TOI is India’s most trusted English news brand

The Times of India (TOI) has once again gained the top spot as the most trusted English news brand in India among major players, as established by a Nielsen survey commissioned by TOI. According to the survey, TOI has topped the list of 52 such media brands for its factual, in-depth news that is without ambiguity. As per the survey TOI’s immense trustworthiness can be gauged from the fact that people consider the brand as their primary source of information. 

Respondents rated TOI the highest stating that any news reported on TOI is never withdrawn nor retracted and hence they continue to trust the brand, which has been a pioneer in its category for nearly 185 years now. The respondents further said that the brand doesn’t accept a story on face value but questions the governments/corporates for facts and in-depth reporting, thus making it unbiased and credible.

The trust index also ranked digital news brands and television news brands. Twitter earned a score of 60.7, meanwhile, BBC World News was at 56.5. It was observed that no other brand was able to match the TOI score in the trust index. When the ratings were compared with the other competitors in the print and digital space, there was a major difference with Hindustan Times scoring 53.4, while The Hindu was at 31.4.

TOI tops trust index ratings

The print brands in India were more prominent at the top of the trust scores than other forms of media. When individual trust parameters were taken into consideration in the ranking process, TOI once again led the list and bagged the highest scores for its in-depth, unbiased and quality news content. The rankings showed a much wider gap between the rankings of TOI and other print or digital brands as TOI was way ahead of all in terms of score. 

Findings show TOI as most trusted brand 

The survey further found that half of the respondents who had read any print or digital media in the month preceding the survey, had read TOI every day while 62% respondents had read it at least once during that month. When compared with the other peers in the market, as many as 31% had read HT every day and 40% had read it at least once. On the other hand, as far as The Hindu is concerned, as many as 23% of respondents read it every day and 33% had read it at least once.

The Nielsen survey also revealed an interesting finding about brand advertisements in print, digital media and on television. The respondents were of the opinion that brands or services that were advertised in print and digital media outlets were considered more trustworthy compared to those advertised on TV and digital media channels. The findings of the survey stated that for the top three most consumed brands in India, higher number of people opted the printed version of the newspaper as they found print trustworthy.

The findings of the recently conducted Nielsen survey reinforce the similar findings of the earlier studies by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at Oxford University. The earlier studies had also found that TOI was the most trusted media brands in India for two consecutive years.

In light of the survey results, Mr. Kaustuv Chatterjee, Director TOI Brand, Languages and NPI said, 

“We are thrilled that TOI has been rated the most trusted news brand in India once again. This recognition reinforces our commitment to providing our readers with the most accurate, insightful, and unbiased news coverage. We will continue to deliver impact with the rigor we put into our stories. We thank our readers for their continued trust in us.”

TOI’s intriguing campaign

Touted as the most trusted brand in India, TOI has not only defended truth over the years, but also ensured it triumphs. The brand launched a unique, creative and impactful campaign showcasing the eternal battle of Truth (T) vs False (F) where truth stands firm despite all odds. The TOI campaign shows that while the tricks or ideas used by F may gain traction in the short term, the inherent flaws usually become apparent over time. On the other hand, truth is based on facts and evidence, and continues to emerge the victor with its favourite ally, The Times of India, by its side.

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