Q3, IRS 2012: English dailies on an upward trend

The latest IRS report suggests that the last one year has been good for most of the top 10 English dailies in the country.

According to the latest report of IRS, seven out of 10 English dailies have registered growth in the last one year. Those on the growth spree include names like The Times of India (TOI), DNA, The Hindu, The New Indian Express, The Tribune, Hindustan Times (HT) and Mumbai Mirror. The English newspapers which have registered declines since Q3, 2011 include The Telegraph, Deccan Chronicle and The Economic Times (ET).

The No. 1 English daily of the country, TOI, has 76.5 lakh average issue readership this quarter. The daily is also the biggest gainer among the top 10 English dailies since Q3, 2011 - an increase of 1.84 lakh readers during the period. The newspaper gained the maximum in Q4, 2011, when it recorded a growth of 1.49 lakh AIR. In this quarter, the daily has gained marginally by 10,000 readers.

HT is at No. 2 position with 38 lakh AIR - nearly half of that of TOI. The daily has gained 53,000 average readers in the last one year, and 19,000 in Q3, 2012.

At No. 3 is the Chennai-based daily, The Hindu, registering an AIR of 22.6 lakh in this quarter. It is also the third biggest gainer among the top 10 English dailies since Q3, 2011 (an increase of 89,000 readers) and the biggest gainer since Q2, 2012 (an increase of 50,000 average readers).

The Telegraph is at No. 4 with 12.5 lakh average issue readership. The newspaper is among the few papers to have recorded de-growth. While it has lost 12,000 readers in the last one year, the daily has lost 21,000 readers this quarter.

Deccan Chronicle is at No. 5. The newspaper, too, has lost readers in the last one year - a decline of 43,000 readers. However, the newspaper has added 13,000 AIR this quarter.

At No. 6 is the second biggest gainer among the top 10 English dailies, DNA, which has registered a gain of about one lakh readers. The newspaper has added 32,000 average readers in this quarter alone. As per the latest quarter of IRS, the daily has an AIR of 9.6 lakh.

Bennett, Coleman & Co.'s (BCCL) other offering, Mumbai Mirror, takes up the No. 7 position, with 8 lakh AIR. The tabloid has grown by 47,000 readers in the last one year. During the period, the newspaper had lost the maximum in Q1, 2012 - a loss of 26,000 readers.

The No. 8 spot is also taken up by BCCL's business daily, ET. According to the latest IRS figures, the newspaper has an AIR of 7.5 lakh. The business newspaper has lost the maximum readership since Q3, 2011 - a loss of 59,000 readers. In the last one year, the daily has continuously been losing readership, except in Q1, 2012, when it recorded a marginal increase of 2,000 in AIR.

The New Indian Express is at No. 9, with an AIR of 6.6 lakh. The daily has added more than 70,000 readers since Q3, 2011 but has lost marginally this time - a loss of 3,000 readers in this quarter. The Tribune takes up the No. 10 spot and has registered a gain of 13,000 this quarter, and 54,000 readers in the last one year. As per the latest quarter of IRS, the daily has an AIR of 6.5 lakh.

(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.)