Market
The print media explosion in India that took place in the post-1977 era
largely evolved around one product: INDIA TODAY – a newsmagazine that was
a trailblazer in myriad ways. It not only established the standard for
others to emulate but also became synonymous with high quality journalism,
from the writing style to design, range of coverage and above all, credibility.
In 1977, there was only one General Interest English Magazine (GIEM), the
now defunct Illustrated Weekly. Today, the plethora of GIEM’s is testimony
to the revolution that INDIA TODAY pioneered. The GIEM market in India
currently stands at 920,382 copies (Source: Audit Bureau of Circulation,
January to June 2003). INDIA TODAY with a circulation of 465,300 copies
(Source: Audit Bureau of Circulation,January to June 2003) commands a market
share of 51.8% making it the leading newsmagazine in the country. No wonder
over 12.26 million people rely on INDIA TODAY every week for its coverage
and its analysis of news (NRS 2003).
Since its launch in December 1975, INDIA TODAY has kept pace with changing
trends in magazine design and printing technology to retain its contemporary
look without compromising on the quality and credibility of the editorial
product.
Achievements
The Emergency declared by Mrs. Indira Gandhi’s government in 1975 curtailed
the freedom of the press and left its population deprived of basic information.
Ironically, this served as a trigger for a revolution in the Indian media
business. The lifting of the emergency in
1977 led to millions of people being desperate for news and information on the nineteen months emergency. It was a market that INDIA TODAY was ideally placed to serve. The magazine became a great source of information of events that took place during the emergency and what followed. INDIA TODAY rode this wave. It wrote extensively and exclusively on the hidden aspects of the emergency. The succession of exposes and investigative stories provided the platform for INDIA TODAY to really take off. It created a new kind of journalism and the circulation of the magazine zoomed.
During this period, the climb in circulation was boosted by other innovations. One was
when
two relatively unknown economists walked into the INDIA TODAY office and claimed that they could predict the outcome of the 1980 general elections. Aroon Purie took the chance and INDIA TODAY was the first magazine to use psephology to predict that Indira Gandhi would come back to power. The predictions came true and INDIA TODAY established itself as a leading voice in the Indian media space.
The 1980s were an era of middle class boom, the beginning of economic liberalisation, and the rise of terrorism. These were also the growth years for INDIA TODAY. In this decade, the circulation of INDIA TODAY, English, grew from 135,000 copies to 360,000 copies per issue. Another landmark issue was the November 17, 1997 issue of INDIA TODAY where the magazine was one of the first media publications to disclose the Jain Commission report on Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination. It eventually led to the fall of the I.K. Gujral government, resulting in the
1998 Lok Sabha elections.
History
INDIA TODAY is the vision of its founder, Aroon Purie. Its spectacular rise is an interesting story that punctuates several milestones in media history. Purie had virtually no experience in journalism but he created a new brand of journalism. He was not bound by precedent and followed a simple
philosophy which has since infused the Group – invest in editorial excellence and the rest will follow. His passion for editorial excellence, no doubt helped by his education, was backed by a strong business sense. He has a degree from the prestigious London School of Economics and Fellowship from the Institute of Chartered Accountants (England and Wales).
Product
INDIA TODAY, 29 years after its launch, remains the nation’s largest and most influential newsmagazine. In that time, it has continued to innovate, set new standards and effectively capture the mood of the nation. Over 12.26 million readers rely on INDIA TODAY for an accurate picture of India every week, from national politics, sports and entertainment to human-interest stories. The success of INDIA TODAY in English led to editions in major regional languages, welding national news with local issues. INDIA TODAY’s four language editions: Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam, deliver news with the same credibility, incisiveness and authority that is the hallmark of INDIA TODAY. The diaspora’s need for credible information about India led to the launch of four international editions – North America, the UK, Gulf and International.
Market research is used extensively to keep in touch with reader’s views at a national level. Apart from regular bi-annual Mood-of-the-Nation polls that survey respondents across the country on a range of issues, INDIA TODAY has commissioned a leading market research company to form focus groups and elicit their responses every week. This exercise helps track readers’ views on the magazines’ coverage of events in comparison to other newsmagazines.
The magazine’s leadership is unquestioned. Indeed, INDIA TODAY is what Indian journalism is judged by, for integrity and ability
