IRS 2011, Q4: Most dailies in the top 10 list record growth

The dailies, in the top 10 list, to have recorded a marginal loss in AIR are Dainik Jagran, Dainik Bhaskar and Rajasthan Patrika.

Unlike the last quarter, Dainik Jagran has lost 48,000 readers in the current quarter of IRS. In the previous quarter, the No.1 daily had recorded a gain of 65,000 average issue readers. The Hindi daily claims an average issue readership (AIR) of 1.64 crore in IRS 2011, Q4.

Constant at the No. 2 spot is Dainik Bhaskar, with an AIR of 1.46 crore - 18.08 lakh less than the No.1 daily. Like Dainik Jagran, the No. 2 Hindi daily had also added around 4.95 lakh average issue readers in Q3, 2011. However, this time, it has recorded a decline in AIR, a loss of 2.74 lakh in the last quarter.

The No. 3 position is taken up by the Hindi daily from Hindustan Media Ventures Ltd (HMVL), Hindustan, with an AIR of 1.2 crore in IRS 2011, Q4. The daily has registered a marginal increase in its average issue readership by 12,000. The publication had also added 48,000 readers in the last quarter. The Hindi newspaper has been on a constant growth spree for more than a year now.

At No.4 is Kerala's No.1 newspaper, Malayala Manorama, with AIR of 99.37 lakh. The daily, which is facing indirect competition from The Times of India in its home turf, has registered a marginal gain of 25,000 readers in the latest quarter of IRS. The Malayalam daily had lost around 50,000 readers in IRS 2011, Q3 as per AIR figures.

Amar Ujala is at the No. 5 spot. The Hindi daily has also increased its AIR by a marginal 6,000 readers in the latest quarter. It had lost around 55,000 readers in the last quarter but had added 1.44 lakh average issue readers in IRS 2011, Q2.

At No. 6 is The Times of India, the only English daily to feature in the top 10 list of publications. The daily, which lost a marginal 4,000 readers in the last quarter (Q3, 2011), added 1.49 lakh readers during this quarter and has an AIR of 76.16 lakh in IRS 2011, Q4.

The Marathi daily, Lokmat, has displaced the Daily Thanthi from No. 7 position and has an average issue readership of 75.62 lakh, registering an increase of 1.24 lakh readers this time. It had lost 1.57 lakh readers in IRS 2011, Q3.

Pushed to the No. 8 spot is the Daily Thanthi, with an AIR of 75.03 lakh - 59,000 readers behind Lokmat. The Tamil daily, despite adding AIR (a gain of 56,000 readers), could not secure its No. 7 rank in the current quarter. It is yet to compensate for the loss of four lakh readers it had incurred in the last two rounds of 2010.

Constant at No. 9 position is Rajasthan Patrika, with an AIR of 68.47 lakh readers. The Hindi publication, too, has lost readers this time - a loss of 71,000 readers. Rajasthan Patrika had lost a marginal 23,000 readers in Q3, 2011 and 92,000 readers in Q2, 2011. The newspaper's AIR has been on a roller coaster for the last few quarters. It is to be noted that the readership figures do not include that of Patrika (the newspaper is published from Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh by this name).

The No.10 spot is taken up by another Malayalam publication, Mathrubhumi. The newspaper has an AIR of 66.66 lakh readers as per the latest IRS figures (2011, Q4). The daily has added 36,000 readers in the current quarter. It had lost 60,000 readers in Q3, 2011.

(Total readership includes any reader who has read any of the last six issues; whereas average issue readership includes only readers who have read the last issue.)