The second round of the Indian Readership Survey (IRS) by Hansa Research and the Market Research Users Council (MRUC) shows that while there has been an increase in overall media consumption, the frequency and the time spent on such consumption has declined over the last few years.
All categories expect the internet have registered a decline in the average consumption time. While the readership of the dailies has gone up by 23 per cent, magazines have registered a 10 per cent drop.
There is no change in the positions of the top ten dailies, with Dainik Jagran and Dainik Bhaskar being the top two with a readership of 536.3 lakh and 293.6 lakh, respectively. The Times of India is the only English daily in the top ten with a readership of 131.4 lakh, displacing Malayalam daily Mathrubhumi.
Among the news channels, there has been an upset, with Aaj Tak claiming the top spot with a viewership of 505.1 lakh, displacing DD News. Among general channels, however, Doordarshan still holds on to the number one position.
Star Ananda has moved from the 13th slot to the eighth with a viewership of 30.1 lakh. Vividh Bharati now ranks as the number one radio station in the country with a listenership of 661.4 lakh, displacing the primary channel.
Among magazines, Saras Salil retains the top position with a readership of 155.6 lakh. India Today is the only English language magazine to feature in the top ten, retaining its number six position.
Among the language dailies, the top four slots are occupied by Hindi language publications.
The survey was carried out across a sample size of 2,50,357 respondents over a field work period extending from July 2005 to July 2006, taking January 1, 2006, as the mid-point.
