABC we are committed to address some of the challenges that include consistent access to premium societies, ensuring quality of survey responses is not compromised amongst others. Addressing these will be important for advertisers and publishers alike.
A stronger collaboration between ABC and IRS can give India one of the strongest, most transparent media measurement ecosystems in the world.
(Courtesy: www.exchange4media.com)
