The Indian Readership Survey (IRS-2002), in its findings for the New Delhi market, has noted that The Times of India is the highest read English newspaper in the capital with a readership of 11,65,000 readers. TOI leads the Hindustan Times, the second-rung newspaper in the English segment, by 41,000 readers. HT has 11,24,000 readers, the survey noted. Surveying the macro media consumption pattern for the capital, IRS-2002 cited Navbharat Times as the highest read newspaper (across all languages) in Delhi, with a readership of 14,73,000 readers.
IRS, widely acknowledged as the most dependable study on media penetration, has noted in its 2002 survey that almost 60 per cent of English daily newspaper readers in New Delhi can be reached through the TOI alone. The top five line-up (across all languages) leads with the Navbharat Times, followed by Punjab Kesari, The Times Of India, Hindustan Times and Dainik Jagran. According to Census 2001, Delhi, which is the fastest growing city, has been redefined to include almost 37 new areas, many of which were earlier classified as rural. This has brought about a change in its readership composition.
The survey also notes that the inclusion of a large rural area in redefined Delhi has impacted print penetration. The current report of IRS is based on a full sample of 6,603 individuals and is projected on the basis of Census 2001 (the earlier report was based on a sample of 3,293 individuals). Commenting on the reach of print versus other media, the survey notes that the reach of print is relatively higher than cable and satellite television, especially in the high-income metro segments.
