IRS Q2, 2019: Here are the top newspapers and magazines

The Media Research Users Council released the Indian Readership Survey data. The IRS Q2 2019 report, which is a rolling average over quarters of 2017, Q1 and Q2 2019, finds that the total readership (read in last one month) is holding steady while the average issue readership (read yesterday) is on the decline. The survey found that the consumption of news on digital platforms has also been increasing.

When it comes to total readership, English dailies saw a slight growth from 2.9 per cent in Q1 to 3 per cent in the Q2 survey. Hindi dailies managed to hold its 17 per cent reach while the Regional dailies saw a decline of 1 per cent (from 20 per cent in Q1 to 19 per cent in Q2).

The average issue readership (AIR) numbers are far more alarming for the Print industry. The Hindi dailies dropped from 7.1 per cent in Q1: 2019 to 6.7 per cent in Q2. While English dailies managed to retain its 1.2 per cent AIR, regional dailies saw a decline from 8.4 per cent to 8.1 in Q2.

The survey found that the AIR of the top four dailies Dainik Jagran, Hindustan, Dainik Bhaskar, Amar Ujala dropped from what it was in Q1 2019.

The total readership of magazines in Q2 as per the IRS was 8 per cent similar to what it was in the previous quarter. The AIR also remained the same at 4 per cent. India Today English continues to be the most read magazine in India followed by its Hindi version.

Here is the full report