Close search
 
Home | Tech Support | Audit extensions as we transition to Release 5.1

Audit extensions as we transition to Release 5.1

04 February 2025

COUNTER has always had rules for granting audit extensions. As report providers transition between Release 5 and Release 5.1, we recognise there needs to be some flexibility. In this tech support post, Tasha explains how we plan to manage that flexibility.

The usual rules around extensions

Section 9 of the Code of Practice explains that we can offer two types of audit extension:

  • Delayed seeding. ‘Seeding’ describes the actions auditors take on a publisher platform to create usage activity. This is then used to generate COUNTER reports for audit tests. If a report provider shares their Validation Tool results and explains what they are doing to fix the problems identified by the tool then seeding can be delayed. We can grant one extension of up to three months before seeding starts.
  • Extended fix. Auditors often find problems with the COUNTER reports that are generated after seeding. When that happens they issue an Interim Report. The provider then has three months to fix the problems before the auditors re-test. If an Interim Report has identified serious problems, we can grant one extension of the fix period of up to three months (i.e. six months total fix time).

More about delayed seeding for a first R5.1 audit

It’s not possible for auditors to work on every report provider simultaneously. Therefore we have assumed that most R5.1 audits will start one year after the last R5 audit was seeded. That means if a report provider’s last R5 audit was seeded in February 2024, we expect the first R5.1 audit to be seeded in February 2025. We know we are likely to need to make exceptions to that rule. Delays might arise in three types of situation:

Situation one: R5.1 reports are live

Where a report provider has already made their R5.1 reports live, and updated their Registry listing, the usual rules apply. If they send us their Validation Tool results and explain what they are doing to fix the problems identified by the tool, we can grant one extension of up to three months before seeding starts.

The report provider’s platform records in the Registry will show a ‘Currently valid audit’ flag against Release 5 until 12 months from the date of seeding of the last R5 audit. At that point the flag will show ‘Audit expired’. The platform record will also show ‘Upcoming audit’ against R5.1.

Situation two: R5.1 reports are scheduled to go live

Where a report provider is nearly ready to go live with R5.1, we can grant one extension of up to three months before seeding starts. This happens on the conditions that:

  • They have shared their Validation Tool results with us and explained what they are doing to fix any errors identified by the automated tests; and
  • They have provided us with R5.1 information for the Registry. This must include the date from which R5.1 reports will be available to report consumers where that date is within the extension period.

The report provider’s platform records in the Registry will show a ‘Currently valid audit’ flag against Release 5 until 12 months from the date of seeding of the last R5 audit. At that point the flag will show ‘Audit expired’. The platform record will also show ‘Upcoming audit’ against R5.1, once their R5.1 is live and the R5.1 section of their Registry record is no longer blank.

Situation three: R5.1 reports will not be live for more than three months

We know not all report providers are going to be able to meet the deadline for delivery of R5.1 reports. (The deadline is January 2025 reports, delivery by 28 Feb 2025). Some report providers are unsure when they will be able to deliver R5.1 reports. In some cases they have not yet started automated testing with the validation tool. In these cases, we will not grant extensions on the audit start date.

The report provider’s platform records in the Registry will show a ‘Currently valid audit’ flag against Release 5 until 12 months from the date of seeding of the last R5 audit, at which point the flag will show ‘Audit expired’. The platform record will not show any audit flags against R5.1, and the R5.1 section of the record will remain blank. 

This website uses cookies
This site uses cookies to enhance your browsing experience. We use necessary cookies to make sure that our website works. We’d also like to set analytics cookies that help us make improvements by measuring how you use the site. By clicking “Allow All”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyse site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
These cookies are required for basic functionalities such as accessing secure areas of the website, remembering previous actions and facilitating the proper display of the website. Necessary cookies are often exempt from requiring user consent as they do not collect personal data and are crucial for the website to perform its core functions.
A “preferences” cookie is used to remember user preferences and settings on a website. These cookies enhance the user experience by allowing the website to remember choices such as language preferences, font size, layout customization, and other similar settings. Preference cookies are not strictly necessary for the basic functioning of the website but contribute to a more personalised and convenient browsing experience for users.
A “statistics” cookie typically refers to cookies that are used to collect anonymous data about how visitors interact with a website. These cookies help website owners understand how users navigate their site, which pages are most frequently visited, how long users spend on each page, and similar metrics. The data collected by statistics cookies is aggregated and anonymized, meaning it does not contain personally identifiable information (PII).
Marketing cookies are used to track user behaviour across websites, allowing advertisers to deliver targeted advertisements based on the user’s interests and preferences. These cookies collect data such as browsing history and interactions with ads to create user profiles. While essential for effective online advertising, obtaining user consent is crucial to comply with privacy regulations.