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  • Over a period of time IRS as a product has evolved and is must for the media planning, says Jwalant Swaroop

    The Anchor: Jwalant Swaroop on 7 reasons why IRS is a valuable tool for measuring readership

    By Jwalant Swaroop

     

    Whether we like it or not, we cannot help but accept IRS as the currency for readership measurement. I do not think that we have an option.  In fact, I find IRS most valuable tool for its robustness and brilliant consistency. Over a period of time IRS as a product has evolved and is must for the media planning.

     

    1. IRS is the industry’s most acceptable currency. For the benefit of the professionals joining the industry now, let me share that there were times when we had NRS and IRS the two conflicting readership surveys. Now that the merger of both is official, IRS has emerged as the most acceptable currency.

     

    2. IRS is a technically sound product which encapsulates expectations of all the stake holders.

     

    3. Given the sample size IRS captures the readership trends having geographical and demographic details with precision.

     

    4. Despite the fact that it is largely industry funded, IRS has a neutral stance delivering value to clients and agencies equally.

     

    5. The product linkage data in IRS is significant for understanding the market size and set directions to brand and media owners.

     

    6. IRS can also be leveraged for setting directions for the content team to develop content for building attractiveness in the target readership which the media owners desires to build.

     

    7. Since the IRS results are out every quarter, it builds the excitement.

     

    Jwalant Swaroop is COO-Publishing, Lokmat Media Pvt Ltd

     

  • Mr. Hibi to undertake Indian operations with effect from July 1, 2012

    Kenichiro Hibi is MD, Sony India

    By A Correspondent

     

    SonyIndiahas announced the appointment of Kenichiro Hibi as its new Managing Director with effect from July 1. Mr. Hibi will be responsible for spearheading the overall growth and profitability of the company within the region, by driving robust business strategy, providing thought leadership and guiding excellence in market performance across all categories.

     

    Mr. Hibi brings with him over 23 years of diversified experience in Sony, with a host of senior level positions to his credit. His last role was as Managing Director, Sony CIS, where he played a crucial role in making this region emerge as one of the most potential contributors in Sony’s global growth map. While managing the CIS region for over six years, he was successful in developing a sound business strategy, which adjusted to market turbulence while maintaining focus on customer orientation.

     

    Mr. Hibi will be replacing Mr. Masaru Tamagawa, the current Managing Director, Sony India, who will move on to the position of President, Sony Europe, with effect from July 1.

     

    Announcing the new appointment, Mr. Haruyasu Nagata, SVP in charge of Global Sales and Marketing, Sony Corporation, said: “I am delighted to appoint Mr. Kenichiro Hibi as the new Managing Director for SonyIndia. He has already successfully contributed to Sony’s growth in the rapidly evolvingRussiamarket, and we are confident that his experience and expertise will take our Indian operations to the next level. Mr. Tamagawa made an exceptional contribution in making SonyIndiaa top ranking sales company contributing significantly to Sony’s global sales, and I am confident that Mr. Hibi will build on this momentum by augmenting our overall market share and the customer experience we deliver in this rapidly growing market.”

     

    Expressing his delight on the appointment, Mr. Kenichiro Hibi said: “Indiais one of the key markets for Sony globally, with an immense growth potential across categories. I am excited to continue Sony’s journey to success in one of the most dynamic markets in the world.”

     

    Mr. Masaru Tamagawa has been Managing Director, SonyIndiasince 2007 and has overseen the emergence of SonyIndiaas a major organisation and growth market, holding the top share of the electronics market inIndia. He previously ledSonyGulf, based inDubai.

  • Mpact can be used by brands and media agencies to test effectiveness of their brand’s association with high-impact properties across media

    Ormax offers tool to measure effectiveness of big media tie-ups

    By A Correspondent

     

    Media research & consulting firm Ormax Media announced the launch of its proprietary model for brand association measurement – Mpact. Mpact is a scientific tool that measures the strength of association of a brand with a big-ticket, high-impact media property.

     

    Mpact can be used by brands and media agencies to test effectiveness of their brand’s association with high-impact properties across media, e.g. Sporting event associations, reality shows sponsorships, AFPs, print and television innovations and roadblocks, product placements, co-branded campaigns, and so on.

     

    In the Mpact model, consumer data is used to calculate the Mpact Score, a single-number measure of the effectiveness of the association for the brand.

     

    Speaking on the launch, Shailesh Kapoor, CEO – Ormax Media: “When an advertiser pays a premium to associate with an impact property such as IPL, KBC or Bigg Boss; takes a false cover on Times Of India; plans a roadblock on a top channel; or associates with a big film such as Ra.One or Bodyguard – returns that go beyond just the day-after recall of the association are expected. Mpact is a simple but powerful method of measuring how effective the association has been for the brand, beyond just a recall score which is extremely transient in nature. In effect, the Mpact Score is a surrogate ROI measure of the association.”

     

    Mpact has been developed and tested across more than 50 media associations by leading brands in various categories, including ‘Airtel presents Satyamev Jayate.’

  • The I&B ministry has announced the fresh date for digitization in the four metros as November 1

    Digitization in 4 metros put off to November 1

    By A Correspondent

     

    Given the varied and protracted deliberations with stakeholders, the Government of India has announced that the sunset date will be October 31, 2012 for the four metros with a complete switchover from November 1 in Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai and New Delhi.

     

    Here goes a prepared statement issued:

    The Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Amendment Act, 2011 has made it mandatory for switchover of the existing analogue Cable TV networks to Digital Addressable System (DAS) by December 2014, in a phased manner. In respect of four metros of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai, the digital switchover is mandated to be completed by 30th June 2012.

     

    The Task Force, comprising of all stakeholders, constituted by the Ministry in April, 2011, has been monitoring the progress made by various stakeholders towards digitisation. The task force has also undertaken field visits and interacted with local stakeholders. Discussions have been regularly held with Broadcasters, Multi System Operators (MSOs), Local Cable Operators (LCOs), while the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has been in regular contact with the concerned State Governments on this issue.

     

    Regulations on Tariff & Interconnection were issued by TRAI only on 30th April 2012 instead of being issued in January, 2012, as expected.  The Quality of Service Regulations and the Consumer Complaint Redressal Regulations were issued on 14th May, 2012 by TRAI. As per these Regulations, every Broadcaster and MSO was required to publish its Reference Interconnect Offers (RIOs) within 30 days of issue of the Regulation.  Another 30 days are required for negotiations between Broadcasters and MSOs.  Thereafter, the MSOs and LCOs arrive at agreements which enable the consumers to have a clear indication of the terms and conditions for installing Set Top Boxes and the prices of channels on an a-la-carte as well as on a bouquet basis.

     

    The second order of TRAI of 14th May, 2012, has mandated that every MSO or its linked Cable Operator has to put in place a Consumer Complaint Redressal System consisting of a complaint centre with toll free consumer care number, web based complaint monitoring system as well as appoint or designate one or more nodal officers and publish consumer’s charter for DAS.

     

    Both these orders of TRAI have not yet been substantially implemented.  As a result of this, the installation of Set Top Boxes has not picked up necessary pace for the completion of the process of digitalisation by 30th June, 2012.

     

    The assessment of these ground realities, compels the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting to set a new deadline.  It is, however, imperative that the modified target deadline is set with strict benchmarks to ensure that no complacency sets-in in the system and the new target date is achieved collectively by all the stakeholders.

     

    Therefore, keeping in view public interest and after intensive and extensive consultations, as well as written commitments from all the stakeholders, for fully implementing the regulations of TRAI, the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has decided to modify the 30th June deadline for a complete switch over to 31st October 2012 for all four Metro Cities i.e Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata.

     

    All the TRAI regulations for DAS will come into effect from 01st November, 2012.

     

    The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting will closely monitor the process of digitalisation over the next four months.  The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting will issue warning letters to those going slow on their written commitments.  Needless to add that both, the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting and TRAI, will take action under the provisions of the Cable Act, wherever and whenever necessary.

     

  • McCann's campaign for Western Union bagged India's first Gold as Leo Burnett and Cheil win Silvers and BBDO a Bronze

    1 Gold, 2 Silvers,1 Bronze on Day 3

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    “Of course, it feels awesome to win a Gold for something which we had put in a lot of hard work.” That’s Rahul Mathew, Executive Creative Director, McCann Worldgroup India, Mumbai. Mr Mathew and co-exec CD Akshay Kapnadak worked on the Outdoor Lions-winning campaign for Western Union Money Transfer. “It also reinforces the client’s trust on us and our work,” he said. McCann had produced a three-part campaign for Western Union

     

    McCann bagged India’s first Gold in Outdoor Lions for Western Union Money Transfer

     

    Indian entries won four metals on Day 3 of the Cannes Lions 2012. While McCann bagged India’s first Gold for Western Union Money Transfer in the Outdoor Lions, there were two silvers and one bronze in Media Lions. The sole shortlist from India in Creative Effectiveness did not win any metal and in the Mobile Category, there was no Indian shortlist.

     

    Leo Burnett snatched a Silver for Doorstep School in the Best Localised Campaign category
    Cheil won Silver for Samsung Printers in the Best Use of Integrated Media category
    BBDO won a Bronze Lion for its work on Gillette

    The Silver for Leo Burnett came in for Doorstep School for use of media in the Best Localised Campaign category.  Lead credits for the ad: K V Sridhar, National Creative Director, Nitesh Tiwari, Executive Creative Director, Vikram Pandey, Creative Director and Amit Thakur, Art Director.

     

    The other Silver for Cheil was for Samsung Printers for Best Use of Integrated Media. Lead credits for this: Varun Arora, Executive Creative Director,  Shiva Kumar and Dinkar Porwal, Creative Directors and Kamlesh Jangid and Shubhasis Bhatacharjee, Art Directors.

     

    Speaking on the win, Alok Agrawal, COO at Cheil Worldwide India, said, “The Minus One project for Samsung Printer has been winning awards and accolades at various international and Indian festival. So in a way, we knew that the work was a strong contender to be a winner. This is a fine example of a simple yet a powerful idea. One has seen various environment related communication but this is something which each one can practice by just reducing one point size when taking a printout thus reducing the usage of paper. Also the way the entire idea was approached and communicated was unique and caught up on the viral thus helping in winning the Media Lions.”

     

    The Bronze Lion has been won by BBDO for Gillette. The agency’s campaign titled ‘You Shave, I Shave’ . Lead Credits: Josy Paul, Chairman/Chief Creative Officer, Rajdeepak Das, Executive Creative Director, Sandeep Sawant/Josy Paul/Rajdeepak Das. Creative Director, Josy Paul/Yohan Daver/Riti Hamlai/Prakhar Deogirikar/Rajdeepak Das/Sandeep Sawan, Copywriters,  Rajdeepak Das/Sandeep Sawant/Ravi Shanker/Sagar Jadhav/Yohan Daver/Prakhar Deogi, Art Directors.

     

  • It is a user-centric and open source data driven marketing intelligence platform that revolutionises marketing decision making

    Mindshare launches CORE

    By A Correspondent

     

    Mindshare, the global media network, together with a roster of best in class technology and data partners has created CORE – a first of its kind user-centric and open source data-driven marketing intelligence platform that empowers both analysts and non-technical users to make informed marketing spend, audience targeting and creative optimisation decisions across all touch points in real-time.

     

    Nick Emery, CEO, Mindshare Worldwide said: “We have invested heavily in developing CORE because we believe it is the future of marketing. We are bringing together state of the art technology providers to truly deliver real time business and media data.  Everyone claims this with some empty dashboard, we are doing it. It’s a step change for our industry and I’m proud that we are leading the charge.”

     

    CORE enables marketers to mix their business intelligence (CRM, sales and supply chain) data with an integrated single source of marketing intelligence. This single source contains media channel spend and performance data; social data; paid and owned media audience data; in-stream data; third party (household expenditure / demographic/online behaviours and so on) data and real-time trading data. When mixed with the business intelligence, this reveals consumer actions and insight at a granular level, eradicating the guesswork, latency and siloed nature of marketing-spend decision making.

     

    Steve Plimsoll, CTO, Mindshare Worldwide and CORE project leader said: “By leveraging insight and requirements from across Mindshare’s global network and client base in the design and the cherry picking the global best in class technology and data providers for the development we’ve been able to create an enviable solution that delivers institutional marketing intelligence across all aspects of the marketing ecosystem, be they above or below the line, product or consumer centric. Gone are the traditional data silos / black boxes and the need for complicated coding or middle men (IT) historically needed for marketing professionals to access or ask questions of the data. Data now truly is at their fingertips.”

     

    CORE’s single source data stream is created by bringing together all the media data and consumer insight capabilities of Mindshare and the leading global third party data enhancement services, to create an always-on data resource, which when mixed with brand held data, delivers actionable insights to marketers in real-time.

     

    Sandeep Pandey, Principal Partner, Consulting, Analytics & Intelligence, Mindshare India said: “Data analytics have assumed the status of a strategic tool over the last few years and a meaningful analytics exercise involves the generation of insights through data modeling. To me, half the battle is won if you have robust consumer knowledge from disparate sources of data and CORE is built to facilitate exactly that for our clients. Indian businesses are increasingly adopting analytics in their processes to improve efficiency and profits and we believe CORE would help us achieve that.”

     

    Having already proved itself in initial client testing CORE is now ready for deployment to Mindshare clients across the world.

     

  • A favourite with the urban zones and also with the advertisers, English dailies and magazines have shown an average readership trend in 2012Q1

    IRS 2012Q1: English readership throws up usual pattern

    By A Correspondent

     

    A favourite with the urban zones and also with the advertisers, English dailies and magazines have shown an average readership trend in 2012Q1. Leading the list yet again for the dailies is Times of India that has recorded an AIR of 7,652 as against 7,616. Hindustan Times is next with an AIR of 3,805. The Hindu has seen a gradual decline with an AIR of 2,233 and occupies the third spot. The Telegraph comes fourth with an AIR of 1,292 while Deccan Chronicle is fifth with an AIR 1,027. DNA has shown a slight growth recording an AIR of 909 as against 897 it recorded in 2011Q4. The Economic Times follows with an AIR of 792 followed by Mumbai Mirror at 777. The New Indian Express is ninth with an AIR of 678 while The Tribune rounds off the list with an AIR of 624.

     

    (AIR numbers; all figures in ‘000)


     

    The trend for magazines is somewhat similar to that delivered by dailies. India Today, retaining its top spot, has shown a small hike with an AIR of 1,613. General Knowledge Today is second on the list with an AIR of 1,086. The going is downhill for Readers Digest that posted an AIR of 1,043. Competition Success Review is next on the list having posted an AIR of 705. Outlook follows next showing growth with an AIR of 492. Pratiyogita Darpan is next with an AIR of 446. The Week follows with an AIR of 418 while Stardust is next with an AIR of 411. Business Today is ninth on the list with an AIR of 397 while Wisdom ends the list with an AIR of 359.

     

    (AIR numbers; all figures in ‘000)


     

  • Maybe it's the shortage of ideas or lack of opportunities but language readership is certainly not seeing the best of times in India

    IRS 2012Q1: Downward is the way for Language publications

    By A Correspondent

     

    Maybe it’s the shortage of ideas or lack of opportunities but language readership is certainly not seeing the best of times inIndia. Of the top 10 Language dailies to have made it to the list, just one newspaper – Gujarat Samachar – has seen growth; nine others have seen a decline in 2012Q2 readership over 2011Q1. Gujarat Samachar with an AIR of 5,224 is marginally better than its AIR number of 2011Q4 at 5,169.

     

    Leading the charts at the top is Malayala Manorama which has recorded an AIR of 9,875 as against an AIR of 9,937. Marathi daily Lokmat follows next with an AIR figure of 7,485 as against 7,562 it reported last quarter. Tamil daily Daily Thanthi is next with an AIR of 7,477 as against 7,503 recorded in 2011Q4. Mathrubhumi follows next with an AIR of 6,600, Ananda Bazar Patrika with 5,970, Eenadu with an AIR of 5,906, Sakshi with an AIR of 5,244, Gujarat Samachar with 5,224, Dinakaran with an AIR of 5,108 and Daily Sakal with an AIR of 4,396.

     

    Where magazines are concerned, three out of ten have shown marginal growth while seven have seen a decline. Vanitha leads at the top with an AIR of 2,444 followed by Malayala Manorama with an AIR of 1,163. Karmakshetra is third with an AIR of 1,142 while Karmasangsthaan is fourth with 934. Kumudam is fifth with an AIR of 884 while Mathrubhumi Arogya Masika is sixth with 826. Balarama follows with an AIR of 787 while Mathrubhumi Thozhil Vartha is next with an AIR of 735. Saptahik Bartaman is ninth with an AIR of 734 while Ananda Vikatan wraps up the list with an AIR of 677.

     

    Explaining the trend, Dinesh Rathore, Vice President, MediaVest Worldwide said: “As for language dailies and magazines seeing a decline, I think they have reached a saturation point; there is only so much that they can grow by. The percentage of people who speak Tamil or Malayalam in states other than their hometown is not that much, so there is not much enthusiasm by these players to launch editions in other states.”

     

    (AIR numbers; all figures in ‘000)


     

    (AIR numbers; all figures in ‘000)


     

  • As a large population of this country continue to swear by the usage of the national language – Hindi, it is no surprise that newspapers and magazines in this language have seen moderate growth in IRS 2012Q1

    IRS 2012Q1: Hindi readership sways its way towards +ve growth

    By A Correspondent

     

    As a large population of this country continue to swear by the usage of the national language – Hindi, it is no surprise that newspapers and magazines in this language have seen moderate growth in IRS 2012Q1. In the Top 10 Hindi dailies, Dainik Jagran dominates with AIR of 16,412 versus 16,410 that it reported last quarter. At second place is Dainik Bhaskar that recorded an AIR of 14,553 as against 14,602 in 2011Q4.Hindustancomes next with an AIR of 12,157; Amar Ujala at fourth with 8693 and Rajasthan Patrika at fifth with an AIR of 6807. Punjab Kesari has posted positive growth with an AIR of 3,386 compared to 3,330 in the last quarter. Navbharat Times is next with an AIR of 2588. Prabhat Khabar is the best placed with an AIR of 2,437 compared to 2,187 reported last quarter – an 11 per cent growth. Patrika is next at 1,946 (growth of 9 per cent) and Nai Duniya at 1,688.

     

    (AIR numbers; all figures in ‘000)


     

    Among the magazines, there has been a moderate effect that has been witnessed in the Hindi readership. Pratiyogita Darpan has seen a drop of 5.4 per cent with an AIR of 1,893 compared to an AIR of 2,001 in last quarter. SamanyaGyan Darpan has posted an AIR of 1,644 versus 1,678 recorded last quarter. At three is Saras Salil that has seen a big drop with an AIR of 1,601 versus 1,768 recorded last quarter – a drop of 9.5 per cent. Meri Saheli is steady at fourth with an AIR of 1,259 and Cricket Samrat is next with 1,176. India Today is next with 1,051 while Grahlakshmi follows with an AIR of 958. Completing the list is Grihshobha with an AIR of 860, Champak at ninth place with an AIR of 811 and Nirogdham with an AIR of 747.

     

    (AIR numbers; all figures in ‘000)


     

    Dinesh Rathore, Vice President, MediaVest Worldwide said: “The population of people who speak Hindi and English is seeing a rise and that explains the overall rise in readership of these language editions. Also, a lot of players are moving out of their markets and launching in other states leading to newer set of readers. Players like Dainik Jagran, Dainik Bhaskar, Rajasthan Patrika are launching in many new states. So this explains the rise in the readership of their papers.”

     

    Adding inputs, Anamika Mehta of Lodestar UM said: “By launching in newer markets you are creating specialists products to cater to those markets and therefore, language readership will see a rise to an extent. Also, as explosion of business happens in small towns and markets the regional media will follow suit and grow too. That is what we have seen in television too. For SMEs and business houses, print will continue to be an important medium for them.”

     

  • Yes, for media and marketing professionals of all hues, the Cannes Lions is a must-attend. Start saving up for next year, writes A N Chorrea

    The Anchor: 7 reasons why Cannes Lions is a must-attend!

    By A N Chorrea

     

    Okay so you haven’t made it to Cannes, but perhaps you ought to have. My suggestion, just as you have those SIPs from the various financial institutions, starting a recurring deposit account to fund your trip to Cannes 2013. If your agency/company/funds do not allow you to get there, take a weeks’ break, and head there. Don’t see enough reason still? Read this:

     

    1. Yes, it’s expensive getting there. From India, a minimum of Rs 2 lakh if you don’t want to stay in a five star and carry food from back home for the week. So theplas or those packs of ready-to-eat food? Or you buy a loaf of bread every other day , some butter and assorted meats/wafers to keep you through. However, it’s worth every rupee spent.

    2. The sessions thus far have been exhilarating. R Balki and Shekhar Kapur were super ambassadors for the country with their plainspeak. Soon, China and India will sweep Cannes Lions!

    3. We haven’t done too well in the awards tally, but there has been a gold, and a couple of silvers and bronzes. And some of the big ‘uns are still too be announced.

    4. Digital is the way of life at Cannes Lions. Streaming sessions if you don’t want to be watching it live, Tweets. Though not as many of YouTube videos and no live webcast, but it’s clear that Digital is the way to go. Those who want to be on top of technology and how it’s going to be used in marketing and advertising, ought to have been at the Lions.

    5. Europe is going through a mess, but there seems to be no sign of that although there were planeloads of people from the Americas and Asia.

    6. Cannes is the perfect place for a week-long event. And some of the people are there for nearly a fortnight. Locals may crib about the weather, but those from smouldering Delhi and sweltering (and now wet) Mumbai can enjoy.

    7. Most of the big boys are at Cannes. Note: most, not all. Purrfect networking ground. That’s good reason why one must be there.

     

    A N Chorrea is a seasoned media industrypeson who writes under a pseudonym

     

  • The Lowe+Partners session titled Global India with R Balki and Shekhar Kapur saw the two film-makers share their mantras on how marketers can succeed in India

    India@Cannes: Balki & Shekhar Kapur talk of how to do business in India

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    Shekhar Kapur

    One of the most exciting sessions on Day 3 of Cannes Lions 2012 – and not just for Indians – was the one by Lowe + Partners titled Global India. Oscar-nominated film director Shekhar Kapur and filmmaker and Chairman & Chief Creative Officer of Lowe Lintas, R Balki were in discussion with Wired editor David Rowan. On the seminar agenda was a look at the creative heritage of India and its influence on global culture and enterprise. This was the first time that Cannes Lions featured a seminar dedicated to Indian creativity and its global influence.

     

    Introducing the speakers, IPG Chairman Michael Roth stated that the session at Cannes was an indication of the importance of India in the global economy. Speaking of the growing importance and the shifting focus to India, Mr Balki said, “What has changed over the years is that earlier, India was judged globally. Today, India is the jury, be it the global products or ideas.” Talking about Indian creatives on a global platform he admitted that a lot of things don’t make any sense to the rest of the world. But he also pointed out that brands who have tried to implement global theory, have messed up in India. He said, “Global brands have to come to India selling like a local brand. Any global thought has to be highly ‘Indianised’ to be implemented in India. And, it’s a difficult job.” Mr Balki added, “If you want to know India, watch ‘The Story of India’ by Michael Woods.”

     

    R Balki

    Furthering Mr Balki’s point of an ‘Indianised’ idea, Mr Kapur remarked that India was a land of imagination. He said, “The West calls us melodramatic, we call it mythical.” He added that any idea to work in India has to be magically ‘Indianised’.

     

    Speaking on the impact of social media, Mr Kapur agreed that social media was set to change the way we live but not advertising. He also agreed that social media holds an opportunity for India and he said that the new real estate is the social media. He said, “Fifteen per cent of the world’s teenage population will live in India. So there will be a large number of consumers on social media. This will make us an influencing economy, if not a dominant economy.”

     

    Discussing his views on social media and its impact, Mr Balki remarked that social media currently in India is a one-sided communication, where we are expressing ourselves but not accepting messages. Talking about the Indian economy, Mr Kapur said that Indians needs to move from being job-makers to job-creators.

     

    Sharing tips for global brands entering India, Mr Balki said, “Stop looking at India as a market and you will succeed. And, let the Indians do the things in India.” Mr Kapur added, “When the West stops looking at India as a market and starts looking at it as a culture, they’ll make it there.”

     

  • It's the same old story from the new round of readership results from MRUC and Hansa Research

    Stagnancy stages a comeback in IRS 2012Q1

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    The IRS 2012 Q1 readership results released by MRUC and Hansa has nothing new to tell but the obvious tale of the apparent rise in numbers of a few publications and the decline in readership of a majority of players. Going by the Average Issue Readership norm, in the Top 10 dailies there has been no change in the pecking order of the top performers but the readership of 7 out of 10 dailies has seen a marginal decline. Of the ten publications, five are Hindi in origin, two are in Malayalam, and one each in Tamil, English and Marathi.

     

    Emerging a frontrunner once again, Dainik Jagran manages to hold its forte showing slight readership growth with 16,412 in 2012Q1 as against 16,410 that it reported in 2011Q4. At No 2, Dainik Bhaskar has reported numbers totalling 14,553 a decline by 0.33 per cent from 2011Q4 figure of 14,602.Hindustansits comfortably at the third spot having reported a 1 per cent growth of 12,157 as against 12,045 reported in 2011Q4. Malayala Manorama is at the fourth spot with an AIR of 9,875 as against 9,937 in 2011Q4 – a drop of 0.6 per cent. Amar Ujala is next reporting an AIR of 8693 against an AIR of 8842 in 2011Q4 – a drop of 1.7 per cent. The Times of India English edition continues to see growth and comes in sixth with AIR of 7,652 as against 7,616 registered last quarter. Marathi daily Lokmat sees a marginal decline to end 2012Q1 at 7,485 compared to 2011Q4 AIR of 7,562. Tamil daily Daily Thanthi is next with AIR numbers of 7,477 as against 7,503 recorded in 2011Q4. Rajasthan Patrika with 6,807 and Mathrubhumi with 6,600 end the tally occupying the ninth and tenth spot respectively.

     

    Reacting to the overall trend, Dinesh Rathore, Vice President, MediaVest Worldwide said, “The study hasn’t thrown any new surprises. What is known is that the readership time spent on print is coming down these days, which is even lesser in case of magazines. Newspapers as a habit are not going to die soon but the time spent is surely on a decline. Also, if people were subscribing to more newspapers earlier, they are subscribing to one less now because of the options available on digital.”

     

    Highlighting her stance on the numbers, Anamika Mehta of Lodestar UM said: “What I infer is that the drop is very marginal. Print will continue to hold its ground in India. With literacy rates going up and the launch of several new products print will continue to drive growth in India . Also, what is seen is that there is a growth of consumption that is happening on the web and moreover, India is a very young country. Almost 60 per cent plus of the population are younger than 35 years. With these audiences the consumption is more on the web than on the physical newspaper. Also, we are seeing a lot of launches by players in the regional markets. So it’s not as bad as it seems.”

     

    Voicing a similar opinion as given by Mr Rathore, Priti Murthy, National Director – Insights, Maxus said, “I am not surprised by the overall trend that has been thrown up. Why do we read newspapers and magazines, for the sheer content that it provides and content is available faster in other mediums today – definitely digital and to a large extent even TV. I see this trend continuing in the next 3-4 years after which it will reach a saturation point. Also, how much ever tactical initiatives publications engage in to increase circulation, it clearly shows that readership is not going to increase. The time spent in reading newspapers and magazines will continue to see a decline. Also the new generation that is growing up may not grow up on a newspaper alone. They rely on mobile and other AV modes to receive their communication.”

     

    (AIR numbers; all figures in ‘000)


     

    The downfall story continues with magazines as well with leader Vanitha (Malayalam) reporting an AIR of 2,444 as against 2,516 in 2011Q4 – a decline by 3 per cent. Pratiyogita Darpan too sees a decline of 5.4 per cent having registered an AIR of 1,893 in 2012Q1 as against an AIR of 2001 in 2011Q4. SamanyaGyan Darpan sees a marginal decline with an AIR of 1,644 as against 1,678 reported last quarter. India Today is the topmost English magazine in this list and figures at the fourth spot with 1,613 as against an AIR of 1,611 reported last quarter. Saras Salil is next on the line-up and has reported a big drop of 9.5 per cent registering an AIR of 1601 as against an AIR of 1,768 reported in 2011Q4. Meri Saheli and Cricket Samrat have posted growth with an AIR of 1,259 and 1,176 respectively. Malayalam Manorama at 1,163 has seen a decline of 3.5 per cent while Bengali magazine Karmakshetra has seen a growth in its AIR at 1,142 as against 1,090 in 2011Q4. General Knowledge Today completes the list with an AIR of 1086.

     

    Throwing light on the trend spotted in magazines, Anamika Mehta said: “In the case of magazines, what we are seeing is that the time spent on magazines is going down but there are a lot of new and niche products being launched. A lot of international players too are coming into this market. So that should give it some scope for growth. But right now I think magazines are in a more worrying state than dailies in India but having said that I do not see the death of the medium coming here anytime soon.”

     

    (AIR numbers; all figures in ‘000)