WSJ launches its online edition in India

WSJ has launched a dedicated news website for the Indian market and it plans to launch a facsimile edition of The Wall Street Journal in India soon

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) has launched the Indian edition of its online version, WSJ.com. The Indian edition will be available at India.WSJ.com and will provide general, business and financial news and analysis about India.

The Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones Newswires have been writing about India for many years. However, with the launch of its dedicated online edition for the Indian market, the company hopes to strengthen its readership base in India. The company claims that it has beefed up its editorial operations and increased coverage of the Indian and Asian markets from its New Delhi and Mumbai bureaus.

WSJ launches its online edition in India

A new section, called India Journal, has been launched on the Indian website. Guest columnists and staff reporters across South Asia will analyse and provide their opinions on the leading issues related to the Indian economy in this section. Another special feature, called Heard on the Street, about Indian companies and markets will form a regular column to be included in the website.

The Indian edition will be headed by Anirban Roy, who has moved in from Thomson Reuters (India) and Paul Beckett. Olivier Legrand will head the business operation for the Indian website.

WSJ already has a presence in India through its tie up with the HT Media owned Mint business newspaper. The company claims that the Indian online edition of WSJ.com is a separate venture of Dow Jones in India and it will have no association with LiveMint.com, which is the online version of the business paper, Mint.

In an e-mail response to afaqs!, Legrand says, “India.WSJ.com is at present the unique WSJ product in India and WSJ's partnership with HT Media is limited only to print. All the WSJ content available on LiveMint.com actually link back to our own website, WSJ.com.”

The Indian website of WSJ will follow a monetisation strategy similar to its international edition. Legrand says, “The website will earn its revenue through advertising and paid subscription. Both standard and rich-media ad formats will be offered to advertisers. Some of the content on India.WSJ.com will be offered for free, while some parts of the content will be available on paid subscription model.”

The company plans to promote the launch of the Indian website through print ads, e-mail and online advertising. It also plans to tie up with some of the airlines and credit card companies for cross promotions.

Dow Jones is also working towards the launch of a facsimile edition of The Wall Street Journal in India.

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