The Indian Readership Survey 2013 on newspapers has been kept in abeyance by its publisher, the Media Research Users Council, until March 31, 2014. All subscribers and members have been asked by MRUC to hold off usage of the study until it is re-validated.
IRS 2013, providing estimates of readership, was rejected by several newspapers when it was released in January as it contained major errors and anomalies.
The MRUC Board and the managing committee of the Readership Studies Council of India met on Wednesday and decided that the IRS should be held in abeyance, and a process for re-validation be developed by February 24. The observations and recommendations arising from the process would be presented to the RSCI by early April 2014. Once adopted, the recommendations would be formally incorporated into the future architecture of the IRS. Subscribers and members would be “immediately contacted” by RSCI, MRUC and the Audit Bureau of Circulations to hold off usage of the study, a press release said.