Indian print media publications grew by 5.80% in 2015: Report

It’s official. The Indian print media grew by 5.80% in 2015. During 2014-15, a whopping 5817 new publications were registered. As on 31 March 2015, there are total 1,05,443 registered publications, and if we go by the numbers, it seems the country is reading Hindi more than any other language. With 42,493 publications, Hindi is the largest, followed by English with 13,661 registered publications. On the flipside, 34 publications ceased their operations last year.

30 Dec 2015 | By Dibyajyoti Sarma

These numbers are the part of the 59th Annual Report on print media, titled ‘Press in India 2014-15’, prepared and compiled by the Registrar of Newspapers for India (RNI). The report was released by Arun Jaitley, minister of information and broadcasting, finance and corporate affairs in New Delhi on December 29, 2015.

Of the 1,05,443 registered publications, 14,984 are dailies and bi-tri weeklies and the remaining 90,459 are other periodicals.

The country’s populous state Uttar Pradesh also tops the list of states with most publications. According to the report, Uttar Pradesh prints 16,130 publications. Maharashtra came second with 14,394 publications while Delhi prints 12,177 publications.

Kolkata-based Bengali daily Ananda Bazar Patrika was the largest circulated daily during the period, with a circulation of 11,78,779 copies. Delhi-based English daily Hindustan Times comes second with 10,18,367 copies.

During 2014-15, the number of daily publications grew from 6,730 the previous year to 7,871 and their circulation went up from 26,42,89,811 copies to 29,63,02,606 copies per publishing day, an increase of 12.11%.

Periodicals, on the other hand, claimed a total circulation of only 21,32,45,547 copies per publishing day.

Overall, during the period total claimed the circulation of publications stood at 51,05,21,445, as against 45,05, 86,212 copies per publishing day in 2013-14. As per the report, circulation-wise, Hindi publications continued to lead with 25,77,61,985 copies per publishing day followed by English with 6,26,62,670 copies, and Urdu with 4,12,73,949 copies per publishing day.

The annual report ‘Press in India- 2014-15’ was prepared on the basis of analysis of annual statements filed by registered publications. The registered publications were required to file annual statements giving details including circulation figures under the Press and Registration of Books Act 1867. The report provided a broad analysis of the general trend of the Indian Press based on the claimed circulation.

This year, RNI received annual statements from 23,394 registered publishers, against 19,660 in 2013-14, marking an increase of 18.99%, but making up only 22.19% of the total publications.

It’s time print strikes back

Inaugurating the report, Jaitley said, “I think it’s time print strikes back. Print is a trend here to stay. It’s an advantage for media owners, for the entire country and for democracy itself.”

Jaitley said print media had to contend with the information flow disseminating from electronic media that weakened the dividing line between news and opinion. The emerging viewpoint had brought certain shrillness in the debates and discussions. Print media, thus, had a role to play in maintaining objectivity and preserving the sacred nature of news. It was important also to understand that emerging viewpoints surfaced due to the vastness of the media universe where different perspectives were put forth on a given issue. The minister also said that it was time for magazine journalism to reinvent itself since the options for the readers were expanding due to alternatives such as digital and social media.

Highlights of the Indian Press in 2014-15:

1. The total number of registered publications: 1,05,443

i) Newspaper category (daily, tri/bi-weekly periodicities): 14,984

ii) Periodicals category (other periodicities): 90,459

2. The number of new publications registered during 2014-15: 5,817

3. Number of publications ceased during 2014-15: 34

4. Percentage of growth of total registered publications over the previous year: 5.80%

5. The largest number of publications registered in any Indian language (Hindi): 42,493

6. The second largest number of publications registered in any language other than Hindi (English): 13,661

7. The state with the largest number of registered publications (Uttar Pradesh): 16,130

8. The state with the second largest number of registered publications (Maharashtra): 14,394

9. The number of publications that submitted Annual Statements: (this figure includes 607 miscellaneous publications): 23,394

10. The total claimed circulation of publications during 2014-15: 51,05,21,445

i) Hindi publications: 25,77,61,985

ii) English publications: 6,26,62,670

iii) Urdu publications: 4,12,73,949

11. The largest number of publications that submitted Annual Statements in any Indian language (Hindi): 12,516

12. The second largest number of publications that submitted Annual Statements in any language (English): 2,219

13. The largest circulated daily: Ananda Bazar Patrika, Bengali, Kolkata, 11,78,779 copies

14. The second largest circulated daily: Hindustan Times, English, Delhi, 10,18,367 copies

15: The largest circulated Hindi daily: Punjab Kesari, Jalandhar, 7,42,190 copies

16. The largest circulated multi-edition daily: The Times of India, English, (33 editions): 46,30,200 copies

17. The second largest circulated multi-edition daily: Dainik Bhaskar, Hindi, (34 editions): 36,94,385 copies

18. The largest circulated periodical: The Sunday Times of India, English/Weekly edition, Delhi, 8,85,201 copies

19. The largest circulated periodical in Hindi: Sunday Navbharat Times, Hindi/Weekly edition, Mumbai, 7,04,257 copies