The Dainik Bhaskar Group has recently entered Jharkhand with the launch of the Dainik Bhaskar Ranchi edition. This is the 12th state that is now covered by the group including Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Chandigarh, Punjab, Maharashtra, Haryana, Uttrakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Delhi. The Ranchi edition is the 49th edition of the group. The group soon plans to expand further with the launch of Jamshedpur and Dhandbad editions in Jharkhand and launch of Bihar in early 2011.
Dainik Bhaskar is priced at Rs 2 (Mon-Sat) and Rs 2.50 on Sundays. The Ranchi edition is a subscription-based model and is said to have a pre-booked, fully paid subscription of 1.35 lakh copies.
Speaking on the launch, Manoj Agarwal, chief operating officer, Jharkhand, Dainik Bhaskar, said, "Jharkhand as a market is currently estimated at Rs 100 core plus advertising market. In our experience the collective readership and the advertising market has seen catalytic growth whenever Dainik Bhaskar Group has entered a new territory, we do believe that this will be the case at Jharkhand too."
Jagdish Sharma, managing editor and chief operating officer – Gujarat and project head, Jharkhand, added, "The reader's newspaper connect is a complex yet simple equation. It’s totally based on the affinity that gets created on the expectation and how that trust is build further through the content delivery and other ground level activities. We understand it the best and reflects in our successful circulation drive."
