Will tabloids ever replace your first newspaper of the day?
Yellow journalism and sensationalised reporting are almost synonymous to tabloids in the West; and to a large extent are the key factors contributing to their success also. In sharp contrast, the tabloid market in India (so far) is still unevolved and the fact is pretty obvious if you just zoom into the miniscule number of tabloids in the country. “You find a lot of niche magazines in the country, but not tabloids. While if you look at the West, there are even tabloids on niche subjects,” says Anita Nayyar, CEO, MPG India. “In India, television media has been known for tabloid journalism and sensational news and that’s one of the key reasons why tabloids have not been that popular in the country,” says columnist Sevanthi Ninan.
However, Mumbai is an exception to that. Tabloids are a success in Mumbai and its clearly reflected in the popularity of Mid Day in the city. Apart from Mid Day, there are other tabloids in the tinsel town like Vashi Times, Twin City, Newsband, 21st Century Commercial, though none of these is anywhere near the popularity ratings of Mid Day. The Mumbai Mirror is also fairly popular, but is positioned as a newspaper in compact form, as opposed to a tabloid.
On the contrary, tabloids had not been a popular concept in the national capital of Delhi, until recently. Last year, two major tabloids burst into the psyche of the national capital. The first one ‘Metro Now’ created history in the sense that the two arch rivals of the print industry, Times of India and Hindustan Times, joined hands to taste the tabloid market of Delhi. Then came Mail Today, a collaboration between India Today group and British group Associated Newspapers (which owns Daily Mail). “I find Mail Today as an interesting tabloid and I think it will pick up with Delhites, once the metro network in the capital city is completed,” offers Sevanthi. For now, the state government and DMRC is leaving no stone unturned to improve public transport in Delhi, after which the market for tabloids will become better, as they are traditionally read while travelling. Agrees Ravi Dhariwal, Executive Director, Times Of India, “The tabloid market is growing and will only get better with a strong public transport system.”
Yellow journalism and sensationalised reporting are almost synonymous to tabloids in the West; and to a large extent are the key factors contributing to their success also. In sharp contrast, the tabloid market in India (so far) is still unevolved and the fact is pretty obvious if you just zoom into the miniscule number of tabloids in the country. “You find a lot of niche magazines in the country, but not tabloids. While if you look at the West, there are even tabloids on niche subjects,” says Anita Nayyar, CEO, MPG India. “In India, television media has been known for tabloid journalism and sensational news and that’s one of the key reasons why tabloids have not been that popular in the country,” says columnist Sevanthi Ninan.
However, Mumbai is an exception to that. Tabloids are a success in Mumbai and its clearly reflected in the popularity of Mid Day in the city. Apart from Mid Day, there are other tabloids in the tinsel town like Vashi Times, Twin City, Newsband, 21st Century Commercial, though none of these is anywhere near the popularity ratings of Mid Day. The Mumbai Mirror is also fairly popular, but is positioned as a newspaper in compact form, as opposed to a tabloid.
On the contrary, tabloids had not been a popular concept in the national capital of Delhi, until recently. Last year, two major tabloids burst into the psyche of the national capital. The first one ‘Metro Now’ created history in the sense that the two arch rivals of the print industry, Times of India and Hindustan Times, joined hands to taste the tabloid market of Delhi. Then came Mail Today, a collaboration between India Today group and British group Associated Newspapers (which owns Daily Mail). “I find Mail Today as an interesting tabloid and I think it will pick up with Delhites, once the metro network in the capital city is completed,” offers Sevanthi. For now, the state government and DMRC is leaving no stone unturned to improve public transport in Delhi, after which the market for tabloids will become better, as they are traditionally read while travelling. Agrees Ravi Dhariwal, Executive Director, Times Of India, “The tabloid market is growing and will only get better with a strong public transport system.”
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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008
An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative
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