IRS Q2, 2010: Hindi dailies gain in total readership; Hindustan emerges as top gainer

Six out 10 Hindi dailies record growth, rest decline in their total readership in the current quarter

As per both total readership and average issue per reader (AIR) figures, Hindi dailies have been on a growth spree. According to the latest IRS survey, Hindi dailies have reported a total readership of 13.5 crore and AIR of 5.96 crore - a gain of 9.18 lakh in total readership and 8.91 lakh in AIR in the current quarter.

Though Dainik Jagran continues to be the No. 1 Hindi daily, it has lost 6.07 lakh readers in the last three rounds. The daily recorded a total readership of 5.42 crore, a loss of 70,000 readers this time. The daily's AIR performance has also seen a dip - from 1.63 crore in Q1, 2010 to 1.59 crore in Q2, 2010 - a loss of 3.88 lakh.

According to a senior industry practitioner, if the difference is within 10 per cent of the total readership, it is negligible as the figures are based on sample survey and are not exact reporting of numbers.

"There is a methodology involved in it; we should understand that it's a statistical method of reporting and a projection of the numbers - not the exact figures," says the industry practitioner.

The difference between the No. 1 and No. 2 Hindi dailies is still very wide - 2.04 crore readers.

Static at No. 2 is Dainik Bhaskar, which has seen a jump of 2.95 lakh in total readership since the last quarter. The daily has total readership of 3.37 crore in Q2, 2010, as opposed to the 3.34 crore registered in the last quarter. This daily has also lost numbers in terms of AIR, with a loss of 26,000 readers. However, it has gained average issue per reader in the last nine months - a gain of 4.23 lakh.

Hindustan, from the stable of the newly formed entity HMVL, is at No. 3, with a total readership of 3.09 crore. The newspaper has registered an AIR of 1.01 crore, a gain of 2.29 lakh over the last quarter. Hindustan has registered a gain of 15.07 lakh in total readership this time - the maximum gain amongst the top 10 Hindi dailies.

The No. 4 Hindi daily is Amar Ujala with a total readership of 2.90 crore, registering a gain of 2.62 lakh readers. The daily is yet to make up for the loss of 87,000 readers in Q1, 2010. As per AIR, the publication has lost about 74,000 readers in Q2, 2010 but gained 1.18 lakh readers in the last nine months (last three rounds).

Sitting strong at No. 5 is Rajasthan Patrika with a total readership of 1.47 crore in the current round - a gain of 4.79 lakh readers. The daily has witnessed an increase of 7.01 lakh readers in the last nine months. The group, in the past nine months, has launched multiple editions from the state of Madhya Pradesh (where it first entered in 2008) under the title of Patrika.

The current figure doesn't include the readership in MP. As per AIR, the Rajasthan based Hindi daily has registered a total of 69 lakh, an increase of 2.15 lakh this quarter.

At No. 6 is Punjab Kesari, which has a total readership of 1.05 crore and saw a decrease of 22,000 from Q1, 2010. However, in the last three rounds, it has added 50,000 readers. According to AIR, the daily, with 35.61 lakh readers, has seen a gain of 35,000 in Q2, 2010.

Observing the growth of Hindi dailies, Amin Lakhani, head, exchange, Mindshare India, says, "The decline is not really significant. If you go through the data, you'll realise that the growth for dailies is not coming from adding readership but by entering into the new markets. That is where the potential is right now."

At No. 7 is Aj with a total readership of 52.55 lakh - a decline of 2.33 lakh readers in this quarter. The newspaper has been continuously losing readers since the last few rounds and since the last three rounds, it has lost about 4.56 lakh readers. The daily, as per AIR figures, does not feature in the top 10 list of Hindi dailies.

The Hindi daily from the Times of India Group, Navbharat Times, is at No. 8 with a total readership of 52.13 lakh. This daily has lost 1.38 lakh readers in this round. According to AIR figures, it is at No. 7 - one step ahead of its total readership figures - and has a total of 24.75 lakh readers. The daily has gained 1.09 lakh readers in the last three rounds.

At No. 9 is the Jharkhand based daily, Prabhat Khabar, registering a total readership of 51.59 lakh. The publication has seen a gain of 2.65 lakh in the current round. Also, the publication has seen a growth in its AIR numbers - from last quarter's 12.70 lakh it is now 13.46 lakh - a jump of 76,000 readers in Q2, 2010.

The No. 10 position is taken by Nava Bharat, which has total readership of 47.42 lakh - registering a marginal growth of 9,000 readers in the current quarter. As per AIR, the No. 10 spot is occupied by Hari Bhoomi, with a total of 13.14 readers.