5 yrs without IRS: How advertisers are planning print campaigns without a common benchmark

For decades, the Indian Readership Survey (IRS) was the common language of print advertising in India. Advertisers used it to decide where to spend their budgets, agencies relied on it while preparing media plans, and publishers used it to demonstrate the reach of their newspapers.

Today, that common language is missing.

Nearly five years have passed since the last IRS findings were released, and the industry is still waiting for the country's only comprehensive readership survey to return. Differences over methodology, funding and governance have delayed the exercise, leaving advertisers and publishers without a universally accepted readership currency.

Even so, print advertising has continued. Brands are still advertising, newspapers are still competing for budgets, and agencies are still recommending publications. The obvious question is: what has replaced IRS in media planning?

Planning Without a Common Yardstick

Media planning has always depended on credible audience data. Circulation tells advertisers how many copies are printed and distributed, but that is only part of the picture. What they really want to know is how many people actually read a publication and whether it reaches the audience they are trying to influence.

Without fresh IRS numbers, agencies have had to rely on a mix of different data sources. Historical IRS findings still provide some direction, while audited circulation figures, publisher research, market intelligence and past campaign experience help planners arrive at recommendations. In many cases, brands also trust feedback from their sales teams and field force to understand how publications perform across different markets.

In other words, there is no single benchmark anymore. Instead, agencies are putting together several pieces of information before making a decision.

The Rise of First-Party Data

Many newspaper groups have strengthened their own audience research over the last few years.

Subscription databases, website traffic, app usage, digital readership and CRM systems now give publishers a much deeper understanding of their readers than they had a decade ago. For advertisers, this information can be useful, especially when it is backed by campaign performance and category-specific insights.

That said, first-party data has its limitations. Since the information comes from the publisher itself, advertisers often look for independent validation before relying on it completely. Comparing one publisher's data with another's also becomes difficult without a common industry benchmark.

Circulation Is Not Readership

One noticeable change in recent years has been the greater reliance on audited circulation figures.

Circulation audits certainly provide confidence that copies have been printed and distributed. But they cannot tell advertisers how many people actually read each copy or whether those readers belong to the demographic groups they want to reach.

That distinction matters, especially for brands looking at affluent consumers, younger readers or niche audiences. In such cases, readership is often more valuable than circulation alone.

Big Publishers Have Adapted. Smaller Ones Face the Bigger Challenge

The absence of IRS has not affected everyone in the same way.

Large newspaper groups continue to benefit from strong brands, established relationships with advertisers and better audience analytics. Agencies are generally familiar with these publications and can make planning decisions based on years of market experience.

Smaller and regional publishers, however, face a tougher situation.

Without a credible third-party readership survey, many find it difficult to independently demonstrate the strength of their audience. This becomes particularly challenging when competing for national advertising budgets, where agencies are expected to justify every recommendation with reliable data.

Ironically, the absence of a common measurement system may have widened the gap between large publishers and smaller regional players.

Are Brands Becoming Less Dependent on IRS?

Digital advertising has also changed the way marketers think about measurement.

Unlike traditional media, digital campaigns provide real-time data on audience reach, engagement and performance. As a result, many marketers now evaluate print as part of a broader media mix rather than as a standalone channel.

This doesn't mean readership has become less important. It simply means advertisers are looking at several factors together like business outcomes, campaign effectiveness, audience quality and cross-platform reach before making investment decisions.

The Agency's New Playbook

Media agencies have quietly adapted to this new environment.

Instead of relying on one dataset, planners now combine historical IRS trends, circulation audits, publisher data, demographic insights, category experience and their own proprietary planning tools.

The process has become more flexible, but it also depends much more on agency judgement and experience than on a single industry standard.

For large advertisers with experienced media partners, this approach generally works well. Smaller advertisers, however, often miss the comfort of having an objective benchmark. The challenge becomes even greater for brands that continue to depend heavily on print.

Can IRS Reclaim Its Place?

Few people in the industry question the need for an independent readership survey. The bigger question is whether the next IRS should simply bring back the old model or evolve into something that reflects today's media landscape.

Advertisers now expect audience measurement to go beyond reach. They also want to understand engagement, attention and how consumers move between print and digital platforms. Any future readership study is likely to face expectations that did not exist a decade ago.

Until then, the print industry will continue to work without the benchmark it once depended on.

The industry has adapted, and media planning has found new ways to move forward. Agencies now rely on a combination of historical data, circulation audits, first-party insights, market intelligence and experience to make planning decisions.

Perhaps the bigger question is not when IRS returns, but whether the industry still needs it in the form it once did. Advertising has continued to grow even as print's share of media spends has declined, and marketers today expect measurable business outcomes rather than a single readership number. In that context, any future readership currency will have to prove its value—not just its methodology. If IRS does make a comeback, it will be judged less on its return and more on whether it reflects the way audiences consume media today.