Magazines have registered a 12 per cent drop in readership – from 75 million in 2005 to 68 million this year, according to the just-released findings of the National Readership Survey (NRS) 2006.
There have been a number of changes in the Top 10 bracket bracket though the top two – Saras Salil and India Today (English) – remain the same. The readership of Saras Salil dipped by one-third from 10,561,000 in NRS 2005 to 7,139,000 this year. That of India Today (English) fell from 6,295,000 to 5,150,000 this year.
The National Readership Study (NRS) is the largest survey of its kind in the world. NRS 2006 included a sample size of 284,373 house-to-house interviews to measure media exposure and consumer product penetration in both urban and rural India. The study covered 535 publications of which 230 were dailies and 305 magazines. The fieldwork for this survey was done from February to May this year.
In the fourth position with a readership of 4,115,000 is Vanitha, which climed up four slots from a readership of 3,832,000 last year. Grihasobha (Hindi) climed up one spot to the fifth even thouigh its readership dropped from 4,121,000 last year to 3,788,00 in NRS 2006. Kumudam, which saw its readership drop from 4,675,000 to 3,698,000, has dropped two ranks down to six.
Swati Sap Vara Pat has retained its seventh position, even though its readership fell – from 3,959,000 to 3,408,000. Kungumum fell five slots – down to the eighth. Its readership fell considerably from 5,600,000 in NRS 2005 to 3,347 this year.
Sarita, like its sister publication Saras Salil, saw its readership drip by almost one-third – from 4,191,000 in 2005 to 2,820,000 this year. It fell down four slots and is now number nine. Meri Saheli continues at the tenth position, its readership falling from 2,811,000 to 2,610,000 in the last one year.
The major title to slip from the Top 10 rankings is Malayala Manorama – from ninth to 14th – its readership falling from 2,947,000 to 2,351,000 in NRS 2006.
Other magazines with a readership of over 2 million are Balarama with 2,526,000, Ananda Vikatan with 2,426,000, Cricket Samrat with 2,370,000, Reader's Digest with 2,321,000, Grihalakshmi (Malayalam) with 2,312,000, and Nirogdham with 2,034,000.
