Deccan Chronicle launches the Kochi edition, its first one in the state of Kerala

By Sumantha Rathore, af aqs!, New Delhi, March 21, 2011 Section: News Category : Media Publishing

T h e Koch i edit ion w a s la u n ch ed on Ma r ch 1 8 .

Deccan Chronicle, the south-based English daily , is getting ready to take on The Times of India (TOI) head on in Kerala. In order to strengthen its f ooting bef ore the TOI takes of f in the state, it has launched its f irst edition f rom Kochi, with an initial print order of 25,000 copies. The English daily bears a cov er price of Rs 2.50.

Talking to af aqs!, Amit Shukla, chief executiv e of f icer, Deccan Chronicle, say s, "We expect robust adv ertising rev enues f or this edition, both f rom local, as well as national adv ertisers in Kochi." He adds that though the total size of adv ertising rev enue f or English newspapers in Kochi is not v ery large as of now, the company hopes that it will grow with the increasing competition in the state. To promote the edition, the group distributed f ree sample copies f or a period of three day s. Once the three-day period f rom the launch date is ov er, readers need to conf irm the subscription at regular rates of Rs 2.50 per copy to continue receiv ing the newspaper. Value f or money packages f or adv ertisers is also being deploy ed to enable trial adv ertising. "Af ter that, when an adv ertiser likes the business results f rom the adv ertising, they could commit serious money . That will probably be as true of Kochi as it has been in the other markets," say s Shukla. He adds that Deccan Chronicle's entry into Kerala will help expand the total pie of English newspapers there. The newly launched edition will carry the usual supplements such as a daily city tabloid, and the TV and Entertainment Guide on Saturday s, apart f rom the Sunday Chronicle, which will be distributed in Kochi. Deccan Chronicle targets the same group as the TOI - people who know English and hav e y oung minds, of any chronological age or gender. When asked if the latest launch is part of Deccan Chronicle's strategy to strengthen the brand's f ooting in order to tackle competition f rom the TOI in the South, Shukla say s, "Competition is inev itable and healthy in a f ree market and it will alway s be there. Classically , the way to retain leadership and grow as a leader is to keep y our f ocus on the readers and help towards the growth of the market, leav ing it to the other play ers to keep their f ocus on attacking y ou or adopting guerrilla tactics, depending on what they decide is appropriate f or their size. This is broadly true of the newspaper space as well." Major stories ov er the last 30 day s 2011 af aqs!