NEW DELHI: Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation is expected to enter the print media scene in India some time around March-April, 2007.
The focus will be on entertainment and not news and current affairs, it is learnt. While the group is likely to begin its print foray in India by publishing a magazine on the television industry and programming guide, it may look at launching a bouquet of magazines also.
News Corp is the largest shareholder in Gemstar-TV Guide International, which is the world’s leading provider of interactive programming guides, and TV Guide magazines.
A Star India official confirmed to DNA Money that News Corp has plans to enter the print media in the country. But, according to him, the format and timing of the launch are yet to be finalised. The business development group in the company is working on the plan to foray into print media in India.
Star is a wholly owned subsidiary of News Corp. The group also publishes magazines on interiors, food, lifestyle, shopping and general entertainment. Launching entertainment and non-news journals makes sense for News Corp in India because there are no FDI restrictions in this segment, as against news.
In the case of newspapers or news-based journals, FDI is capped at 26%.
Of late, there has been a lot of activity around niche magazines in the non-news segment. UK’s BBC and India’s Living Media are among the major players launching such magazines in the country.
