IRS 2011, Q2: Tamil weeklies emerge as biggest losers in the last one year

While the last one year has been good for Hindi monthlies, it has not been so kind to the Tamil weeklies, as the latter segment has recorded the maximum loss by any magazine segment -- a decline of 14.42 lakh total readers since Q2, 2010. In fact, the top 15 magazines this time, have collectively registered de-growth of 6.18 per cent in the last one year -- a loss of 40 lakh readers.

The Hindi fortnightly Saras Salil, continues to be the No. 1 magazine of the country, with a total readership (TR) of 53.90 lakh. The magazine has added 1.57 lakh readers this quarter, but is yet to compensate for the readers it lost in the three quarters before that -- a loss of 4.47 lakh readers during Q1, 2011, Q4, 2010, and Q3, 2010.

Vanitha is the No. 2 magazine, with a total readership of 52.83 lakh, registering a marginal growth of 81,000 readers in this quarter and 26,000 since Q2, 2010. It is the only Malayalam publication to feature in the Top 15 list. Any Malayalam Fortnightly has registered a marginal gain of 55,000 readers in the last one year.

Pratiyogita Darpan, the No. 3 magazine of the country, has emerged as the biggest gainer -- an increase of 3.08 lakh readers in this quarter, and 6.87 lakh in the last one year. The Hindi monthly has a total readership of 50.05 lakh.

Hindi monthlies have registered a gain of 12.12 lakh readers during this past one year. In fact, the Hindi monthlies, which had tumbled down in Q3, 2010, by more than four lakh readers, gained readership in the last two quarters. Any Hindi Monthly has registered an increase of 10.26 lakh readers during this period.

At No. 4 is Kumudum, the second biggest loser magazine since Q2, 2010, registering a decline of 11.23 lakh in the last one year, and 1.96 lakh this time round. In fact, Any Tamil Weekly, Any Tamil Fortnightly and Any Tamil Monthly have all lost readership in the last one year -- a collective loss of 24.93 lakh.

At the No. 5 spot is the English version of India Today, with a TR of 45.64 lakh; the No. 7 position is also taken up by the Hindi version of the magazine (41.54 lakh readers). While the English weekly has lost 7.07 lakh readers in the last one year, its Hindi version has added close to a lakh readers during this period.

The No. 6 spot is taken up by Meri Saheli. The Hindi monthly for women has added 1.34 lakh readers in this quarter, and has a total readership of 41.67 lakh this time. However, the title is yet to compensate for the marginal loss it had to face in the last two quarters of 2010 (Q3 and Q4).

The No. 8 and No. 9 spots are also taken up by Hindi monthlies Grehlakshmi and Cricket Samrat, with total readerships of 39.55 lakh and 38.37 lakh, respectively. Cricket Samrat is the second biggest gainer this time, recording an increase of 2.49 lakh since Q4, 2010, followed by Grehlakshmi emerging as the third biggest gainer -- an increase of 1.67 lakh readers in this quarter.

Kungumam, the Tamil magazine, has dropped from No. 5 spot in Q2, 2010 to the No. 10 position this time. The weekly has lost the maximum among the Top 15 magazines -- a loss of 11.82 lakh.

Another title from Delhi Press, Grih Shobha, is at the No. 11 position with a total readership of 37.04 lakh. It is followed by Ananda Vikatan, Champak, General Knowledge Today and Sarita, in that order.

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