2017 in Review: Time for introspection & re-alignment for print: Kamal Krishnan PS

Kamal Krishnan PS, National Head – Media Solutions (Print), Mathrubhumi Printing And Publishing Company Ltd, analyses the developments in the country’s print industry in 2017 and the factors that continue to keep the sector buoyant. 

The year 2017 was a mixed bag for the print industry. The digital ecosystem penetrated further into people’s day to day lives and opened up new avenues of consumption and revenue. It was also time for introspection and re-alignment for many parts of the industry. For the print industry, language and regional newspapers are driving growth in readership and advertising revenue. 

However, it’s a fact that the advertising industry is moving cautiously in the wake of new economic developments. Media organisations in India have realised this fact and are taking various efforts to circumvent the situation, one of it being integrated and solution based approach to communication. Our Integrated media solutions have been successfully utilised by advertisers during the festival period, which gave us adequate growth across verticals. 

Print has been a testament to the importance of small town and rural markets. Amidst the competition from digital media, the Indian print industry stands strong (unlike its western counterparts) on the back of growing demand from regional markets. India is also among the world’s fastest growing newspaper markets. 

The growing concern across the globe about fake news and content will only re-establish the relevance and credibility of the print medium, therefore the growth will continue in India.