IRS 2010 Q4: The TOI and Hindustan Times emerge as biggest gainers

Among the top 10 English dailies in the country, The Times of India has gained the maximum readership and Hindustan Times has the highest growth rate.

The latest quarter of IRS has spelled good news for The Times of India. The No.1 English daily has recorded a total readership (TR) of 1.37 crore -- an addition of 2.04 lakh readers, as per IRS 2010 Q4. In the last one year, the English daily has added 3.39 lakh readers, making it the biggest gainer amongst the English language dailies. Between Q1, and Q4, the newspaper has increased its total readership by 2.5 per cent. The TOI, which is aggressively expanding its territory, should see a sizeable increase in readership in the subsequent IRS surveys.

Hindustan Times (HT), the second largest English daily of the country is still half of TOI, with total readership of 64.57 lakh. HT has added 1.24 lakh readers in the current round and 2.03 lakh readers in a span of one year, registering a growth of 1.9 per cent and 3.2 per cent, respectively.

The South-based English daily, The Hindu, which is facing tough competition in its home ground Chennai and Tamil Nadu, has maintained its readership in the last one year. It has, in fact, added 28,000 new total readers - a growth of 0.54 per cent. However, in the current quarter, the English daily has lost marginal readership of 39,000 -- a de-growth of 0.75 per cent in this quarter.

Constant at No. 4, is ABP Group's The Telegraph with total readership of 28.82 lakh -- a decline of 22,000 readers, as opposed to last time's 29.04 lakh readership. The daily has grown at 0.76 per cent in the latest quarter.

The No. 5 position is taken up by another South-based newspaper, Deccan Chronicle. The daily has recorded TR of 26.81 lakh as against last quarter's 27.07 lakh. The newspaper, despite launching the Coimbatore edition in December last year, has lost 1.35 lakh readers since Q1, 2010.

At No. 6 is another TOI's business daily, The Economic Times, with TR of 17.79 lakh. Though the pink paper has added only 8,000 readers this time, it has added around a lakh readers since Q1, 2010.

Climbing one step up at No.7 is DNA. The daily has recorded a growth of 1.5 per cent this time and has TR of 15.55 lakh. It has also added 97,000 readers in the span of one year, and had 14.58 lakh readership in Q1, 2010.

Pushed at No. 8 is The New Indian Express. The daily has registered the biggest de-growth of 4.65 per cent this time. The daily has lost 74,000 readers in the latest quarter.

Sitting firmly at No. 9 spot is the tabloid by the the TOI Group, Mumbai Mirror since Q3, 2010 after displacing another tabloid Mid-Day from the position. Despite the fact that it has not been de-throned from its position since then, the daily has lost marginal readership of 4,000 in the latest quarter.

The No. 10 spot is taken up by Mid-Day, the afternooner. The daily is the second biggest loser in terms of percentage and has registered a de-growth of 2.92 this time. It has lost 1.27 lakh readers since Q1, 2010.