The Kerala market for the English dailies looks clean and uncluttered, even as The Hindu dominates the market. The news of The Times of India entering the market with Mathrubhumi has set the market abuzz. The New Indian Express is the second largest English daily (in terms of AIR numbers) in Kerala.
The Hindu is the most read English daily in Kerala with an Average Issue Readership (AIR) of 340,000 in IRS Q3 2010. The paper has seen a decline of 9.57 per cent over the Q2 AIR of 376,000. At No. 2 is The New Indian Express, which, too, has seen a decline in AIR – from 208,000 in Q2 to 201,000 in this quarter, a fall of 3.37 per cent.
On the other hand, Hindu Business Line at No. 3 has seen a growth of 9.09 per cent in its AIR at 24,000 in Q3. The Economic Times and Business Standard are placed at No. 4 and No. 5 spots, respectively. However, The Economic Times seen a drop of 10.05 per cent in its AIR – from 21,000 in Q2 to 17,000 in this quarter. Business Standard’s AIR stands at 2,000 in the current quarter.
The Times of India’s entry in this market in alliance with Mathrubhumi is expected to change things quite a bit and could definitely affect a few of the existing players in the market. Mathrubhumi is the second largest (all language) daily in Kerala in terms of AIR. It is learnt that The Times of India could have access to their distribution and printing facilities.
Kerala is a market which seems very promising for the print industry as it has the highest literacy rate in India. The industry will keep a keen eye on The Times of India’s entry here.
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TOI to enter Kerala; alliance with Mathrubhumi on the cards
