NEW DELHI: Maintaining its strong position among English dailies, Hindustan Times once again topped the readership numbers of the combined Delhi-NCR and Mumbai regions, according to the results of the Indian Readership Survey (IRS).
Mint, too, has consolidated its position as the second most-read business daily in India, recording an average issue readership of 342,000.
The latest round of IRS reflects the continuing faith of the reader in the written word, with the overall English readership growing at 6% average issue readership. It also validates the fact that print continues to be a strong medium of choice in India.
Consistent with the growing faith in the print medium, Hindustan Times continues to make strides in all major markets.
Hindustan Times is the No. 1 daily in Delhi-NCR and Punjab. The total readership of Hindustan Times has grown by 12% between IRS 2017 and IRS first quarter 2019 and its average issue readership has risen by 9% during the same period.
“We are ecstatic about the trust that our readers continue to show in all our publications," said Rajan Bhalla, group chief marketing officer of HT Media Ltd.
In Delhi-NCR, Hindustan Times ranked as the No. 1 newspaper for the 16th time and is the most-read daily, with more than 1.8 million average issue readership —37% higher than the closest competitor.
Its total readership has grown by 11% and its average issue readership has risen by 10%.
In Gurugram, Hindustan Times’ total readership has grown by 22% and its average issue readership by 11% over the same period.
Hindustan Times has also strengthened its presence in Punjab and topped the region with an average issue readership of 321,000. Its total readership has grown by 17% in the region, including Chandigarh, between 2017 and 2019, and its average issue readership by 27% over the same period.
In Mumbai, the average issue readership of Hindustan Times has reached 885,000. It recorded a growth of 19% between IRS 2017 and IRS first quarter 2019 on total readership and 17% on average issue readership, making it a strong No. 2 in Mumbai.
Hindustan, HT Media’s Hindi language newspaper, has emerged as the second-largest newspaper in India, with a total readership of 54.7 million and an average issue readership of 18.4 million. Hindustan continues to be No. 1 in Bihar and Uttarakhand, and a strong No. 2 in Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Delhi.
As digital news platforms and influencer portals compete for eyeballs and come up with innovative click-bait techniques, the numbers reiterate the trust that print readers repose in the publications of HT Media.
“We take the responsibility that comes at the back of this trust earnestly and, like always, we will continue to deliver unparalleled value for both our readers and advertisers," said Bhalla.
