British publisher Associated Newspapers has partnered with magazine publisher The India Today Group to launch a newspaper in India.
Mail Today will be targeted at middle-class women and is scheduled to hits newsstands in Delhi by the end of this week. The tabloid will have an initial print run of 120,000, which the publishers plan to expand in an eventual rollout over the rest of India.
Associated Newspapers’ Daily Mail newspaper, which is popular with middle-class women in England, will serve as a template for Mail Today. The Daily Mail features a “women’s page” and emphasizes middle-class values. Execs for Mail Today said such content is lacking in current Indian titles; Mail Today will embrace such themes to gain a competitive edge.
Bharat Bhushan will serve as editor for the 48-page Mail Today. Ownership details are not forthcoming, but the Indian government limits foreign ownership of Indian publications to 26%.
Spurred by an economic boom, a number of foreign publications have launched Indian titles in the past year. Titles hitting the Indian market in 2007 include Vogue, Maxim and Fortune.
