The new four-year partnership will provide JICREG with national readership data, based on the NRS’s sample of 36,000 face to face interviews per year. All JICREG titles will be included in NRS interviews, with a set of specially customised questions for each region.

The NRS says it will create modelled readership estimates, using both NRS data and information specific to the local area of the title, creating “a more holistic approach to data capture” than the current independent surveying methods used by regional publishing groups.

Keith Donaldson, chief executive of JICREG, said: “This is a bold move that really demonstrates the commitment by local media owners to prove accountability through high quality regional readership data. While JICREG will use NRS data to sustain its joint industry currency, both brands will of course maintain their individual identity, strengthened by the new partnership.”

Jim Jarrett, business director at Mindshare, said: “This is a really significant development for the regional press, enabling campaigns to be planned with greater confidence and to the benefit of all sides of the industry. JICREG has always provided much-needed insight into the readership of regional publications and the new partnership with NRS is only going to strengthen that insight while providing an industry-standard dataset that is conducted to the highest technical standards.”