Newspaper being the most trusted medium became a compelling proposition to both readers and advertisers with overwhelming participation in Divya Bhaskar 80-page edition in Ahmedabad. It also indicates that Gujarat is gaining momentum.

This special edition also packed in the much-needed positivity to counter the current pandemic-led environment.

Devendra Bhatnagar, state editorial head, added, “This is indeed a special milestone for the group because the very discerning readers of Gujarat expect only the best and we have hopefully been able to deliver on our promise of editorial excellence.”

Harish Bhatia, president, said, “The 80-page edition in Ahmedabad that follows the mega editions in Indore, Bhopal, Hoshangabad and Bilaspur clearly indicates that Dainik Bhaskar has been able to capture advertising spends across all the markets it operates in. It also validates the recent EY report that spoke of tier-II and tier-III cities leading the economic revival in the country.”

Sanjeev Chouhan, Gujarat head, added, “The overwhelming response of the advertisers for our special Divya Bhaskar edition, is very encouraging. Participation has been across the board with advertisers from multiple sectors such as real estate, jewellery, automobile, FMCG, electronics and social sectors coming on board.

Previously, the group published the 128-page Indore edition, which is probably the highest ever pagination for any newspaper in India in the recent times. Commenting on the milestone, Girish Agarwal of Dainik Bhaskar Group, said, “The theme of Atmanirbhar Bharat is being aptly captured by this 128 pages issue. Advertising categories from across sectors such as real estate, auto, education, FMCG, jewellery, electronics, lifestyle, government and social advertisers have come forward to take advantage of Atamnirbhar Indore.”

Newspaper industry in India is coming back to pre-Covid levels and this has been led by Indian language publications. In almost all the states, circulation copies have reached to more than 85% of pre-Covid times, while Kerala seems to have crossed 90% circulation copies reach. This is all lead by non-metro cities of India.

As per the recent published EY report titled, ‘Will non-metro markets propel India’s recovery,’ the non-metro markets show higher resilience than metro markets. The percentage of respondents who are expected to spend more post-lockdown on majority of categories was much higher in non-metros. There is higher inclination to spend on categories such as consumer durables, FMCG, auto, and lifestyle in these markets. The report also stated that Newspapers lead the trust index.