IRS 2011, Q2: Dailies continue to lose readers in Greater Mumbai

Across Greater Mumbai, which includes the four reporting centres, Mumbai City, Western Suburb, Eastern Suburb and Navi Mumbai, all dailies have recorded a de-growth this quarter.

Any Marathi Daily, with a total readership of 54.6 lakh in IRS 2011, which has the highest share of readership in the financial capital, has lost around 15,000 total readers in the city. This shows that the Marathi dailies had no growth in the city for the last two quarters and in the last one year which is between Q2, 2010 and Q2, 2011, Marathi dailies have lost close to 1.5 lakh readers.

However, the situation isn't so bad for the English and Gujarati dailies.

English dailies, which are the second most read newspapers in the city has lost 13,000 readers in this quarter. However in the last one year, the English daily have cumulatively added 1.19 lakh total readers. The total readership of English dailies in Q2, 2011 stands at 43.41 lakh. Even in the last quarter (Q1, 2011), English newspapers had maintained a status quo in the city by adding a marginal 6,000 readers.

Gujarati dailies, though have lost 21,000 readers in the current quarter and 27,000 readers in the previous quarter, they are 41,000 readers ahead than in Q2, 2010.

The current quarter hasn't spelled much good news for most dailies, however when compared to the situation a year ago, the picture looks much brighter. For instance, The Times of India (TOI) - the leading daily of the financial capital with a total readership of 25.86 lakh - has lost 36,000 readers in this quarter, but gained 16,000 readers in the last quarter and is 96,000 readers ahead of Q2, 2010.

The No.2 daily in the city, Maharashtra Times - the Marathi daily from the Times group) has lost 48,000 readers in this quarter. Like most other Marathi newspapers, Maharashtra Times has also lost readers in the last few rounds. In the last one year, the newspaper has lost 1.26 lakh total readers taking its total readership in the current quarter to 17.06 lakh.

Mumbai Mirror is the third largest daily in Greater Mumbai and the second largest English newspaper in the city with a total readership of 14.54 lakh. Even though, it has lost 19,000 total readers in the current quarter, the tabloid had added 43,000 readers in the last quarter. Its current total readership is 20,000 more than what it had claimed a year ago.

Lokmat, the second most read Marathi daily in the financial capital has recorded 12.88 lakh readers in this quarter. The newspaper has lost 36,000 readers in this quarter and 71,000 readers in the previous quarter. In the last one year, the Marathi daily has lost 2.23 lakh total readers.

DNA at No.5 has maintained a status quo in this quarter having lost 8,000 readers in this quarter. In the last quarter it had added 49,000 readers. The English daily today claims a total readership of 12.42 lakh - a gain of 33,000 readers since Q2, 2010.

Loksatta, the third most read Marathi daily in the city comes in next at No. 6 with a total readership of 12.33 lakh in Q2, 2011. The newspaper has lost 69,000 readers in this quarter and around 2.78 lakh readers in the last one year.

Navakal, which used to be the No. 2 Marathi daily in the city a year ago, is currently at No. 4 amongst Marathi newspapers. The daily has lost 3.68 lakh readers in the last one year. Its current total readership stands at 12.10 lakh - 22,000 fewer readers than Loksatta. A year ago the situation was completely contrary, when Navakal was ahead of Loksatta by 67,000 readers.

Navbharat Times, the largest Hindi daily of the city has maintained a status quo in this quarter with a negligible loss of thousand readers. However in the last one year the newspaper has lost around 1.67 lakh readers.

Mid-Day is the biggest loser among English dailies in the city having lost more than 3 lakh readers in the last one year. The tabloid claims a total readership of 10.97 lakh in Q2, 2011 which is 1.5 lakh readers behind DNA and 3.5 lakh readers behind Mumbai Mirror. A year ago, the tabloid claimed 1.29 lakh more readers than DNA.

Hindustan Times is the biggest gainer in the city having increased its readership by 16 per cent in the last one year. From 8.69 lakh readers in Q2, 2010, the newspaper now claims a total readership of 10.13 lakh. Even in the current quarter the newspaper has added 7,000 readers.

Gujarat Samachar, the top Gujarati daily in the city has lost 47,000 readers in the present quarter, but it's still ahead of its total readership claimed by it a year ago by 14,000 readers. The newspaper currently claims a total readership of 10.10 lakh total readers.

Among others, Hindi daily Yeshobhumi has lost 78,000 readers in the last one year, while Marathi daily Saamana has lost 3.43 lakh readers in the same period. Yeshobhumi today claims 10.02 lakh total readers while Saamana claims 7.66 lakh total readers.