Manorama launches Gulf version of online portal

Malayala Manorama, India's third largest newspaper with sales of more than 1.7 million copies per day, and founded over a century ago, is charting its growth plan.

Globally, while newspapers are struggling or even closing shop because of competition from internet, the Manorama Group has launched a Gulf version of Manoramaonline. com, Gulf Manorama.

The online edition receives up to a billion page views per month and the group is using the digital route to expand its business in the UAE.

Mariam Mammen Mathew, Chief Operating Officer of Manorama Online, told the newspaper's strategy to Emirates Business.

Could you give us an overview of the Group's activities?

The Malayala Manorama Group is one of India's largest media houses. With a tradition of more than 120 years, the Malayala Manorama newspaper is India's largest read and circulated regional language newspaper with 1.7 million copies per day and 17 editions across India and the Arabian Gulf.

The group brings out a wide range of magazines, reaching audiences of all age groups and sections of the society. Manorama News, the Malayalam news channel, is the first to have a dedicated beam for the Middle East. The Week, an English magazine title from the Group, is India's largest general interest news magazine with a weekly circulation of 213,191 copies. Our women's magazine, Vanitha, is India's largest circulated women's fortnightly and has a huge demand in the region. Manorama Online is the most popular Indian website in the region, as per Effective Measure, the online audience measurement system.

How is the digital revolution affecting conventional business models?

Recognising the changing media landscape, Manorama Online has been built as a platform for the group to deliver almost all of its content to a global audience. Most leading publications such as the Malayala Manorama newspaper, The Week and Manorama Weekly are already online, and many more are in the pipeline.

The digital revolution is helping us add on new audiences to the reach we already have through our print and television platforms. Instead of substituting them, online is supplementing the user experience by adding interactivity and a feedback system to the communication. Manomaonline.com is one of the most popular Indian websites in the GCC and the site receives about 600 million page views in a month, and during peak times such as a national election or a calamity, the number reaches one billion page views a month.

Internet, blogs and citizen journalism are threatening the survival of established newspaper houses all over the world. How is the digital revolution affecting your group?

Instead of viewing blogs and citizen journalism as a threat, Manorama Online has leveraged the democratisation of the web and content to strengthen its presence by opening up and harnessing the power of communities.

We have developed our own blogging platforms, empowering users to contribute news and happenings that matters to them. This has not only enhanced their engagement levels with us, but has helped us build a strong community which expands our reach beyond staff reporters and traditional styles of news gathering.

Was there a decline in the growth of circulation figures? Is the new focus on the online edition a strategy to establish and retain market leadership in the growing online market? Are you able to generate money from the internet editions?

The Indian print market has been growing steadily, the current global slowdown notwithstanding. Malayala Manorama has consistently been among the largest gainers in circulation over the recent years, and we don't see the trend changing. Manorama Online has always been a pioneer in the internet space since its launch in 1995.

The strategy is not to migrate print readership online, but rather supplement the content delivery with multimedia options which is where the web stands out.

All our sites are inherently interactive, and this helps us make our bonds with our readers even stronger. Manorama Online has always been operated as a separate division with revenue and profitability targets, and we have done well. We hope to continue building on the success through our new projects like Gulf Manorama.

What will be the focus of Gulf Manorama online? Are you planning to add more print editions in the Gulf? And how will the online edition help expand your business here?

Our strategy is to supplement our print editions with the reach of the web in the Middle East. Gulf Manorama will enable us to focus more on the region, delivering more local news – both in the Gulf and back home in Kerala. News from the GCC will be covered in more detail.

Due to the recession, advertisement spending by regular advertisers has come down, forcing newspaper houses to reduce the number of pages and staff. Have your publications been affected?

Not really. We are upbeat about the mood in the Gulf market, and the launch of a Gulf edition is proof of that.

Globally, a large amount of advertising, including classifieds, are shifting to the internet. Are you seeing a similar trend in India?

Helloaddress.com is the real estate portal from Manorama Online, focusing exclusively on the property market. We have had a tremendous response to the launch, considering the fact that the previous year was not a good year for real estate industry as a whole. M4marry.com is a matrimony website, focusing on the Kerala market currently. Similarly, ManoramaHorizon.com is our education portal and fasttrackworld. com the automotive portal.

The number of mobile phone users is increasing and many newspapers are planning mobile newspapers. Are you planning any such initiative?

We were among the first publishers in the world to partner with Nokia in 2007 and deliver local language news content to mobile phones. Soon after, we launched mobile applications that support most handset manufacturers, and currently we are partnered with Newshunt, which delivers Malayalam content on a wide range of mobile phones.

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