Indian Newspaper Scene

DB Corp Ltd, the publisher of Dainik Bhaskar, will launch a Hindi business paper by the end of July, the Mint newspaper has reported. Executives told the newspaper that while a formal date for the launch has not been fixed, the paper, to be called Bhaskar Business, will launch in all the strong markets of the Dainik Bhaskar and will likely have 10-15 editions. Yatish Rajawat, a former associate...

Pearson PLC, the publisher of Financial Times newspaper, is planning to start a new daily business newspaper in India with local partner Network 18 Media & Investments Ltd, which controls India's largest business news television channel, CNBC-TV18, the Wall Street Journal has reported. Pearson is looking to boost its profile in India's growing media market, according to a person familiar with its...

Financial Times owner Pearson has sold its 13.85 per cent stake in India's daily business newspaper Business Standard, according to the Guardian. Pearson has decided to give up its shares in the newspaper four years after it became the first foreign company to make a major investment in an Indian business title. The two papers had collaborated for more than a decade before Pearson bought the stake...

Shareholders of Kasturi and Sons Ltd, the publisher of the Hindu newspaper, are believed to be in talks with Australia’s Fairfax Media Ltd for a possible sale of a minority stake in the Chennai-based company, a first for the 130-year-old, family-owned group, says a report in Mint. Some details: The financial details of Kasturi and Sons could not be obtained as it is an unlisted and closely held...

Kasturi and Sons Ltd are believed to be in talks to sell a minority stake to Australia's Fairfax Media Ltd, the Mint paper said on Wednesday, citing sources close to the Indian firm. The paper cited sources close to Kasturi shareholders as saying discussions were on to sell a stake. Under Indian law, the maximum foreign holding permissible is a stake of up to 26 percent. The family-owned Indian...

The National Herald founded 70 years ago by India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru on Tuesday published its last editorial as it "temporarily suspended" operations, acording to Indo-Asian News Service (IANS). The Congress party, which finances the paper, is reportedly considering the feasibility of relaunching the newspaper with modern technology. The editorial department of the English...

Financial Times is ending its 15-year relationship with the Business Standard, says a report in Mint. BS will retain the right to use the FT brand as well as content through at least 2008. As of now, FT is closing an online content deal with Network 18 Media and Investments Ltd, the diversified media conglomerate, which, through its TV18 India Ltd, runs CNBC TV18 as well as Moneycontrol.com...

Deccan Chronicle Holdings Ltd, publisher of Deccan Chronicle and majority owner of Asian Age Holdings, which publishes the Asian Age, and MJ Akbar, editor-in-chief of both dailies, are parting ways, Mint has reported quoting anonymous sources. There have been ongoing disagreements between Akbar and Deccan Chronicle over the terms of stake dilution in Asian Age Holdings. Deccan Chronicle increased...

Newspapers are now fighting it out over the Hindi news space. Mint has an exclusive report on the scene: The list of companies includes Bennett, Coleman and Co. Ltd (BCCL), Business Standard Ltd, Amar Ujala and Jagran Prakashan Ltd and Television18 India Ltd (the last two have partnered to launch a local language business daily). Numbers show the vernacular business news market is underserved...

Kasturi & Sons has launched Ergo, a free daily, in Chennai, says a Mint report. Some backgrounders: Ergo, a 16-page, all-colour tabloid, is India’s first free daily from a large media house. Free newspapers try to recover all their costs—of publishing and distribution—from advertising. Globally, such free newspapers are now published in at least 52 countries. While Ergo is the newest offering, the...