The Daily Telegraph is to conduct research into the section
readership of its closest rivals, The Times and The Sunday Times.
The controversial move follows the Telegraph’s first attempt at
researching its own section readership over the summer. This revealed a
surprise - that 41 per cent of women read the Telegraph’s sports
section.
In this second phase, 20,000 questionnaires will be sent to people who
buy The Times or Sunday Times at least three times a week but don’t buy
The Daily Telegraph or Sunday Telegraph more than twice a week. The
Telegraph claims to have 100,000 Times readers on its corporate database
of 1.5 million names.
Another 20,000 questionnaires will be sent to readers who take the
Telegraph predominantly.
The Telegraph is attempting to address long-standing agency demands for
data on section reading habits. The subject is being debated by industry
bodies with a view to including the data in the National Readership
Survey.
But Telegraph display ad director Chris White-Smith said that, even if
agreement is reached, the first NRS data would not be available until
summer 2001.
’Publishers have been reluctant to reveal this data as they fear buyers
will use it as a stick to beat us with,’ said White-Smith. ’But 90 per
cent have responded positively. The others we refuse to present to
because they have missed the point.’
Mediapolis press director Priscilla Rogan said: ’I would be much happier
with independent research.’
