By A Correspondent
Week 3 of 2014 saw some changes in the weekly TAM ratings. No change to the Top 3, but Life OK went past Sab.
Star Plus was at 626 (previous week was 629), Zee at 471 (488), Colors a close third at 467 (the previous week was not as close at 457), Life OK at 347, Sab at 318 and Sony at 258. In Week 2, Life OK and Sab were tied at 318 and Sony was at 258.
As always, this info is based on what a TAM subscriber told us. Nothing official about it. But it’s reliable.
By A Correspondent
Integrated communications agency Waggener Edstrom Communications (WE) released a proprietary research report “Content Matters: The Impact of Brand Storytelling Online in 2014â€.
 The study surveyed over 2,200 consumers between the ages of 15 and 60 across 10 Asia Pacific markets including India, to look at the impact of brand storytelling online ondriving key consumer behaviours such as brand advocacy, spending, and engagement across six business categories.
 “Communications professionals across Asia find themselves under increasing pressure to prove the ROI of their investments in digital content. The study revealsa clear relationship between brand storytelling online and increased consumer spending, referrals, and engagement,†said , Vice President of Digital at Waggener Edstrom’s Studio D in Asia-Pacific.Â
 Respondents were asked a series of questions related to how they interact with brands across different business sectors, including Travel & Tourism, Mobile Devices, Consumer Electronics and Appliances (excluding Mobile Devices), Food & Beverage products, Personal Care products, and Healthcare.
“Across all markets and business sectors, we found that consumers who are exposed to brand content regularly through social channels spend more on products and services than those that don’t. Indian consumers who engage with their favourite healthcare brands online spend 187% more than those that don’t,†said Stephen Tracy, APAC Lead at Waggener Edstrom’s Insight & Analytics (I&A) practice.
 A staggering 97% of the Indian respondents surveyed follow their favourite brands on social channels. Of this, while mobile devices, consumer electronics, and food & beverage products are among the top three sectors, it is interesting to note that 72% of the Indian consumers surveyed follow their favourite healthcare brand on social channels, which is even higher than the Asia-Pacific average for the healthcare sector at 48% and even ahead of the Indian travel and tourism sector at 68%.
“As social media adoption and usage is flourishing in India with the second largest Facebook population worldwide, the study shows that in 2014 multi-channel brand storytelling is central for brands to be rewarded with larger spends, engagement rates, and higher levels of brand advocacy,†said Madhuri Sen, Managing Director – India at Waggener Edstrom.
 “While India has the second lowest rate of smartphone penetration across all markets covered, it is notable to witness the significant growth of mobile IM platforms such as WeChat and Line as these platforms have become more like social networks rather than just instant messengers. The study shows WeChat and Line as the third and fifth most frequently used platform after Facebook and Twitter among the Indian consumers surveyed,” Ms Sen added.
The complete study from Waggener Edstrom can be downloaded from http://apac.waggeneredstrom.com .
By A Correspondent
The RSCI has released the findings of the readership study for 2013. While Dainik Jagran continues to be #1, Hindustan has climbed up to #2 position as Dainik Bhaskar is #3. Malayala Manorama is #4, Daily Thanthi at #5, Rajasthan Patrika at #6 followed by The Times of India at #7. Amar Ujala, Matrubhumi and Lokmat are at #7, #8 and #9.
The Indian Readership Survey (IRS) is billed as the world’s largest continuous study tracking print and other media consumption, demographics, product ownership and usage, etc.
IRS 2013 covered a sample of more than 235,000 households, across India. The sample was  spread across Urban India (~ 160,000 households) and Rural India (~ 75,000 households). The Nielsen Company conducted the extensive study.
The key information areas covered being:
-      Readership of print publications for a wide range of local, regional, and national newspapers and magazines.
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Reach and consumption of other media – Television, Radio, Digital and Cinema.
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Demographic profiling
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Consumer Durable Ownership and FMCG Usage.
(Source: MRUC website – topline findings and release notes)
By A Correspondent
TAM co-owner Kantar Market Research Services petition to the Delhi High Court asking for a stay on the the government’s guidelines on TV measurements has had a favourable response from the High Court.
While all the other requirements need to be fulfilled , the High Court is said to have stayed the key cross-holding component of the guidelines till March 6.
However, over the next two weeks, TAM will need to register with the I&B ministry. It will also be required to put the names of all the advertising agencies and firms owned by its joint owners on its website as well as a list of all its clients.
By A Correspondent
The six-edition English news daily dna has sent a legal notice to the Media Research Users Council (MRUC) and Nielsen India as it “believes its readership figures are grossly misrepresented”.
Announcing this in an announcement next to the masthead on the front page of the daily, dna communicated this move.
Meanwhile, MRUC has pulled out the topline numbers of the IRS 2013 possibly in deference to a stay order of the District Court of Gwalior. Subscribers though can reportedly still access the data.
According to the information received, the next hearing is on February 28 where an appearance has been sought of the MRUC representatives. The case by Bhaskar Publications and Allied Industries was filed on January 31, three days after the release of the data. The first hearing was on February 7.
By A Correspondent
The IRS 2013 may have been in abeyance till March 31 but is still accessible to subscribers. That is what emerges from the statement issued by the Media Research Users Council (MRUC) to the Bombay High Court where it states that all links from its servers will be disabled with effect from the evening of February 28 so that the report is inaccessible.
This is part of the Court order which MxMIndia accessed from the Bombay High Court website*. The Order issued on Monday, February 24 was post an Arbitration Petition filed by Diligent Media Corporation, publishers of dna against the MRUC and Nielsen India.
On February 19, at a meeting of the Readership Studies Council of India (RSCI), it was decided to keep the IRS 2013 report in abeyance till March 31 by which time a detailed probe and revalidation will be conducted.
At the February 19 meeting, it was decided that a process for revalidation would be be finalised by February 24 and the process will be completed by March 31.
Meanwhile, as per the communiqué, all subscribers and MRUC members were to be contacted the RSCI and its joint stakeholders – the MRUC and ABC  – to hold off usage of the study until the re-validation process is completed. With this statement by the MRUC, any fresh access to the IRS 2013 will not be possible.
*http://bombayhighcourt.nic.in; Case No 315 of 2014. Arbitration Petition, , Coram: Justice NM Jamdar
By A Correspondent
Week 8 as per the TAM ratings brought good news for Sony. It’s viewership with 339 million, ahead of Sab and Life OK which were at at 326 and 318 million respectively.
Star Plus continued to be at #1 (this week: 688, Last week: 702) and Colors at #2 (this week: 502, last week: 504) and Zee (this week: 454, last week: 457). Sony was at 339 this week and was at #6 with 275 last week. Sab is 326 this week with 297 last week and Life OK was 328 last week with 318 this week. All figures in million.
As always these numbers are not sourced from TAM, but from a subscriber, who we trust.
By a correspondent
The latest Internet Economy Watch, a report published jointly by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and IMRB has noted that the number of online users visiting the mobile segment has gone up from 6.31 million in January 2013 to 20.70 million in January 2014, registering a YoY growth of 228 percent. According to the data captured from major e-tailing sites in the monthly tracker, online visit to branded apparels and designer label segments have increased by 113 percent and 41 percent respectively, when compared to the numbers of corresponding month last year. The online users visit to spa and restaurant segment saw a decline from 0.76 million in January 2013 to 0.54 million in January 2014.
Fig: 1
According to the January data, the number of profile uploads on matrimonial sites also witnessed an increase. Profile uploads on matrimonial sites increased to 1.96 million in January 2013 as compared to 0.85 million in the corresponding month last year, a YoY growth of 130 percent.
Fig: 2
The monthly tracker further indicates 56.44 million people accessed various e-tailing sites. There were 2641.22 million page views in the category. The user reach for job and matrimonial websites is 29.37million and 18.95 million respectively with 1166.10 million and 495.08 million respective page views. Online travel segment has reach with 29.99 million reach and 1905.77 million page views.
Fig: 4
Sourced from all India active internet data, the monthly internet tracker is based on WAM data captured from various relevant sites, and encapsulates online usage for E-tailing, Online Travel and Vertical Classifieds.
By A Correspondent
In what is a blow to the readership measurement mechanism, it is reliably learnt that the revalidation exercise that the Readership Studies Council of India (RSCI) and the Media Research Users Council (MRUC) were supposed to conduct along with Nielsen India hasn’t really started in right earnest.
A meeting of a small taskforce created to look into the concerns on IRS 2013 has been appointed with senior industrypersons as members. Â A meeting of this group happened last week, on March 13.
Although the MRUC statement on February 19Â had categorically stated that IRS 2013 was to be in abeyance till March 31, sources tell MxMIndia that the process will take at least another month and even more given that all stakeholders are busy with the budgeting exercises in their own organisations.
Meanwhile, there is some confusion in the market as a few publishers continue to quote the IRS 2013 figures as it suits their business. A few others have got back to the earlier numbers. A media planner who spoke to MxMIndia on anonymity that there is much confusion and vagueness in buying decisions. “The bosses of stakeholder bodies like the INS, AAAI, RSCI and MRUC should realise that short-sightedness is self-defeating. Had they waited for a month more earlier and revalidated all numbers properly, we would not have got to this.”
By A Correspondent
Various adspend numbers are already out as has the data come in from FICCI-KPMG.
While there has been a lot of text in various studies, let the hard numbers do the talking. This is courtesy of TAM Media Research whose AdEx India division painstakingly computes data for ad volumes for the television and print sectors, amongst others.
Note: the analysis is based on ad duration in seconds for television and CCMs for print.
So here are the top findings in near-140 characters.
1. The TV Ad Volume grew by 12 percent in 2013 vis-a-vis 10 percent in 2012.
2. In TV ads, the Biscuits and Fairness creams categories are out from the Top 10. Among advertisers on TV: Samsung and Marico out, Bharti Airtel is back and L’oreal is in
3. The Print Ad volume grew 6 percent in 2013 vis-a-vis 9 percent in 2012.
4. In Print ads, the B2C and online shopping category is out. OTC Products range and Cellular Phones and Smartphones are the two new product categories in the Top 10. In the list of advertisers, very interestingly, SBS Biotech the #1 was #9 last year, HUL was #8 last year… it’s #3 now.
5. Last year’s report can be accessed at: http://www.mxmindia.com/2013/02/tam-adex-2012-tv-volumes-up-10-print-up-9/
Source :Â TAM AdEx
Medium : TV & Print
Period : Jan – Dec 2012 & 2013
Note: Analysis is based on Ad Volume in Seconds for TV and CCMs for Print
By A Correspondent
The choice of the word indefinite may indicate that it could months or years, but if you read the statement from the MRUC director-general Shaswati Saradar and juxtapose it with the way things actually work, the end to the controversy is decidedly not near.
First the statement:
Headlined: RSCI MRUC decision on IRS 2013
Main copy: RSCI Managing Committee and MRUC Board met yesterday and considered the preliminary report of the sub-committee appointed by them to critically assess the Indian Readershsip Study 2013.
RSCI and MRUC accepted the finding of the sub-committee that the methodology and process adopted were robust. They approved the recommendation of the sub-committee that the revalidation and audit of field work by a third party commence immediately and be completed within four to six weeks.
The IRS 2013 report will remain in abeyance until this process is completed.
The document is signed by Ms Saradar.
What we read from this:
1, As reported by MxMIndia earlier, the IRS report is abeyance is still on. It’s not March 31, it now appears to be May 15 or 31.
2. The RSCI and MRUC feel that the methodology and process followed is robust. Of course this doesn’t mean that the sub-committee felt the same, but we think a strong affirmation could influence the third party appointed. It also ensures that Nielsen can’t be fired for a wrongdoing because it can always come back and say that the process and methodology had the MRUC/RSCI sign-off.
3. If the RSCI and MRUC indeed feel that its methodology and process are robust, so why then not go ahead with the status quo of a published report. Or is the field work not in order? Why take so much time for the review?
4. Who is the third party entrusted with the job of revalidation and audit of field work? A consulting firm like EY or KPMG, another research firm… the identity has not been revealed, but we can be sure it’s a ‘robust’ entity.
5. Four to six weeks is as vague as it can get. The February 19 statement said March 31 is the end-of-abeyance date. Assuming the R&A will take four to six weeks from March 31, that gets us to mid-May. Remember this is also a period when there are some chhuttis: Good Friday, Voting Day in Delhi, Voting Day in Mumbai, Labour Day/Maharashtra-Gujarat Day. Counting day is not a holiday thankfully, but don’t expect much/any work to be done that day. Last heard a well-known media company had already large screens and popcorn machines for the day.
6. We don’t know if Nielsen is continuing with the field work for the next round, but mid/end-May is the time when the next round will be published.
7. The legal tangles involving the MRUC are still on, and the final word from there could spin things around
8. The views of the Indian Newspaper Society (INS) are not known on this.
End-point:
The scrapping (okay, abeyance) isn’t good for publishing in India. It only gives a handle to advertisers and media buyers to shift monies from print to other media (esp digital). It’s also very unfair on the players who have been performing very well over the last year. The laggards will prosper and the agile will lose out. The industry and some of its representatives have failed themselves and the rest of us. It’s a win-win for no one.
The industry seniors need to get together to hammer out a solution. Advertisers are already of the belief that digital reaches out better to the youth and urban set than newspapers, and wouldn’t mind playing around with cheaper buys. Social media is most effective with a call-for-action and its virtues for brand-building are being noticed. Radio as a medium may not come very cheap but is indeed very effective for the retail trade. Once news happens, radio will get a lot more engaging. And television’s virtues are well-known.
Bottomline: Let’s stop the ullu-banoing.  Kill IRS and you kill yourself. The industry needs to understand this. It’s time the INS or the publishers get together and arrive at a consensus and a way out of the mess.
Ram, Ram! So here we are with the RAM numbers for Week 45 as per RAM. Like in the case of TAM, these numbers are not provided by RAM, but we source it from one of the subscribers. We advise advertisers and media agencies to make their buying decisions after validating the numbers with authorised data.
