Deputy Editor & Chief of Bureau Business Line, Kolkata Part I
News Media in doldrums
Overview of global and Indian media scene from business perspective News Media in doltrums Print Media the grand old man of media. Storehouse of journalistic abilities. But now in crisis. TV Media In the late middle ages. But suffering from early ageing. Web The new kid on the block. Holds promise. Future uncertain.
Global print media ailing All legendary print media including Newsweek, Time, Guardian, NYT, FT winding up editions. To go entirely on web. Consistent drop in reading habits. Lack of interest to pay for high cost content and fall in advertisement revenue are culprits. Getting lower share of advt compared to TV India print media scene1 India has larger number of readers than in the West. Readers are acquired at a cover price lower than Bangladesh and Pakistan. The dependence on advt has gone up from 50- 60 % to 80-90% in last two decades. Economic slowdown impacted advt market Media ethics & Independence of media at stake in tight advt market.
Indian print media 2 Quality conscious English media, who were investing in journalists, worst hit. Financial media burn cash. Times Group an exception.
Mixed scene in vernacular print Extremely crowded market. Invests little on journalists. Ethical standards are questionable. Stock market says some Hindi newspapers Like Dainik Bhaskar and Jagran are making big money. Not an encouraging picture.
TV under pressure Big daddy of spot reporting. Eats more cash than print. Globally facing competition from web based citizens journalism. Stalwarts like CNN, BBC under pressure. Merging with web. Sports channels make huge money. In India most news channels burn cash.
Web - only promise Can emerge as a merged entity of both print and TV Print may cut the entire cost of ink and paper and delivery cost of paper. But globally no one no one makes money from digital ventures. Same story as e-commerce. Everyone is going for it. But no one struck gold.
Top losers in India In June NDTV made first profit in last five quarters. Net margin 2.2 %. TV-18. Has many products. Huge loss in Q1 (including one time settlements) HT media Q1. Top line dropped in election season. June NPM 5.5%. Print and Radio. The Hindu made a loss in Q1. English and Tamil print media. Top gainers in India Times of India Group. Many products. Burning money on TV. No clarity on news operations. PAT up by 30% in 2013-12. NPM 14.64 % Dainik Bhaskar (Hindi print and Radio) Net increased by 30% 2013-14. June NPM 16.20 % Jagran (Hindi print) 11 per cent drop in Net to Rs 226 crore in 2013-14. June NPM 13.5
Analysts view National print Low growth in advertisement market due to poor economic growth. Not enough meat for everyone. Times having control over 50 per cent of national print market and wide product basket, elbowing everyone out. Radio and equity swap deals are profit churners.
Analysts view on Hindi Major growth in readership in vernacular due to literacy. Attracting advt for its wide reach in the cow-belt. Advt rates firming up. Offers low wages Compromises on print quality. Uses local newsprint.
Many doubts Can news be so profitable? That too in a overall tight advertisement scenario? India may have to wait for the real story. Part-II
Real threats for media: Journalism is pass. Conventions behind media business -1 Built on social democratic ideals that is tolerant to criticism for greater social benefit. Govt expected to protect journalists from the backlash of interest groups and ensure fearless dissemination of information. Media barons largely had a principled view. Didnt look at it purely for making money. Indian Express paid a heavy price for opposing the Emergency. Great institutions were created worldwide.
Conventions behind media business -2 Journalists are most valuable resource. He should work independent of the revenue interests of the paper. BBC was a critic of the British government even though its was financed by the government
The fall of Berlin wall Weakening of Institutions Democratic West no more takes a high moral stand against Totalitarian or autocratic governments in the East. There are strong campaigns to shun democracy for economic growth. RoI is sacrosanct.
End of top Western institutions From cheque book journalism to embedded journalism America is fast becoming a journalist-free country. Top European Institutions getting weak and aligning with power - be it capital or politics. Reuters is now a signboard. BBC lost its teeth. Journalists hounded. The Economist stands out. Alarm in Indian newsrooms Shrinking newsrooms. Declining ability. Media mushroomed. Journalism suffered. Increasing grip of crony capitalism. Bias in news selection. Capital and politics wants media to serve vested Interests. Part-III
Everything is not over yet Some are still holding on Some old media houses are yet to give in to the market pressure. The Hindu group CEO does not have say on Editorial policy. The Hindu Business Line made a slender profit in FY14. Everyone is looking forward to web as game changer. Web a saviour? In five years many papers, especially pink papers will be predominantly web-based. It will save cost of ink & paper, delivery costs and, revenue share with trade. Should get direct access to readers anywhere in the world. Will offer both print an audio experience to subscriber. May reduce dependence on advt.
The big question? Are there readers for serious content. Journalists hate pg-3 news. But they sale most. The rich-poor gap is increasing. Nouveau riche shows little interest in non-lifestyle stories. Stories on jeans outlandish colours are get more eyeballs.
Protect good media Good media is essential for better living No independent, credible source of info will put business decisions at risk. Tata and Reliance burnt fingers at Singur and Raigad for ignoring ground reality. The world is ever changing but, values are eternal. Read more