MxMIndia

Tag: Average Issue Readership

  • 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.”

     

  • 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)


     

  • Most of the dailies, be it Hindi, English or other regional languages, have shown an upward trend in their readership, as indicated by the Average Issue Readership figures

    IRS 2011Q4: Not much change in rankings but dailies witness significant growth

    By A Correspondent

     

    Top 10 Hindi Dailies:

    IRS Q4, 2010 v/s IRS Q4, 2011

    There is not much of a difference in the rankings of the Top 10 Hindi Dailies. Dainik Jagran, Dainik Bhaskar,Hindustan, Amar Ujala and Rajasthan Patrika continue as the Top 5 Hindi Dailies. When compared to IRS 2010 Q4, IRS 2011 Q4 reveals the Top 4 Hindi Dailies, namely Dainik Jagran, Dainik Bhaskar,Hindustanand Amar Ujala have further strengthened their readership.

     

    A look at percentage change from Q4, 2010 to Q4, 2011 finds that Dainik Jagran has witnessed a growth of 2.14 per cent, Dainik Bhaskar grew by 4.36 per cent,Hindustanby 5.18 per cent while Amar Ujala grew by 2.34 per cent. The only Hindi daily to have witnessed double digit growth is Prabhat Khabar with a whopping 30.26 per cent growth in Q4, 2011 as against Q4, 2010. A total of five Hindi dailies have witnessed growth Quarter on Quarter.

     

    Q3, 2011 Vs Q4, 2011

    But the results for IRS Q4, 2011 Vs Q3, 2011 have a slightly different story to tell. The top two most read Hindi dailies – Dainik Jagran and Dainik Bhaskar – have witnessed a decline in Average Issue Readership (AIR), the decline is however marginal. Besides Dainik Jagran and Dainik Bhaskar, the Hindi dailies to have recorded growth in Q4, 2011 v/s Q3, 2011 are Hindustan, Amar Ujala, Punjab Kesari and Prabhat Khabar.

     

     

    Top 10 English Dailies:

    IRS Q4, 2010 Vs IRS Q4, 2011:

    The English dailies have performed exceedingly well in Q4, 2011. Seven out of the Top 10 English dailies have registered growth in their AIR. While DNA, Mumbai Mirror and The New Indian Express have registered growth in double digits, the top four English Dailies: The Times of India, Hindustan Times, The Hindu and The Telegraph have also witnessed growth quarter on quarter.

     

    IRS Q4, 2011 Vs Q3, 2011:

    The results for Q4, 2011 in comparison to the previous quarter also highlight the growth for most of the top Ten English dailies.

     

     

    Top 10 Language Dailies:

    IRS Q4, 2010 Vs IRS Q4, 2011:

    The Q4, 2011 results as compared to the Q4, 2010 results have shown mixed reactions for Language dailies as only five publications witnessed growth since Q4, 2010 to Q4, 2011. Malayala Manorama continues to be the number one publication among the Language Dailies. According to IRS Q4, 2011 v/s Q4, 2010 findings, the Malayalam daily grew 0.07 per cent.

     

    Ranked second is Marathi daily, Lokmat which saw a decline of 1.95 per cent. The other Language dailies to have registered growth in their AIR are Daily Thanthi, Mathrubhumi, Sakshi and Dinakaran.

     

    Unlike the top two dailies, Daily Thanthi, ranked as third Language daily, grew by 6.97 per cent in IRS Q4, 2011 when compared to IRS Q4, 2010.

     

    It has been observed that the Malayalam dailies – Malayala Manorama and Mathrubhumi and the Tamil dailies – Daily Thanthi and Dinakaran have recorded growth in their AIR. Malayalam, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Gujarati and Bengali are some of the popular language dailies to have found a place in the Top 10 Language dailies.

     

    IRS Q4, 2011 v/s Q3, 2011:

    The top four Language dailies: Malayala Manorama, Lokmat, Daily Thanthi and Mathrubhumi have registered growth in their AIR numbers in IRS Q4, 2011 v/s IRS Q3, 2011. Besides the top four language dailies, Sakshi, the Telugu daily and Daily Sakal, the Marathi daily have also witnessed growth in their readership numbers.

     

     

     

    AIR or Average Issue Readership is defined as the readers of an average issue of a publication i.e. the estimated number of those who have read or looked at any issue of the publication within a specified time interval, which is equal to the periodicity of the publication (excluding the day of the interview). This is the preferred currency of media agencies across the country though often publications quote Total Readership (TR) when their AIR numbers are not impressive. MxMIndia only uses AIR in its IRS reportage.

  • Eight of the Top 10 publications have grown in their AIR (Average Issue Readership) Year-on-Year (YoY). Daily Thanthi, Lokmat and Dainik Bhaskar have registered the highest growths in AIR

    IRS Q4 2011: Dailies flourish Year-on-Year

     

    The fourth quarter results of 2011 for the Indian Readership Survey were published on Monday and a quick look at comparing the numbers of IRS Q4 2011 versus Q4 2010 data, eight of the Top 10 publications – Dainik Jagran, Dainik Bhaskar, Hindustan, Malayala Manorama, Amar Ujala, The Times of India, Daily Thanthi and Mathrubhumi ­- have grown in their AIR (Average Issue Readership) Year-on-Year (YoY). Tamil daily Daily Thanthi and Marathi Daily Lokmat and Hindi Daily and the second most popular newspaper, Dainik Bhaskar  have registered the highest growths in AIR.

     

    When we compare Q3 2011 V/s Q4 2011, Dainik Jagran, Dainik Bhaskar and Rajasthan Patrika witnessed a slight decline in their readership. Dainik Jagran, Dainik Bhaskar, Hindustan, Malayala Manorama and Amar Ujala have retained their spots as the top five publications.

     

     

    After looking at the numbers, MxMIndia spoke to some of the publications for their views on the IRS Q4 2011 Topline numbers. Mr Rahul Kansal, Chief Marketing Officer, Times of India Group said: “Overall, I am quite happy with results, we have done pretty well in most of the markets including Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai, where we have seen very good growth.”

     

    However, Mr Rajiv Verma, CEO of HT Media Ltd, is disappointed with the IRS numbers but said in a statement, he will continue with investments in various markets. “While Hindustan Times has for long been No 1 in Delhi and No 2 in Mumbai, and Hindustan and Mint have consolidated their positions in their respective markets, as a group we are disappointed that these IRS numbers don’t reflect the full picture of our growth, and the reality of our investments and our efforts in the various markets across the country. However, we will continue to invest in various markets, to meet the needs of our readers and our advertisers, and will hope that the readership growth will be fully captured going forward.”

     

    Mr Sanjeev Kotnala, Vice President, Dainik Bhaskar Group said: “The IRS figures justify our focus on the urban, non-metro cities. Dainik Bhaskar is the only Gujarati newspaper to have a readership of more than 10 lakh in cities like Jaipur and Ahmedabad. If you see the figures for only the urban, non-metro cities, then you will realise that Dainik Bhaskar dominates the list. As far as the overall figures are concerned, we feel that it is a minor fluctuation, nothing major as far as our own perspective is concerned.”

     

    Speaking on trends from IRS Q4 findings, Mr Gautam Dalal, Vice President, Marketing, DNA said: “We observe that within Mumbai there is an increase in the overlap of English dailies readership – for every two readers there are three dailies being read. Mumbai, therefore, is seeing more penetration of English dailies and the trend of reading multiple newspapers is on the rise. Having such a high overlap percentage is a positive sign.”

     

    “In Mumbai we have had the highest number of growth for DNA, and these numbers are a testimony to our stand of having a high level of copy supported by the cutting edge editorial and by a focused market programme,” he added.