Devesh Gupta
Media

NavBharat Times has a second front page

The Hindi paper from the BCCL Group now has two front pages.

NavBharat Times (NBT), the Hindi newspaper from the BCCL Group, has defied the convention of a single front page newspaper that sports a masthead with the top story in the middle. NBT launched two front pages from December 2; while the first front page looks like the usual Page 1 of the paper, the last page is also converted into a front page with a mast head and similar look.

NavBharat Times has a second front page
NavBharat Times has a second front page
The idea here is to save readers time and give them a quick idea of all news in one go. Instead of a snapshot, the twp front pages will provide in depth knowledge of important news.

The second front page will have the next set of top stories that follow those on Page 1, chosen according to their genre and importance.

According to the paper, this is a radical innovation, which has never been done by any one, especially in the Hindi newspaper space. This innovation is launched across all the editions of NBT and has been crafted from reader inputs and insights. It will provide a lot of efficiency to the reader in accessing news.

The advertising pricing for the second front page will be different from the usual rates charged for Page 1.

According to the paper, the innovation will provide an undifferentiated format for the advertisers as the engagement of the reader on the front page is always higher as compared to the inside pages.

Once the innovation is established in the market among both advertisers and media planners, the paper will measure its success. It plans to launch a survey to find out the reactions of media planning circles and consumers. The paper has urged for readers' response to the innovation through a response box that says, 'Kaisa laga Front Page 2'.

NavBharat Times is a flagship property of BCCL. This year, it was re-launched in Lucknow after a gap of 28 years.

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