IRS to kick off soon, after a gap of five years

Five years on, the Indian print media industry is still operating without any measurement or ranking system. However, if everything goes as per the Media Research Users Council India (MRUC India) plan, the Indian Readership Survey (IRS) will be kicked off in the next few months. 

The IRS, jointly published by the MRUC India and Readership Studies Council of India (RSCI), was considered as the world’s largest continuous study with an annual sample size exceeding 2.56 lakh respondents. The last IRS was conducted in 2019. It was suspended in 2020 due to the Covid pandemic but never resumed since. 

“The council convened a board meeting on August 12 where the plan to launch the IRS was approved in-principle. However, the board is yet to finalise the study methodology and a cost-sharing formula for the publishers,” a board member of the Council told e4m. 

The council’s technical committee is believed to have presented a few methodologies in the meeting. Parameters that were discussed to decide the cost slabs for publishers included turnover, revenue and circulation. 

The MRUC Board will pick one methodology which it deems best. To address the cost issue, the board decided to consult India’s top 25-30 publishers before arriving at a conclusion, the member stated. Both the issues are likely to be discussed and finalised in the next two months.

Earlier, the cost share was decided on the basis of print circulation. However, circulation numbers have dwindled for many newspapers/editions over the last few years as consumers are increasingly shifting to online news, industry leaders say. Besides, media houses often inflate their circulation numbers.

The cost of the survey is likely to go up this time compared to 2019 when it was approximately Rs 20 crore. However, the amount would be clear once the methodology is finalised and bids are invited for the study.

Critical to advertisers, the readership data is the currency on the basis of which they decide which print publications to advertise in. The IRS can give a snapshot of India’s print and other media consumption, demographics, product ownership and usage. The IRS also covered over 100 product categories in the households surveyed.  

Shailesh Gupta, the council chairman, did not respond to calls and texts. 

Padma Bhushan Hormusji N. Cama, Former chairman of the Council who is the Chairman and the Managing Director of the Mumbai Samachar, said, “Hopefully, the cost-sharing formula will be sorted out in a month. Once it's done, a tender will be floated to finalize the agency to execute the study.”

The survey usually takes 6-9 months to complete, Cama said. 

Impact of prolonged IRS absence 

The impact of not having the IRS for the last five years has resulted in marketers having to make blind choices or rely on ABC ratings which are based on circulation numbers, not the actual survey among readers.

A top advertiser said, “We eagerly await the IRS as it has been the sole and strong currency for all stakeholders- media houses, advertising agencies and clients. Everyone needs an updated and current realistic IRS data to navigate the validation and consumption of readership for planning leading to valuation of ad rates.” 

Meanwhile, the landscape of print consumption has also changed with Indian consumers increasingly being glued to their digital screens. Newspapers circulation has been affected badly. 

While many publishers look forward to the IRS, some claim, “The absence of readership data didn’t have any significant impact on ad bills of our newspapers. Publishers are able to get enough advertisements based on their market reputation and reach. Advertisers also go by their own intuition about the newspaper’s reach while spending money in the print media.”

Some players are apprehensive about the IRS mainly because it will add up to their cost.