Nai Dunia explores new markets

MEDIA The Indore-based daily is venturing out of MP to tap the entire Hindi-speaking belt.

Indore-based general Hindi daily Nai Dunia is turning the heat on in the Hindi newspaper market. In about six months, Hindi language newspaper readers are likely to find the paper in Delhi, western UP and Rajasthan.

The company's director, Vinay Chhajlani, is cagey about naming the states that are on Nai Dunia's list but adds: "We are in an aggressive mode and ready to venture outside Madhya Pradesh."

To be sure, in the last one year, the daily has launched editions in Bilaspur and Raipur in Chattisgarh, and Gwalior and Jabalpur in MP. Come March and the company, Nai Dunia News & Network Private Ltd, will re-launch its Bhopal edition in a big way. "We sell very little. But in a year's time I am looking at touching one lakh copies," says Chhajlani.

Unfortunately though, in Bhopal, his newspaper is published as Rajya Ki Nai Dunia for the last eight years, following a split with the partner that co-owned the paper. The Tiwaris own the Nai Dunia title in Bhopal which prints a few thousand copies. But Chhajlani isn't ruffled.

"We will sail through and are aiming for the number two slot in the city after Dainik Bhaskar," he adds.

The company went into an expansion drive when Vinay Chhajlani mopped up shares from the Sethias, Nai Dunia's partners in Indore, to become the largest shareholder in the newspaper. Chhajlani, who was focusing on the company's Internet business "" Webdunia "" for the last many years turned his attention to the newspaper business when he discovered that the daily was losing out to rivals even on its home turf.

"For Nai Dunia it was expand or perish. We were already number two in Indore after Bhaskar came, and we were slipping to the number three position after Dainik Jagran launched. In print media, it does not make sense to be the number three in any market," he feels.

Chhajlani fought back and protected his home turf by offering an invitation price of Rs 1. In the last six months, Nai Dunia's circulation has moved up from 50,000 copies to 1.20 lakh copies in the city.

Of course, there is a cost to this expansion. The company is in a cash loss situation as it is putting up printing facilities at five locations. "Creating a new location involves a capex of around Rs 100 million. Then each edition incurs operational expenses until the ad revenue ramps up," he admits.

But growth was imperative as advertisers are now looking to buy not only one state as a territory but multiple states.

Between MP and Chattisgarh, print media generates Rs 250 crore in advertising. Obviously, Nai Dunia is eyeing a share in the pie that's growing at 20 per cent a year.

Print media consultant AS Raghunath says Nai Dunia is ramping up circulation numbers as well as editions. "It is a paper to watch out for as it is suddenly going all out to grow its market share," he says.