Maalaimalar taps mobile segment with apps

Maalaimalar, the Tamil evening newspaper published by Malar Publications, has entered the mobile segment with the launch of its application in the Apple iTunes Store. The free application is available for users of iPhone, iPad and iPad Touch. The publication has also announced its plans to launch apps for Android and Blackberry platforms shortly.

Malar Publications’ digital initiatives are looked after by Hello FM marketing and IT team. Speaking about this new initiative, Rajeev Nambiar, President and chief executive officer, Hello FM said, “These digital initiatives are part of the Group’s brand building exercise with a mission to stay connected with the growing Tamil diaspora, apart from making it more convenient for its affluent readers on the move.”
There is no subscription fee for access to content as of now. The application offers standard features allowing readers to access stories classified under different sections.

“At this point of digitalization, revenues are no the key driver, though there is a decent monetization window. However, the prime objective of this initiative is to spread brand’s bandwidth,” he further said when asked about the revenue model of the application.

The publication is also planning to have an epaper version of the newspaper on the application for aiding easy download and convenient reading.