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| WSJ,
GHK come knocking: |
With
growing interest in Indian publishing marketplace, more international
publishers are knocking the Indian doors. On the anvil now
are the launches of Dow Jones’ Wall Street Journal and
Hearst Magazines’ Good Housekeeping. More… |
| Haymarket
inks deal; increases presence with 2nd magazine: |
Haymarket
Publishing of the UK formally entered the Indian market early
this month in a 50:50 joint venture with Sorabjee Automotive
Communications (SAC), publishers of Autocar India. More… |
| ‘Time
Out’ in new magazine launches: |
| India’s
Essar group – with diversified interests in shipping and
steel – is all set to enter magazine publishing business,
with a new business entity and a new licensing deal to publish
London’s ‘Time Out’ in Mumbai city.
More… |
| Bhaskar
group acquires newspaper for US$ 1.5 m: |
The
US$ 333 m Bhaskar Group has acquired Gujarati daily Saurashtra
Samachar, the leading newspaper of the Saurashtra region in
the western state of Gujarat. More… |
| New
heads for ABC, INS: |
Deccan
Herald’s Shanth Kumar as taken over as president of
India’s Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC), while Bennett,
Coleman & Co. Ltd’s Pradeep Guha has taken over
as the president of Indian Newspaper Society (INS).
More… |
| Deccan
Chronicle plans IPO: |
| Deccan
Chronicle, Andhra Pradesh's largest selling English newspaper,
is going public in order to bankroll its strategic growth initiatives,
including acquisitions. More… |
| Editorial
space on sale: Trend spreads: |
| After
Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd launched ‘MediaNet’
to sell editorial space in its several publishing titles including
‘The Times of India’ and ‘The Economic Times’,
it is now the turn of northern India’s leading English
daily newspaper ‘Hindustan Times’. More… |
| Chronosphere
to sell FIPP’s WMM in India: |
| FIPP,
the apex body of magazine publishers around the world, has retained
Chronosphere as its event supporter to market its forthcoming
World Magazine Marketplace to Indian publishers and service
providers. More… |
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With
growing interest in Indian publishing marketplace, more international
publishers are knocking the Indian doors. On the anvil now
are the launches of Dow Jones’ Wall Street Journal and
Hearst Magazines’ Good Housekeeping.
Dow
Jones and Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd have made an application
to the information and broadcasting (I&B) ministry for
starting the Indian edition of WSJ. Even as the joint venture
(JV) announcement was made a few months ago, the application
was filed recently.
Dow Jones
and Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd propose to have a 26:74
venture, as per Indian print media rules. However, Indian
edition of foreign newspapers is not permitted in the country
yet. Content of the Indian WSJ is likely to be the same as
the international edition.
WSJ’s
entry is in the wake of Hyderabad-based Midram Publications’
recent controversial launch of International Herald Tribune
(IHT) from India. The government is in the process of amending
the Press and Registration Act now, to introduce legal provisions
on the issue.
The launch
of WSJ in India is likely to be less controversial as both
- the publishers and the government – are likely to
complete all required formalities.
Elsewhere,
Living Media group will publish Hearst Magazine’s GHK
in India under a licensing deal.
“The
lifestyle of Indian women has changed drastically in the last
decade. This change in trend has created a space for a magazine,
which can cater to the needs of women who are multi-taskers
– balancing their home, family, kitchen, and career,”
says Mala Sekhri, publishing director, Lifestyle Division,
The India Today Group.
Good Housekeeping,
to be targeted at women in the age group of 28-40, will be
launched in October. |
| Haymarket
inks JV deal; increases presence with 2nd magazine: |
|
|
Haymarket
Publishing of the UK formally entered the Indian market early
this month in a 50:50 joint venture with Sorabjee Automotive
Communications (SAC), publishers of Autocar India. The new entity
will be called Haymarket SAC Publishing India Pvt. Ltd.
Neither of the partners has so far revealed the extent of investment
made by Haymarket in this relationship, citing “certain procedural
details are still to be worked out” as a reason.
However, Foreign Investment Promotion Board (the nodal agency
that approves investments into the country) had approved the
investment in the first quarter of this year itself.
The new JV will launch Haymarket’s second title, “Autocar Professional”,
in November this year. |
| ‘Time
Out’ in new magazine launches: |
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|
India’s Essar group – with diversified interests
in shipping and steel – is all set to enter magazine
publishing business, with a new business entity and a new
licensing deal to publish London’s ‘Time Out’
in Mumbai city.
Time Out has repeated its successful formula and now has
51 editions in different parts of the globe. If the formula
works, the Ruias ambitiously want to bring out Time Out editions
in Bangalore and Delhi. Paprika Media, the publishing company
of the Essar Group, has the license to publish the magazine
in the country for a period of 10 years.
Though city-centric magazines have failed in the past in
India, the new publishers are confident of the magazine’s
prospects as India’s metropolitan cities have seen significant
change in lifestyles in the last decade.
On the plus side, it must be said, there’s a huge appetite
for lifestyle stories that centre on the rich, famous and
stylish — the movers and shakers of India’s metropolitan
life. That has already been proved by daily newspaper supplements
like Delhi Times and Bombay Times, and other publications
like Delhi’s HT City.
Elsewhere, Hindi newspaper group Dainik Bhaskar has made
its entry into the magazine publishing business. The group
has floated a new company, New Era Publications, for the puspose.
The new monthly magazine in Hindi language ‘Aha! Zindagi’
has already hit the stands and is priced at Rs 15.
This magazine too will be focussing on the ‘upwardly
mobile’ metropolitan citizens and their lifestyles.
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| Bhaskar group acquires newspaper for US$ 1.5 m: |
|
|
The US$ 333 m
Bhaskar Group has acquired Gujarati daily Saurashtra Samachar,
the leading newspaper of the Saurashtra region in the western
state of Gujarat. The acquisition comes in the wake of Bhaskar
group becoming a market leader with the launch of Gujarati
daily ‘Dainik Bhaskar’ from two cities of the
state.
Girish Agarwal,
director, marketing, Dainik Bhaskar, says, “We found
Saurashtra Samachar to be a highly rated Gujarati newspaper
that would add-value to our publication and when the opportunity
of taking over Saurashtra Samachar came to us, we just availed
it.”
The deal was
worth Rs 7 crore, Agarwal says, adding that Bhaskar Group
will be spending an additional Rs 3-4 crore on revamping
the infrastructure and printing machines.
For Pratap Bhai
Shah, owner and editor of Saurashtra Samachar, the reason
behind selling the newspaper brand was not linked with profitability.
Instead, it was prompted by the concern about an uncertain
future, due to growing competition.It was learnt that the
proposal of a buy-out had come from the Saurashtra Samachar
management.
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| Deccan
Herald’s Shanth Kumar as taken over as president of India’s
Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC), while Bennett, Coleman &
Co. Ltd’s Pradeep Guha has taken over as the president
of Indian Newspaper Society (INS). Kumar
was a sitting member of the ABC council. He takes on the duties
of President from Krishan Prem Narayan of Prem Associates.
Narayan stepped down from the president’s chair with
the completion of his term.
Guha, who was Deputy President of INS, takes
over from M.P. Veerendrakumar, Chairman and Managing Director,
Mathrubhoomi Publishing Group, for a one-year tenure of 2004-05.
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| Deccan
Chronicle plans IPO: |
|
|
| Deccan
Chronicle, Andhra Pradesh's largest selling English newspaper,
is going public in order to bankroll its strategic growth initiatives,
including acquisitions.
“We
want to strengthen our position in the south through mergers
and acquisitions,” said PK Iyer, executive director
of Deccan Chronicle Holdings, the company that brings out
the newspaper.
Deccan Chronicle will file the draft Red Herring
prospectus with the Securities and Exchange Board of India
(Sebi) in the next 10-15 days. The bookbuilt IPO is likely
to close in November. The company will issue fresh shares
for the IPO, constituting approximately 20 per cent of its
fully diluted post-offer paid-up capital.
|
| Editorial
space on sale: Trend spreads: |
|
|
| After
Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd launched ‘MediaNet’
to sell editorial space in its several publishing titles including
‘The Times of India’ and ‘The Economic Times’,
it is now the turn of northern India’s leading English
daily newspaper ‘Hindustan Times’.
Bennett, Coleman & Co. has largely been
successful in selling editorial space because of its complete
market domination in a major market like Mumbai.
Now, Hindustan Times is seeking to emulate
this “success” with a note to several PR agencies
announcing the launch of a new ‘media access programme’
that gave advertisers the opportunity to get coverage in the
paper as well as on its website “in the form of advertisements,
stories or campaigns.”
However,
with some controversy rising in media circles, HT issued a
strong denial saying that will not be selling editorial space.
It was claimed by the management that the note was issued
by an employee in his personal capacity and has since been
sacked from the company.
We, at
IMO, nevertheless firmly believe that this trend is catching
on and several reputed publishers are falling prey to such
revenue-building processes when advertising revenues in newspapers
are not showing any significant growth.
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| Chronosphere
to market FIPP’s WMM in India: |
|
|
FIPP, the apex
body of magazine publishers around the world, has retained
Chronosphere as its event supporter to market its forthcoming
World Magazine Marketplace to Indian publishers and service
providers.
The two-day WMM
is to be held in London, UK on November 15-16, 2004. It
is expected that over 300 delegates from around the world
will register for the conference.
With the growing
interest among international publishers to reach out to
Indian publishing partners, it is expected that this year’s
WMM will see increased participation from India.
For Chronosphere,
a Mumbai-based media services company, the deal marks a
milestone in its efforts to reach out to international publishers
in offering its outsourcing and consultancy services.
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The
newsletter - Indian Media Observer - is produced by Chronosphere’s
CEO Bhupesh
Trivedi personally. Chronosphere is based at B205,
Nirman Palace, Pump House, Andheri (East), Mumbai –
400093, INDIA. |
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