Dainik Bhaskar is an Indian Hindi-language daily newspaper that is now the largest circulated daily newspaper of India (Audit Bureau of Circulations). It is owned by Dainik Bhaskar Group (D B Corp Ltd.), the largest Print Media Company of India. Started in Bhopal in 1958, it expanded in 1983 with the launch of Dainik Bhaskar's Indore edition. Today, Dainik Bhaskar is present in 12 Hindi speaking states with 40 editions.

Dainik Bhaskar was declared the world's 4th largest circulated daily newspaper in 2013-14. D B Corp Ltd. is engaged in printing and publication of Newspaper in four languages across 14 states, in Radio Business with "My FM" Radio station in 7 states and 17 cities along with strong web presence in India. Only media house to enjoy leadership at multiple states, in multiple languages and with well diversified readership.'DainikBhaskar', the flagship Newspaper brand is established since 1958.

History

Dainik Bhaskar was launched in 1956 to fulfill the need for a Hindi language daily newspaper. It was originally launched under the name Subah Savere in Bhopal and Good Morning India in Gwalior. In 1957 the paper was renamed Bhaskar Samachar.

In 1958, it was renamed "Dainik Bhaskar," meaning "Rising Sun." This, along with its rising sun graphic, was meant to represent a bright future.

Vision:To be the largest and most admired media brand enabling socio-economic change.

Values:Credibility & Integrity; Innovative & Entrepreneurial; Respect & Appreciation

Coverage 49% of Indian urban Population resides in D B Corp Market across 14 states .Our Hindi daily Dainik Bhaskar is present in 12 states with 40 editions. Our Gujarati Newspaper Divya Bhaskar is present in Gujarat and Maharashtra with 7 editions. Our Marathi Newspaper Divya Marathi is present in Maharashtra with 7 editions. We also have presence in English Daily through franchisee model of DNA.

Consistency & Growth

14 States 40 editions of DainikBhaskar (Hindi Daily) 7 editions of Divya Bhaskar (Gujarati Daily) 7 editions of Divya Marathi (Marathi daily)

Company Profile

The Tier II and Tier III cities in India are growing at a much faster space compared to metros. It will not be out of place to mention that the growth of Indian economy is largely supported by the growth in these markets.

DB Corp Ltd firmly believes in this growth and have been working along with it and focusing on all such markets which we call as "The Real Indian".

D B Corp Ltd. is present in 12 states in Hindi Market. Besides we are also present in 2 states in Gujarati language in Gujarat and Maharashtra and in 1 state in Marathi language in Maharashtra.

D B Corp is the only Newspaper Group which has presence in 14 states, in 4 different languages namely Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi and English.

D B Corp Ltd. is one of the largest print media company in India , publishing 40 editions of Dainik Bhaskar Newspaper ( Hindi daily), 7 editions of Divya Bhaskar Newspaper ( Gujarati Daily) & 7 editions of Divya Marathi Newspaper ( Marathi Daily) and 206 sub-editions in four languages (Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi and English) in 14 states in India.

(Our flagship newspapers,Dainik Bhaskar(in Hindi), Divya Bhaskar and Saurashtra Samachar,(in Gujarati) and Divya Marathi (In

Marathi) have a combined average daily readership of 19.8 million readers.

D B Corp Limited recently extended its presence to 14th state launch of its 37th edition of Dainik Bhaskar (its Hindi Daily Newspaper) from Patna, Bihar on 19th January, 2014 . Beside, in last 2 Years DB Corp has launched 6 more editions from Nasik, Jalgaon, Ahmednagar, Solapur, Akola and Amravati of its Marathi newspaper Divya Marathi, increasing its strength to 7 editions in Maharashtra.

D B Corp Limited has further extended its presence in Bihar with the launch of 3 main editions namely Bhagalpur, Gaya and Muzzaffarpur along with 7 district editions namely Hajipur, Purnea, Biharsharif / Nalanda, Arrah, Chhapra, Samastipur and Darbhanga, thus spreading its complete presence in Bihar.

Due to our unique launch ability, we became no.1 from the date of our Launch in almost all places, out placing the decades old local newspaper of that place.

Warburg Pincus, one of the leading Private Equity Investors, acquired 7.14% stake in our Company in 2006 which establishes & certifies our Corporate Governance norms & practices which further got boost & strengthened through continuance since last 5 years starting from December 2006, the presence of nominee director from Warburg Pincus on D B Corp Board.

Our Flag Ship Hindi Paper "Dainik Bhaskar" is present in 12 states with 40 editions Our Marathi language newspaper, Divya Marathi, which has begun its journey on May 29, 2011 from Aurangabad is present in 1 state with 7 editions Besides the above brands, D B Corp Ltd. also Publishes English Newspaper "DNA" on a Franchisee basis from Ahmedabad & Jaipur.

Further, It also Publishes Compact Newspaper "DB Star" from Bhopal, Indore, Gwalior, Raipur and Jodhpur.

D B Corp Ltd. also publishes Largest Daily Newspaper of Saurashtra " Saurashtra Samachar".

Advertisement Revenue & PAT Revenue 7 years

CAGR

Infrastructure

Only language paper in India having installed high techno quality KBA machines from Germany capable of printing 72 pages all color with 255000 copies per hour

52 state of art printing plant spread across 14 states 25 Premium editions in various state with full color capacity Overall color printing capability of 85% across all plants

Milestone

January 20, 2016

Dainik Bhaskar is World’s 4th largest Circulated Newspaper

August 8, 2015

Dainik Bhaskar Announces successful launch of Dainik Bhaskar Newspaper from Muzaffarpur Edition

 August 4, 2015

Dainik Bhaskar Announces successful launch of Dainik Bhaskar Newspaper from Gaya Edition

July 27, 2015

Dainik Bhaskar Announces successful launch of Dainik Bhaskar Newspaper from Bhagalpur Edition.

AchievementsTo get readers to switch from one morning newspaper to another is an unenviable task for any ambitious publication house. Striving to become the second newspaper in a household is just as difficult. Yet, Dainik Bhaskar has achieved the seemingly impossible by decimating established leaders in their own home turf. For example, it entered Punjab in 2006 and by 2009 had already become collectively the number one newspaper in the three major cities of Amritsar, Ludhiana and Jallandhar. This achievement fetched Dainik Bhaskar the prestigious Gold APMA (Asian Publishing Management Award) for the Best Launch in Punjab. It has replicated this performance in Shimla and Ratlam where editions were launched as recently as 2008. Launches in Gujarat (2003) and Rajasthan (1996) have become the subject of case studies in prestigious institutions like the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad and the MudraInstitute of Mass Communication. The Gujarat edition won the coveted Marico Foundation Innovation award for Business Process in 2005. Business Bhaskar, the group's pioneering Hindi business daily, now the rage among business readers, provides region-specific information on commodity movement, government policies, the stock market, economy and city-level corporatedevelopments.

ProductDainik Bhaskar offers a complete package to its readers with carefully analysed information on the world, the nation, regions, local boroughs, business & commerce, the economy, lifestyle and glitz & glamour. The motto is to help the readers make the right choices based on information this newspaper offers.In a trend-setting move, Dainik Bhaskar produces a special daily supplement for women called Woman Bhaskar. Aimed at providing for the social identity needs of women, it was first tested in Indore in December 2007 and later replicated, with the same stunning success, in several other cities across Gujarat, Punjab and Rajasthan. City Bhaskar, with its contemporary layout and well-written features, infotainment and general news, was launched in major tier-II

towns for modern urban dwellers. Keeping the growth thrust going with anotherfirst, Dainik Bhaskar launched Market Buzz – a B2B business directory for Chhattisgarh, Indore, Ujjain and Ratlam.The product helps businessmen identify, locate and approach local businesses, traders, institutions and corporations.

PromotionAs a market leader, Dainik Bhaskar connects regularly with the media fraternity using the tactical communication route to present its strengths and benefits to advertisers. The recent successful campaigns from Bhaskar have been'Zidd Karo Duniya Badlo' (Insist on changing the world), 'All the A's are with us' and 'No Sharing'. In recognition of the outstanding success of its 'Zidd Karo…' campaign, Vdopia, the world's leading online video advertisement network named Dainik Bhaskar as the Star Advertiser of 2008. The promotion targeted the 25-40 year age group and was able to generate a clickthroughrate (CTR) of 3.50% – nearly eight times the industry average. In all its regions, Dainik Bhaskar attempts to actively position itself as the sole facilitator in various industry initiatives. Kritikar : Bhaskar Creative Awards, for instance is the company's way of promoting and encouraging regional creative excellenceof advertising agencies thus helping raise standards of publicity in these markets.

Dainik Bhaskar SWOT Analysis, USP & Competitors

SWOT Analysis of Dainik Bhaskar with USP, Competition, STP (Segmentation, Targeting, Positioning) - Marketing Analysis

Dainik Bhaskar

Parent Company D B Corp Ltd

Category Indian Hindi language daily newspaper

Sector Media and newspapers

Tagline/ Slogan Jidh karo , Duniya Badhlo

USP No. 1 Hindi daily in Madhya Pradesh

STP

Segment Hindi reading population

Target Group Young India

PositioningDainikBhaskar meant for those who are ready to face any obstacle to bring in a new change in the society

SWOT Analysis

Strengths

1. Business bhaskar is the largest hindi read business daily2. Bhaskar Bollywood awards is an innovative way of advertising the newspaper brand3. Strong network in nine states though in different languages to suit the local dialect4. Largest daily newspaper in Madhya pradesh

Weaknesses

1.Market share and readership lesser due to competition from english dailies2.Huge market to be captured in South India by suiting to the local needs

Opportunities

1.Adequate usage of online epaper to generate more revenue by promoting ads and other commercials2.Well-utilization of existing resources can increase the readership further3.Big opportunity exits in South India to be exploited

Threats

1.Cut-throat competition from other players in the industry2.Acquisitions not the only choice left for expansion as it may lead to not-so-synergetic firm3.Immediate need to reach to the No.1 position may lead to increase in expenses

Competition

Competitors

1.Dainik Jagran2.Hindustan Times3.Amar Ujala

Dainik Bhaskar: A success story

Whenever Dainik Bhaskar, a media group, enters a new market, it uses direct marketing to establish a leadership position from day one. Here is the story on the transformation that happened inside the organisation because of this strategy.

In 1996, when we began transforming our group into a customer centric organisation it was difficult for us to accept the fact that someone called the consumer exists and that he would henceforth have a greater influence in the way we publish the newspaper.

To cite an instance, during the launch of the Chandigarh edition of the Dainik Bhaskar, the pre-launch customer preference survey showed that readers in that area preferred a newspaper in Hinglish (the spoken language, a mixture of Hindi and English) to pure Hindi.

To gain popularity we had to adapt that language in the newspaper. So in this case the customers actually decided the language the edition would carry. This was a new experience for us, especially the journalists and editors, and had a huge impact on the organisation, its processes and its structure. Certain changes have now become a norm in our organisation.

Mind the gap

Involving the customer from the word go is a radical change in strategy, but we have adopted it across the Dainik Bhaskar group for all our projects. We realised that there is a gap between the entrepreneur's perception of the market requirements and the actual market needs. This gap may actually be quite minor and inconsequential from the management's view-point but it can make a huge difference in the way customers perceive the product. Bridging this gap then becomes essential to win customer trust.

In our case, instead of designing the newspaper and then hoping to generate sales, we involve the customers, collect their requirements, their suggestions and then design the project accordingly. This strategy has made the difference between success and failure in many instances.

Let me illustrate. When we planned to start our Chandigarh edition, we looked to buy a property in a suburb called Panchkula as it was economical and also suited our needs. But during the course of a conversation with a reader from Chandigarh, I came to know that if we wanted readers to perceive our paper to be as prestigious as the Tribune, we should operate from an imposing building in the centre of the town and not the outskirts. So this set us thinking, and in the

end, we invested in a Rs 3.5 crore (Rs 35 million) property in the city centre as against the Rs 50 lakh (Rs 5 million) we had actually planned. This extra investment ensured that people perceived us as a Chandigarh paper right from day one and not just as any other newspaper.

Pricing against the market

I strongly believe that the market is no one to set the prices. As entrepreneurs engaged in the day-to-day running of the organisation, only we know the pros and cons of what price the customers will accept for our product, of how much we can take and how much we cannot.

Pricing is ultimately the entrepreneur's decision based on the market affordability and the nature of his product. Take telecom rates as an example. An owner of a telecom company once told me that two and a half years ago, his company prepared a report, which said that if they priced below Rs X per minute the company will be doomed. Today even after selling at half that price the company is making three times more profit than what it was earning three years ago.

There will be times when you may want to introduce a premium product at a price point which the current market pricing will not accommodate. But if you are firm in saying that you want this price and are confident of it, you will definitely get it. In the newspaper industry, pricing plays a huge role, but we have realised that pricing is not a standalone element. Quality is as important in deter-mining success. Customers will never accept average quality; they want value addition in their product. They expect their rupee to go the extra mile and give them the best quality.

Flexibility is key

No system or plan is sacrosanct. Systems and plans are essential but they should be flexible enough to undergo a last minute change. Otherwise they become a bottleneck. This was an important lesson we learnt during the Ahmedabad launch. We had initially planned two city supplements for Ahmedabad as Ahmedabad is a city of 5mn readers. One edition would cover eastern Ahmedabad and the other the west, thereby providing more local news. So we planned our processes to accommodate two editions. But a reader survey revealed that though readers residing in the eastern suburb may not frequently travel to the west, they like to be up-to-date on happenings in the western part of the city and stay connected with their social circle residing there. Acceding to market demands we had to combine the editions and make the necessary changes in our systems.

Customer choice played a similar role in Chandigarh. Here we planned a feature based city supplement to our main paper. It was to be printed earlier than the main paper, saving costs. However, we discovered that customers preferred a news based supplement. We had to change our process and print it along with the main sheet. This called for a major process change and we had to reschedule our activities.

Nothing comes cheap

Haryana is just about six hours drive from Chandigarh. So when we conceived the Haryana project we planned to print the edition from Chandigarh. But much to our surprise, we discovered that readers in Haryana resented a paper printed from Chandigarh. There was a feeling that, "I am Haryana, I am Panipat, I am Karnal and why should Chandigarh play boss to me". So we had to change our plans: we infused fresh capital and set up two presses at Panipet and Hissar. The extra investment made in Chandigarh to feed Haryana was a setback. But we had to do it because the market demanded that. But in the end the success of the Haryana edition made it worthwhile.

Sometimes we have no option but to invest in extra infrastructure to get an edge over competition. In printing, editorial matter is laid out, color separated and printed on acetate sheets (called positives), which are then photosynthesised onto metal rollers, which are mounted on the printing presses.

We are now contemplating investing in the latest printing process where editorial material transfers straight from the computer to the plate, without going for positives. This saves about fifteen minutes time. To save those fifteen minutes for the customer we are contemplating a move, which involves changing the entire process.

But we have to do it; we just have no other choice, especially in our business where time is of the essence and we compete with a dynamic media like television. A normal household generally goes to sleep by 11 o'clock in the evening and any news between 11pm and the time we wake up will catch the customer's interest. So we have to continuously extend the time we can work, see until how late into the night we can cover events.

Ultimately it is your call

You can conduct a survey, get customer feedback, get advertisers' feedback, the works. But ultimately it is your decision. Your customer can say he wants X, Y and Z. But to what extent you want customer needs incorporated in your plan is up to you.

This is the biggest decision and it depends on the entrepreneur's or the marketer's skill. At times you may try to short change your customer based on your convenience. Sometimes you may be able to get away with it, but personally we do not think it is possible. You can put your foot down and say I will give in only this much to customer demands. Or you can take a call on your costing, growth and other needs and try and find a compromise.

And this decision differs from company to company. Some companies may say I will not let my profitability be affected. Some will take more risk and see how it works. Some will strive to achieve a balance. I will try to satisfy a part of the customer's demand. If the customer is asking 100 per cent, I shall give 50 per cent. That's a call that companies have to take.

There is no fixed formula and there cannot be also because it is so subjective, so dependent on human vagaries. In some markets a price cut works wonders and in others, it doesn't.

Recently in two of our markets the competition started a price war by slashing prices. In one market we also reduced the cover price and we doubled numbers but in the other one we grew the numbers without the price slash. It is not just luck. Broadly speaking luck is the environment around you. Earlier you may not have studied it properly. It all depends on the marketer's perception.

Articles on Dainik Baskar in Economic times

MY FM to hike ad rates by 25% from FebruaryJan 7, 2016, 12.36PM

MUMBAI: Dainik Bhaskar group's radio division 94.3 MY FM today said it will increase advertising rates across all its 17 stations by 25 per cent with effect from February 1.

The decision to hike rates has been taken to address the current inventory crunch, the company said in a statement.

Launched in 2006, MY FM is present in 17 Tier II and III cities across seven states.

"Our inventory has been peaking and increase in ad rates is the only way to balance, we want to deliver a good listening experience to the listeners and

better return on investment to our advertiser," 94.3 MY FM Chief Executive Officer Harish Bhatia said.

"Our markets are growing at an exponential pace and many smart advertisers have realised that radio is the most effective way of reaching out to the audiences," he added.

Radio is an integral part of all media plans and there is a huge potential for radio in the Indian pie to grow significantly to come closer to the global average of 8-9 per cent of media spends, the statement said.

Dainik Bhaskar launches Bhagalpur edition, its 39thJul 27, 2015, 09.57PM

MUMBAI: Media company DB Corp today said that it has launched a new edition of its flagship Dainik Bhaskar in Bhagalpur in Bihar.

"We have been studying the Bihar market for long. We are excited with the economic potential of Bhagalpur, the second prominent city in Bihar with the second highest urban population after Patna and a literacy level of 81 per cent," DB Corp managing director Sudhir Agarwal said in a statement.

he Dainik Bhaskar group publishes six newspapers with 39 editions in 14 states, the company said.

Over the next 20 days, Dainik Bhaskar is also set to launch two other main editions from Muzaffarpur and Gaya.

"Over the next few weeks we are set to complete our full roll-out in two other main editions and seven district editions to accomplish our Bihar foray which will make a strong impact on our ability to provide a much deeper reach to advertisers and readers," Agarwal said.

RBI halts further FII purchase of Dainik Bhaskar sharesFeb 11, 2014, 01.42AM

MUMBAI: Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) would not be allowed to buy further shares in media firm DB Corporation, widely known as Dainik Bhaskar Group, as foreign shareholding in the firm has reached trigger limit.

Incorporating D B Corp into its caution list, RBI today said the foreign shareholding through FIIs, NRIs, Persons of Indian Origins, Foreign Direct Investment and Depositary Receipts has reached the trigger limit.

"Hence, further purchases of equity shares of D B Corp Ltd would be allowed only after obtaining prior approval of the RBI," it said in a release.

FIIs, NRIs and PIOs are allowed to invest in the primary and secondary capital markets in India through Portfolio Investment Scheme (PIS).

RBI monitors the ceilings on FII/NRI/PIO investments in Indian companies on a daily basis.

For effective monitoring of foreign investment ceiling limits, the Reserve Bank has fixed cut-off points that are two percentage points lower than the actual ceilings.

FIIs had 17.73 per cent holding in D B Corp as of December 31, 2012, as per BSE data. Company shares closed at Rs 310.80 per scrip, down 0.69 per cent from previous close.

D B Corp prints and publishes newspaper in four languages across 14 states. It is also into radio business in seven states and 17 cities along with web presence.

Sahara Group ties up with Dainik Bhaskar for Q shop expansionARUN KUMAR, ET Bureau Sep 7, 2013, 04.00AM

NEW DELHI: The Sahara Group has entered into a long-term alliance with the Dainik Bhaskar Group to expand the Q Shop retail chain in Delhi through Super Bazar outlets.

Super Bazar, which introduced the concept of shopping under one roof at affordable prices in the national capital in 1966, was acquired by the Dainik Bhaskar group in 2009.

"We have tied up with Sahara Group Q shop for 65 outlets on exclusive basis," said Manoj Baheti, who's in charge of the Dainik Bhaskar group's retail venture. The small-format outlets have a floor area of 300 to 600 square feet, he said.

The Sahara group, which announced its Q Shop venture in August last year, is also in discussions with the Dainik Bhaskar group for management control, two persons familiar with the discussions told ET. Baheti denied this.

"There is no discussion on transfer of management control. In fact, there is no proposal of this kind," Baheti said. "We have entered into long-term contract of three years for these 65 outlets. Depending upon the performance of these outlets the future course of action will be decided," he said.

In an email reply, Sahara Q Shop executive director Romie Dutt said Sahara has only entered into an exclusive sale and purchase model for Sahara Q Shop products.

He also denied there was any proposal for seeking management control. The persons cited above said discussions were under way and an agreement may take time. The deal size is expected to be about Rs 700-1,000 crore. "The current alliance is the first part of the transaction," said one of the persons.

Super Bazar has about 110 outlets and properties in Delhi. Of this, about 95 outlets are small-format, 300-600 square foot stores. The rest, including the Super Bazar branch in Connaught Place, are large properties. Dainik Bhaskar group acquired the chain for Rs 504 crore and operates it under the Multi-State Cooperative Society Act.

Baheti said it would be premature to comment on whether the Q Shop agreement would be extended to other outlets.

"We are running our own retail outlets in these shops. It all depends upon the performance of Q Shops," he said. Sahara operates 910 Q Shops in about 400 cities. It plans to expand this to 2,000 outlets by next month.

ConclusionDainik Bhaskar accepts the responsibility it has imposed upon itself by appropriating the words of the 1913 born French philosopher, Albert Camus:'An achievement is bondage. It obliges one to a higher Brand Bhaskar is a symbol of excellence in business. It is synonymous with success, quality, dynamism and ethics. The brand has worked inexorably to become a young newspaper of a young India. Its five pillars of wisdom areProfessionalism, speed of ideas and execution, innovation, transparency and scalability of views. Dainik Bhaskar has bridged category need and brand uniqueness to retain brand relevance and leadership. It has trusted reader feedback and changed when it had to. More than anything else, Dainik

Bhaskar's editorial team has ensured that this influential media house always stays a step ahead.