156m now read newspapers, half of them in villages: NRSC

The readership base of newspapers has increased by nearly 20 per cent in the last three years from 131 million in 1999 to 156 million readers this year, say the latest National Readership Studies Council (NRSC) findings.

According to the study released today, though there is an overall growth in readership for print media, there is a decline of readers for magazines. The media survey covered over 500 publications and included television, radio, cinema and the Internet base.

A sample of 2.13 lakh individuals were interviewed. The NRSC 2002 findings also revealed there are as many rural readers as urban — 48 per cent of the readership base was scattered over nearly 6 lakh villages across India.