By A Correspondent
In a show of strength, captains of the print media and members of the advertising and marketing sectors have got together to evangelise the print media.
Their view: Yes, television exists and digital is growing rapidly, but print is growing fast too.
Gathered in a central Mumbai hotel, under the aegis of the Audiot Bureau of Circulations, a near-70-year-old organisation that certifies circulation figures of member publications twice a year. The trend of certified circulation figures by ABC show that the print medium (member publications of ABC) is thriving, growing and expanding in India inspite of stiff competition from all other mediums namely, Television, Radio and Digital, notes the ABC.
As on date, ABC certifies 910 Daily and Weekly Newspapers, 57 Magazines and Annuals. Other members of the ABC include media and ad agencies, print media advertisers, government organisations and the DAVP. The total number of ABC members is 967.
Few reasons why print publications are growing in circulation:-
:: Impact of education – Growth in literacy and education have created substantial 
headroom for growth of newspapers.
:: Advantage of India’s Economic growth – It is believed that the growth of newspapers in India is directly related to urbanisation leading to higher aspirations, heightened interest in buying assets etc.
:: Reading newspaper a part of daily routine combines well with ease of reading at your own time.
:: Easily accessible and available at home – newspapers are home delivered in India, unlike in the West
:: Competitive pricing – newspapers are the cheapest source of news.
::Customised sections and pull outs cater to various segments of readers together 
with localized content.
:: Power of the written word – Newspapers have continued their strong traditions over the years to provide accurate and reliable news to their readers.
As compared to the world print market, India is one of the brightest spots in the print media: India one of the few countries where print advertising revenue is growing,India’s paid-for daily circulation is growing whilst most other countries are declining, Number of paid-for titles in India highest in the world and growing while number of titles in other countries declining
Print is growing at an incredible 4.87% increase in CAGR over a 10-year period. As many as 2.37 crore copies were added in the last 10 years accompanied by an increase of 251 publishing centres. Largely regional language newspapers have contributed to the growth, we were informed.
Leading the presentation made by ABC was Shashi Sinha, CEO, IPG Mediabrands, India. While highlighting the above along with Girish Agarwal, Director, Dainik Bhaskar group, he quoted KPMG India figures to show that in terms of advertising revenues, print is thriving (see table above).
Print is Growing Presentation
