India Today closes Bengali edition

The group may consider relaunching the edition when market conditions improve

Another magazine has succumbed to the pressure of the current market conditions. The India Today Group has done away with India Today’s Bengali edition. The last issue of the magazine to hit the stands was the one dated December 1. The magazine was launched in 2006.

Talking to afaqs!, Ashish Bagga, chief executive officer, India Today Group, says, "The Bengali edition has been ceased for the time being till the market conditions improve. It was not a viable option for us to continue the edition any more. But we will consider relaunching it when the time is right."

The company tried centralising the operations in Delhi, but the arrangement did not work.

According to Bagga, the ratio of local and national advertisers in the magazine was skewed towards local advertisements. "The advertisers of our Bengali edition, who want shift to our other local offering, Simply Kolkata, are most welcome to do so. But we can't do anything for those who don't want to shift to the supplement." There will be fresh negotiations with the advertisers who are shifting from the Bengali edition.

The group had earlier done away with the two free supplements, Manashi (for women) and Uttoron (education and careers supplement), which were distributed with the Bengali edition.

Where the subscribers are concerned, Bagga says, "There weren't many subscribers in the first place, but the subscriptions that are not yet over will be refunded."

The group has already started sending notices to subscribers whose subscriptions are yet to get over.

India Today is published in English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam.

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India Today Group Ashish Bagga