The newsprint price rise and Indian newspapers

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For the last fifteen years the unbridled expansion of the Indian newspaper industry has been fuelled by increasing literacy, economic prosperity, and the “introductory pricing” of new editions by predatory newspapers going into new territories. Foreign direct investment in print media has also brought in cash to help expansions and scaling up. There is a natural growth in pagination, colour, content and the internet as well. But as the The New York Times shrinks in width and thins out to anorexic levels, the Times of India swells to 32, 48, and even 64 pages on Sundays – all for a bargain price of Rs.2.50 on weekdays and Rs..50 on Sundays (US$ .07 and US$ .11). All this while the cost of even 32 broadsheet pages of newsprint is Rs.16 and headed for Rs.20 (US$ .40 to .50). Even the thinner newspapers of Sri Lanka and Pakistan are priced more reasonably. Only in some sensible states such as Kerala do the newspaper publishers resist suicide and charge at least Rs.4 for a daily. ...cont´d

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