The MPA, working with a coalition of senior magazine executives from throughout the industry, has developed a common set of definitions, a consistent position on timing for data release, and guidelines around tablet metrics, it was announced today by Nina Link, President and CEO, MPA, the Association of Magazine Media. These voluntary guidelines are intended to provide enhanced understanding and clarity about the measurement of magazine media audiences on tablets for the advertising community.

Among the guidelines that MPA helped advance are five initial recommended metrics for use by magazines, agencies and advertisers:

1. Total consumer paid digital issues
2. The total number of tablet readers per issue
3. The total number of sessions per issue
4. The total time spent per reader per issue
5. The average number of sessions per reader per issue

The recommended guidelines are the first deliverables developed by the MPA Tablet Metrics Task Force, a group of magazine executives charged with the creation of guidelines and metrics for tablets. The group has been meeting since the last quarter of 2011. The Task Force consists of representatives from seven magazine media publishers: Bonnier Corporation, Condé Nast, Forbes, Hearst Magazines, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Meredith Corporation and Time Inc. Seven advertising agencies were consulted about the guidelines as well as the MPA Executive Committee.

The Task Force also created an initial set of terms and definitions that provide advertisers and publishers with a suggested common language.