INS mulling Print media survey across 11 cities for profiling of readers of newspapers

The Indian Newspaper Society (INS) is considering a Print media specific survey in select cities for the profiling of readers. According to industry sources, at a meeting held on February 29, 2024, the Executive Committee of INS deliberated upon conducting such a survey.

At the meeting, the INS Executive Committee stressed on the acute need for a study to highlight the importance of Print media in the absence of the latest Indian Readership Survey data.

As is known, the Indian Readership Survey (IRS), done by the Media Research Users Council (MRUC), had last come out with readership data in May 2020 amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Since then, no further data was published.

Industry sources revealed to Adgully that the proposed survey would not be the conventional readership, but a dip stick survey based on a limited sample size of 6,600 spread across Delhi, Lucknow, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Chennai, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Patna and Kochi.

The sources further said that the survey is expected to cost INS members collectively around Rs 35 lakh. However, the scope of the survey would be limited to metro-based dailies, mostly English language. Moreover, while the South gets four cities, North will have three cities, while East and West will have two cities each.

It is also learnt that the output will be given in percentage and not in terms of readership numbers. This survey has been designed primarily for ad agencies, the sources said.

It is learnt that INS has reportedly received a research proposal from RK Swamy Hansa Research, outlining the scope and nature of research.