MRUCI greenlights readership survey pilot amid leadership change

At a time when India’s media consumption is tilting sharply toward digital, the Media Research Users Council India (MRUCI) is preparing to revive one of the industry’s most scrutinised metrics — the Indian Readership Survey (IRS). Alongside, the Council has ushered in a new leadership team. Vikram Sakhuja, partner and director at Madison World, was elected chairman while Dhruba Mukherjee, CEO of ABP Pvt. Ltd., was named as vice-chairman. 

The announcements were made during MRUCI’s 31st Annual General Meeting (AGM) earlier this week, followed by a board meeting. The not-for-profit body also confirmed that IPG Mediabrands’ CEO Shashidhar Sinha will chair the IRS Technical Committee. 

Sakhuja brings with him nearly four decades of experience across marketing, media, and research. His career spans roles as Global CEO of Maxus Worldwide, CEO of GroupM South Asia, and CEO of Mindshare South Asia, alongside stints at P&G, Coca-Cola, and Star TV.    

Mukherjee, meanwhile, represents continuity from the publisher’s side of the ecosystem. Having joined ABP in 1997 as a management trainee, he has risen through roles spanning brand management, audience development, sales, and production to become CEO.   

Three new members joined the board of governors. These are Navaneeth LV, CEO of THG Publishing; Surinder Chawla, president at Response at Bennett, Coleman; and Upali Nag, president strategy – South Asia at WPP Media. 

Sinha, the new chairman of the IRS Technical Committee, is expected to play a key role in shaping methodology. His appointment comes at a time when advertisers are increasingly pushing for measurable outcomes and publishers are under pressure to prove relevance in the digital age. 

A changed landscape 

The highlight of the AGM was the Council’s decision to approve a pilot survey — the first step toward relaunching the IRS after a six-year gap. The survey, last conducted in 2019, was derailed first by the COVID-19 pandemic and later by funding challenges, as per sources. 

The board’s approval of the pilot, starting with a metro and two states, is aimed at bulwarking operational confidence. Based on the learnings from this initial phase, the program is expected to be rolled out nationally to deliver a robust and credible readership measurement system for the print industry. 

The absence of the IRS has left a vacuum in India’s media ecosystem. Traditionally regarded as the gold standard for print measurement, the survey has guided advertisers, publishers, and agencies in media planning for decades. Its discontinuation has forced stakeholders to rely on fragmented or proprietary datasets, none of which has carried the same weight. 

In the intervening years, media habits in India have transformed. Digital platforms — from news websites to short-form video apps — have seen explosive growth, eroding the dominance of print. Regional language markets, once firmly rooted in print consumption, are increasingly shifting online. 

This shift has sparked questions about the relevance of a standalone readership survey. Some industry voices argue that consumer behaviour now spans print, mobile, OTT and social platforms, making a cross-platform measurement framework essential. Others caution that overlooking print’s continuing reach, particularly in Tier II and III cities, risks ignoring a substantial segment of the audience. 

Whether MRUCI adapts the IRS to reflect this hybrid reality remains to be seen. For now, industry players are keenly watching how the pilot will address sampling, methodology, and representation across geographies. 

The role of the IRS 

Since its inception, the IRS has been central to media planning in India. Conducted across thousands of towns and villages, it has provided insights not only into newspaper and magazine readership but also into product consumption. Advertisers have used the data to decide where to allocate budgets, while publishers have used it to demonstrate reach. 

However, the media industry’s demands have evolved. In today’s fragmented environment, measurement needs to extend beyond print to capture consumer journeys that cut across platforms. For instance, a regional newspaper reader may also consume news on YouTube, engage with influencers on Instagram, and stream series on OTT. This blurs lines between distinct media categories. 

It is this complexity that the revived IRS will have to grapple with. Stakeholders will be watching to see whether the pilot incorporates new methodologies — possibly integrating digital signals or hybrid sampling frameworks — to reflect the current ecosystem. 

The debate within the industry is not just about numbers but about credibility. With ad budgets under scrutiny, the IRS’s ability to provide trustworthy, granular data will be critical. The pilot’s design — starting with a metro and two states — is expected to offer early insights into operational challenges, data reliability, and cost efficiencies. 

There is also pressure from advertisers for inclusivity. As consumption deepens in smaller cities and towns, ensuring robust representation of Tier II and III markets will be essential. Without this, critics argue, the survey risks underestimating one of print’s strongest bastions. 

A long road ahead 

The IRS’s revival comes against the backdrop of broader measurement debates in India. The television industry continues to grapple with issues around ratings and panel representation, while digital advertising faces scrutiny over attribution, transparency, and fraud. Against this backdrop, MRUCI’s attempt to restore confidence in readership metrics carries symbolic weight for the industry at large. 

The council itself has seen evolution. Established in 1994, it was rebranded as Media Research Users Council India (MRUC India) in 2020 to reflect its national role. It remains a not-for-profit body with more than 150 members spanning advertisers, agencies, publishers, and broadcasters. 

For Sakhuja and Mukherjee, the immediate task is to oversee the pilot survey and decide on its scalability. Success will hinge not only on technical execution but also on stakeholder buy-in across the ecosystem.

Whether the IRS re-emerges as a gold standard or whether the pilot becomes a stepping stone toward a broader cross-platform framework will shape Indian media planning for the next decade. For now, the decision to restart the process marks a critical inflexion point in an industry searching for credible, comprehensive metrics.

Source: Campaign India