Bhaskar launches lifestyle mag

MEDIA

Hindi newspaper group Dainik Bhaskar has made its entry into the magazine business. The group has floated a new company, New Era Publications, for the puspose. The monthly called Aha! Zindagi has hit the stands and is priced at Rs 15.

"Aha! Zindagi is a lifestyle magazine targeted at the Hindi speaking middle and upper middle class," says Girish Agarwal, director, marketing, Dainik Bhaskar.

The Hindi readers, especially men, have a limited choice in magazines. "The option is limited to political or women's magazines," he says.

With the help of the new magazine, the group also expects to penetrate markets where the Bhaskar brand is not present. "This would include Delhi, Mumbai and the major metros in the south," adds Agarwal.

He admits that the recent readership surveys have indicated a decline in magazine readership. "But we saw a clear niche we could occupy," he says.

The group is also ready to bear the initial losses in the venture which is expected to be in the range of Rs 2 crore for the first year. Bhaskar will use its existing newspaper network to distribute the magazine.

Aha! Zindagi will target a range of advertisers from airlines companies to consumer durables and FMCG manufacturers. New Era Publication also has a book on the film Mughal-e-Azam in the pipeline.

Recently, the Bhaskar group also acquired Saurashtra Samachar, a small Gujarati newspaper published for the Saurashtra region for Rs 7 crore. "The positive vibes of the brand made us acquire the newspaper," explains Agarwal.

The product also fits in with the company's strategy to establish itself in Gujarat where it launched a Gujarati newspaper, Divya Bhaskar, last year. Bhaskar will pump in Rs 3 crore in Saurashtra Samachar to improve circulation.

According to Agarwal the new initiatives will help add to its its Rs 300 crore advertising revnue.