Popularity of Indian portals on a rise worldwide

Internet spread is constantly on the rise worldwide. Indeed, it is the Internet that news guzzlers consult more and more as their primary source of reference and breaking news. The Web editions of Indian newspapers find an eager readership not just in the metros, but even in small towns. Some 67 per cent of its readerships come from small cities. What is more interesting is that the online versions of Indian newspapers are read in 62 countries.

The phenomenal growth of the Indian online newspaper readership has been made possible by the lead penetration of computers and growing Internet connectivity even in the remote interiors. It is understood that while newspaper columnists are read online by 42 per cent people, nearly 95 per cent of newspaper readers regularly browse through e-newspapers -- mainly for breaking news.

According to JuxtConsult’s India Internet report, 37 per cent of the current net users come from the top 10 metros, and more than half of the Indian online population comes from outside the eight largest cities, there is from tier II and III cities.

The majority readership is in the age group of 21-40 years, and Maharashtra, Karnataka, Delhi, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh top the readership list. Professions in the IT, education and media fields constitute almost half (48 per cent) of the readership.

Moreover, the online business is thriving, despite the global slowdown. Online portals in the US, the UK and other countries are doing relatively better than their print editions. The assassination of Osama bin Laden was covered extensively by US websites, including ProPublica and DailyBeast, to name only a few. The explosion in online newspapers has produced entrepreneur journalists. Many of them are product of mainstream media.

Also, the internet provides many ways for online business to thrive and for everyone to get a slice of the profits. Internet advertising, already a $15-billion industry in the US, is set to explode in India in coming years. According to a recent Lintas Media Report, internet advertising stood at Rs 215 crore in 2009 (a 43 per cent growth over the previous year), but industry watchers say that it could grow more than ten-fold (to Rs 2,500 crore) by 2011. Mobile advertising, which is hot in India simply because, for every internet user there are five mobile phone users, is also projected to grow from Rs 40 crore currently to Rs 500 crore by 2011.

By the end of 2010, the internet advertisement market globally was worth almost $61bn, compared with the magazine market at around $60.5bn. In India online advertising rose by 3.1 per cent in the financial year 2008-09 and by 7.1 per cent in the financial year 2010-11. It is going to grow further.