India Today Digital (Digital Today) has launched yet another property online – the Indian site for Cosmopolitan Magazine was recently launched, albeit in beta. The site has a few interactive elements – Blogs, a “confessions” page, as well as a section on fashion and beauty. The site is still new, and there’s very little in terms of content: the Issue page has the most content, for now. Do note that unlike in case of their other India Today magazine properties, they haven’t chosen an e-magazine format for Cosmopolitan. Update: They have Cosmo in an e-magazine format, here.
It’s also interesting to note that they’re pushing SMS based services – tips on Love, Beauty, Health, and News via their short code 52424. Take a look at this image.
What next?
Monetization, I suppose. Over the past year and a half, starting with Money Today, India Today Digital has launched a number of properties online: A horizontal – ITGO , Magazine properties – Business Today, Money Today, Prevention Magazine, Mens Health, Woman, and a TV content related property in Aaj Tak.
What’s interesting is that the portals are either hosted at digitaltoday.in, or itgo.in domains (the latter is their horizontal). India Today could well integrate all its portals into one single host, and sell it combined, not unlike what Web18 appears to be doing with In.com. But the traffic comparison, if you take Alexa, is startling:
Note: we don’t endorse Alexa as being an accurate measure of traffic, but that holds true for Comscore as well.
Bear in mind that India Today appears to have been more prudent with their online marketing spends – we haven’t come across any online advertisements from them – while expenses on account of In.com spends have resulted in a staggering Rs. 24.2 crores loss for Web18.
Disclosure: I own an inconsequential number of shares of Network18
Related:
–Digital Today Launches Aajtak Website In Beta
– Kalli Purie To Head India Today Digital
– Digital Today Launches Two Properties: ITGO And Woman; Aaj Tak, Next Month
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6 Comments until now.
Can’t speak about Web18 for obvious reasons, but ITGO is kosher.
Subdomaining can give away interesting information at times. Like on the Digital Today numbers, you can see the break up of traffic if you scroll all the way down. About half of the traffic goes to the India Today site, 20% to BT and so on.
Monetization is going to be a bitch through most of this year since display will plummet this year, advertisers are very unlikely to sign up either in volumes or value for new properties. With everyone looking to maximize the bang for the buck, there won’t be much leeway there.
The troubling part is that content creation and serving costs are not going to fall correspondingly 2009, which means opex is going to be at least at the same level as it was for 2008.
We are headed for very interesting times.
umm…
http://emagazine.digitaltoday.in/CosmoPolitan/102008/Home.aspx
really… u need to do some research or talk to some people. And sometimes get your story vetted.
Advertising works. We know that. Tell me something new.
Anyone can buy traffic. The challenge is to create compelling content that people come back for without advertising.
Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it…
Memento Mori! Indya.com?
Lord Haw Haw,
which was bigger – Indiainfo or Indya? I think, the latter. :)
[...] India, Live Mint and Business Standard have recently launched podcasting (via WATBlog), India Today added Cosmopolitan to their existing list of digital properties and Business Standard has launched a branded Instant [...]
India Today with its differentiated content certainly will be a site to watch. The alexa ranking itself tells the fact that the visitors to the website have increased exponentially.
What India Today group to do moving forward is to increase retaining their visitor loyalty and not just the first visitors alone.
India today group has to start sending newsletters, breaking news alerts for their opt-in subscribers and provide digital subscriptions to their print subscribers.
India Today has a good potential to realise the benefits of online media.
Manjunatha KG
Managing Director
Aghreni Technologies