Q&A: Mitrajit Bhattacharya, president and publisher, Chitralekha Group

Campaign India (CI): What percentage of Chitralekha Group's revenue comes from on-ground events, and how much is from advertising?

Mitrajit Bhattacharya (MB): It's a significant amount, and it is increasing. We would want it go up to 20 per cent within the next couple of years.

CI: Is there more reliance on non-traditional revenues (from such events) for English titles as compared to the language titles? What is the number specific to Watch World?

MB: No, we do many events for Chitralekha (the other two magazines in Marathi and Gujarati) as well. The opportunities are for both English and regional. However, the scope for such events may vary tremendously.

CI: The World Watch Awards is a three year old property. How old is the magazine, Watch World? How has it grown since launch, in terms of circulation, readership? What are the target numbers?

MB: The magazine in English was launched around eight years ago. It has grown in stature tremendously, since its launch. Now we have the credibility of hosting an award of this magnitude, the only one from this part of the world. Our readers are connoisseurs of luxury products.

CI: How has digital readership grown for Watch World? Have revenues kept pace? Within advertising revenues, how much do you see from the digital space?

MB: Digital is a huge opportunity for us. The digital versions are doing very well already. We have our patrons all over the globe. Yes, we see revenues from sales being higher before advertising takes over.