The Association of Online Publishers' primary role will be to drive standards and revenue across all sectors of online publishing and to raise the credibility and profile of the industry.
The new group came out of an initiative of the Interactive Council of the Periodical Publishers Association, which voted in March to evolve into the new cross-sector body, retaining a corporate membership for existing PPAi members.
Alongside the BBC and FT.com, the founders of AOP include The Economist Group, GuardianUnlimited, Haymarket Group, Reed Business Information and Hollinger Telegraph New Media.
The AOP will be chaired by Haymarket Motor Publication's managing director Bill Murray, who is also the chairman of the PPA's Interactive Council.
According to Murray: "The time has come to unite online publishers in a drive to achieve consistency and standards across the online market that will assist all publishers to grow revenues, deliver better services to consumers and businesses, and to develop profitable, long-term business success."
He added: "I am delighted that our founder members are drawn from such a broad spectrum of players and very excited by the opportunity the AOP has to make a positive contribution to online business in the UK. I sincerely hope that most publishers of original content, in any format, will recognise the value of contributing to the AOP and become members very shortly."
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