A Project Report On

Online Media
Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the award of degree of

MASTERS OF BUSINESSADMINISTRATION
From
NARAYANA BUSINESS SCHOOLAHMEDABAD
Submitted By
NAME: Mayank Solanki
Urvi Thakkar
BATCH: 2015-2017
Under The Guidance Of
NAME: Hema Maam
Designation: Professor

Definition
Digital media, which includes photos, video and music, distributed over the Internet, which
are either non-copyrighted or copyrighted materials provided either freely or for a fee.

Growth
Although Indian newspapers were using computers for writing and page layout as early as
1987 they were slow to move to online editions of their papers. By 1998 only forty-eight
papers had online editions. By 2006, the count had climbed to 116. This despite the fact that
in 2007 India had 42 million Internet users and was ranked fifth among online populations.
The number of online news editions is seen as especially low because of the multitude of
languages spoken in India. Of the 22 languages officially recognised, only 12 of the nonEnglish languages were accounted for in a survey of online editions.

Current environment
Indias internet penetration is low only 3.7%. Also, most websites are only available in
English, which skews the viewership to only 10% of the population that is concentrated in
urban centres. Conversely, India ranks third in number of Twitter users. LinkedIn offers a
group that targets members that are online journalists in India with content, connections, and
job opportunities unique to that segment. Popular discussions offer members an opportunity
to share opportunities, discuss activities that affect the industry, and provide peer review for
articles before publication on the internet. With the emergence of high speed data and faster
mobile data services such as 3G and LTE, videos from some of Indias best TV journalists
have been made available online. Both NDTV and CNBC, two TV news reporting power
houses in India, also have a strong online presence. The top five journalists in India all come
from within the ranks of these stations. Another emerging favourite platform for journalists is
Twitter. Journalists from all walks Business, Political, Sports, and Religion - have come
together to form a list for ease of following the person or topic that one might find interesting.

Traditional media companies

The internet in India was not available to private users until 1995. By 1998 there were only
48 daily newspapers that operated on the internet. By 2006 the number has steadily climbed
to reach 116 newspapers and is predicted to grow as more people in India get access to the
web. The first newspapers to adopt an online format were generally English speaking because
they had more of a global audience. However, as more users gained access more Indian
language papers began to surface. A lot of these new websites were generic versions of the
daily paper and were not edited once published. They were operated by minimal staffs. In

some instances a single editor would upload data to a third party pre-formatted interface
which would allow stories to be published under general headings such as Local News,
International, Sports, etc. A large majority of online newspapers in India dont receive
advertisement revenue for their web editions and, with the exception of the major papers,
most websites are being operated at a loss. Most publications have been slow to incorporate
modern web features such as video clips or imbedded audio. One of the biggest concerns is
economic viability due to lack of ad revenue. India journalism sites have also been slow to
adopt the modern practice of online purchasing. This means that when someone visits the
website they are unable to order the paper directly or purchase products through
advertisements.

Times of India group

The Times of India Group is the largest media conglomerate in India. Its flagship paper is
the Times of India which is the largest English publication in the world by readership with
just over 7.65 million daily readers. It is also the publisher of the largest business newspaper
in India, The Economic Times. The Times of India opened their web portal in 1999 and in
2003 they published an electronic version of their newspaper. Some Indian journalists, such
as luminary M J Akbar, have made the leap into online journalism. Akbar has been working
in journalism since he joined the Times of India in 1971 and currently heads the Sunday
Guardian as the Editorial Director of India Today Group and Headlines. The Sunday
Guardian is notable for having made a successful pivot from being a print only paper to one
which includes online content in their media portfolios. Today, M J Akbar is just one example
of a growing number of journalists who have embraced online media while maintaining a
strong presence in the print media market.

Dainik Jagran
Dainik Jagran has been India's most read newspaper for 23 consecutive years with a daily
readership of over 16 million. It's the flagship publication of Jagran Prakashan Ltd (JPL), a
large media conglomerate in India. JPL launched MMI online in 2008 to handle all of its
digital offerings. Most notable is jagran.com which has recently aligned with yahoo.com to
bring a large range of offerings to its visitors. The website can see up to 50 updates in one
day. In 2011, INEXT was re-launched along with the website inextlive.com. This website
launched by Dinesh Shrinet. INEXT is the first bilingual daily news published in India. It
currently publishes content from at least 9 different major cities. Besides managing content
MMI Online is also actively looking for gaps in the web offerings so that it can bring new
content to the country. MMI online also is working to transition India into web 3.0.

One India
Oneindia.in (owned by Greynium Information Technologies Pvt. Ltd) is a leading Indian
Internet portal - delivering content, community and commerce to Indian consumers,
businesses and the global Indian community. Oneindia.in has been serving the Internet
audience for the last 8 years (the language portals have been live since April 2000). It's a
multilingual website in all South India languages and English. This online media house was
founded by B.G. Mahesh. One India launched its Hindi Portal in 2007. Dinesh Shrinet was
the editor of this website. Hindi is the second most popular Indian language on the Internet
and increasingly new Internet users are from non-metros and smaller towns, said B.G.
Mahesh, CEO, Greynium Information Technologies Pvt Ltd, hence it is essential that these
audiences are given the right platform to explore and use the Internet to its fullest potential,
added Mahesh.

Criticism
Many online newspapers in India are criticised for being hastily thrown together with little
care from publishers about content. A majority of websites lack simple features such as
about us or feedback. While the major publishers like the Times Group will list email
addresses of its writers and editors many of the small daily newspapers only have a simple
imbedded box on their website for feedback. This makes it difficult for readers to
communicate with newspaper staff.
Online media with print products, such as OPEN magazine, have been instrumental in
providing checks and balances on other forms of media. OPEN broke that Barkha Dutt,
widely regarded as Indias top journalist, was involved with the Radia tapes controversy,
which very little of the print media discussed. Radia, a lobbyist, was involved in corruption
regarding the use and sale of 2G wireless spectrum. Her attempt to rehabilitate her reputation
was hampered by the combative style she tried to do it with.

Blogging in India
The largest news and media companies now include blogs in their online offerings. Sites such
as The Times of India have a blog section as does The Economic Times. American online
publications are also offering blogs to the Indian market. The Wall Street Journal blog India
Real-time is staffed by journalists exclusively from New Delhi and Mumbai and focuses on
analysis of issues occurring in India. In September 2010, The Wall Street Journal expanded
its offering to include the India Real-time blog in Hindi in addition to the English
language. Dainik Jagran, India's most read newspaper, also runs a site dedicated to blogs. The
most popular amateur blog topics in India are technology, cricket, finance, business, and

coupons. And among them English is the dominant language used. Indian blog topics include
a wide variety including literature, politics, investing, celebrities, medicine, journalism,
travel, environment, web-design, podcasting, humour, music, and more. Full-time bloggers
have been reported to earn as much as Rs 40,000 to Rs 50,000 with part-time bloggers
earning as much as Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 in a month. Some well-known amateur blogs
receive as many as 3 million page views per month.

Web only news

As the internet becomes more and more prevalent, more companies are beginning to
distribute content through internet only means. Prime time audiences have dropped 23% for
News Corp, the worlds largest broadcasting channel. With the loss of viewers there is a loss
of revenue but not as bad as what would be expected. While the dollar amount dropped
roughly 2%, overall cable revenue was up about 5% which is slower growth than what was
expected. Cisco Inc. released its latest forecast and the numbers are all trending to internet
news to continue to grow at a rate where it will be quadruple by 2018.
As of 2012, the worlds largest internet only media company, The Young Turks, are averaging
750,000 users per day, and are continuing to grow, currently having over 2 billion views
across all The Young Turks controlled channels, which covers world news, sports, movie
reviews, college focused content and a round table style discussion channel.

Disruption in industry
In journalism, digital media and citizen journalism have led to the loss of thousands of jobs
in print media and the bankruptcy of many major newspapers. But the rise of digital
journalism has also created thousands of new jobs and specializations. E-books and selfpublishing are changing the book industry, and digital textbooks and other media-inclusive
curricula are changing primary and secondary education. In academia, digital media has led
to a new form of scholarship, called digital scholarship, and new fields of study, such
as digital humanities and digital history. It has changed the way libraries are used and their
role in society. Every major media, communications and academic endeavour is facing a
period of transition and uncertainty related to digital media.

Before electronics
Machine-readable media predates the Internet, modern computers and electronics. Machinereadable codes and information were first conceptualized by Charles Babbage in the early
1800s. Babbage imagined that these codes would provide instructions for his Difference

Engine and Analytical Engine, machines he designed to solve the problem of error in
calculations. Between 1822 and 1823, Ada Lovelace, a mathematician, wrote the first
instructions for calculating numbers on Babbage's engines. Lovelace's instructions are now
believed to be the first computer program.
Though the machines were designed to perform analytical tasks, Lovelace anticipated the
potential social impact of computers and programming, writing, "For, in so distributing and
combining the truths and the formulae of analysis, that they may become most easily and
rapidly amenable to the mechanical combinations of the engine, the relations and the nature
of many subjects in that science are necessarily thrown into new lights, and more profoundly
investigated... there are in all extensions of human power, or additions to human knowledge,
various collateral influences, besides the main and primary object attained." Other early
machine-readable media include the instructions for player pianos and jacquard looms.

Pros and Cons of Online media

Pros

Cost compared to newspaper placements or TV spots, online

banners are still relatively inexpensive.

Instant gratification your customers can see your ad, shop and buy
(if you sell products online) without leaving home. That sort of
convenience is hard to beat.

Testing if you create a brochure, you have to print and distribute it

before you are able to measure response. On the Internet, response
(or lack of response) is lightning fast. Also, since its relatively
simple to switch out banner ads, online advertising gives you the
ability to test creative campaigns and fine tune messaging. This can
help increase effectiveness of your campaign and enhance results.

Geo-targeting online advertising gives you the ability to geo-target

your ads, ensuring that they are only viewed, and clicked, by your
intended geographic and niche audience. This allows you to create
localized messages that appear on national sites.

Constant exposure your online ad works 24 hours a day, 7 days a

week.

Cons

Advertising overload every advertiser wants consumer attention,

and often there is simply too much information to digest. The
solution is to develop creative campaigns that will cut through the
clutter and strike an emotional connection with your target
audience.

Measurability the statistics you are able to gather on your online

advertising campaign are so immense that they can often become
paralyzing. Thats why its important to determine at the onset of
your campaign how you will measure success is it impressions.

Scope while the vast majority of Americans are active online, there
are still a number of people out there who are relying on traditional
forms of advertising as a means to gather information on products
and services. Thats why, in most cases, online advertising
campaigns should run in tandem with other marketing efforts.

Too many choices there are so many websites out there that it can
be hard to identify the ones that will most effectively target your
audience. Make sure you take the time to research the appropriate
niche sites for your product or service.

SWOT analysis of online media

Strengths

When media industries tout their strengths, they often mean their customers rather than the
journalism awards sitting on the trophy shelf. They might note their total volume of
customers, or their market dominance in demographics that your business covets. Consider
larger trends as well as specific. If youre looking to invest or advertise, broadcast television
rules if you want the broadest audience, but doesnt have the influence it once did, for
example. Brand names can also be a strength. Both customers and advertisers may want to be
associated with media outlets considered elite news and entertainment sources.

Weaknesses

Every media outlet engages in a fierce competition for a larger share of audience. At any
given time, ratings or circulation figures are a weakness for some industry sectors. Cost
structure is a weakness in some traditional media industries, where a change in audience
media preferences has left a solid brand, but a bloated workforce and narrowing customer
base. New media can have a similar problem, with founders and investors pouring cash into
their vision of the future that results in an unsustainable amount of red ink.

Opportunities

Traditional media industries are looking to monetize their offerings on the Internet, or turn
their free social media outlets into effective sales pitches for their pay offerings. Theres also
the time-honoured opportunities presented by the expansion of markets. Combine them both,
and media outlets may find it profitable to specialize in niche content thats more popular
outside of their traditional geographic footprint, and sell targeted Web advertisements to bring
in the necessary revenue. The shifting consumer preferences, while often viewed as a
negative, also provides opportunities for media organizations to benefit. People using the
Internet to get their news may lower the market for the physical newspaper, but create new
opportunities to market its content, for example.

Threats

Disruptive technologies are a threat to media industries that havent been proactive in using
them for their benefit. User-generated content, whether its a popular series of YouTube
videos or the hottest social media site that everyones obsessing over, also takes eyeballs
away from established media industries. Fragmentation is a further threat for those who
depend on a high volume of customers, as broadcast TV networks, radio and newspapers in
particular have found out. If you're a business looking to get the most comprehensive
coverage possible in your advertising, doing it through the leading local radio station has less
appeal if the ratings are far from what they once were.

Conclusion

The evidence suggests that the Internet is clearly in journalisms future. But it is less
clear that it will be its only future. While most Americans are now online, and getting
news, as of 2004, the Web appears to complement traditional media for most of
these people rather than replace it.

The Internet is attracting young people. It offers the potential of a global audience,
the potential of new jobs and new types of journalists. There will, however, be
dislocation.
What is most intriguing is the evidence that television rather than print is suffering
most. This is surprising because, at this point, the Web is still largely a text-based
medium. One might have thought that the print media would thus be hurt by the
greater convenience that the Web offers, in much the same way that cable seems to
have eroded the appeal of network television. This is not the case.
What this means down the road is harder to figure. The future, say online
professionals we have consulted, is an age in which the distinctions between media
blur. Online, The Washington Post will not be a newspaper company but a text,
picture and video news provider. CBS News will not be a broadcaster. It, too, will be
a text, audio and video news organization. Nor will news just be consumed on
computers, television or in print. News will be made to fit computers, PDAs, phones
and perhaps more. Before too long, people riding the subway home from work may
turn on their phones and watch a network anchor delivers the news, not because the
anchor happens to be on but because he or she is on, on demand.
The Internet is a continuous, on-demand medium, like cable, but it is updated only
when there is something to update, and users do not have to sit through the stories
they dont care about. As they can in newspapers, online users can search out what
they want, but they also can access background material and previously published
stories. Unlike any other single medium, they can read the news, watch video, listen
to audio, read long transcripts, access original documents, or link to outside sites for
more detail. The Internet, in other words, offers the strengths of all mediathe
immediacy of cable, the skilful storytelling of network, the depth and deliberation of
newspapers, plus more, all in one place. That, at least, is the potential.
It likely will depend on the economics to see if that potential is fulfilled. And it may
depend on a few large organizations capturing large portions of that audience for
that to happen. Thus there would be two Internets, in a sense. There would be the
big media, the handful of places where large audiences assemble, and where huge
multi-platform news organizations would deliver news on demand worldwide in
sophisticated ways, perhaps better than they do now. And then there would be the
open Internet the water cooler, bloggers and clamouring citizens, off in their niches,
in chat rooms and grass roots organizations, creating movements and confounding
the establishment. And the Internet would be home to both. As of 2004, the signs are
pointing in that direction.