Mumbai has a new city mag, Time Out

The print space in Mumbai has one more player - Time Out. Targeted at an audience that is keen on "having fun and is willing to spend", the fortnightly magazine is part of the Time Out Group Worldwide, which has editions in 51 cities across the globe.

The Mumbai edition was launched on September 8, comprising 98 pages and priced at Rs 25.

Like its international counterparts, the magazine has listings, reviews, information about the city, hangouts zones et al.

Content, as editor Naresh Fernandes explains, is comprehensive - covering art, culture, books, music, movies etc. Unlike newspapers, an attempt, he says, has been made to put things in perspective, with the writers taking a stand on what's good and what's not.

Internationally, the Time Out Group is known for its city guides apart from its magazines, and according to Smiti Ruia of Paprika Media, who is also the publisher of Time Out, Mumbai, there are no immediate plans to launch city guides in the country.

Paprika Media, which is part of the Essar Group, has the license to publish the magazine in the country.

The task on hand, says Ruia, is to acquire a critical mass of readers for the magazine with a combination of advertising, marketing and associating with events.

The company has kicked-off an outdoor campaign in the city announcing the launch of the magazine with radio as part of the media mix. The company will supplement this effort with an on-ground sampling exercise during upcoming events, co-presented by Paprika.

The eventual plan is to launch editions in other cities including Delhi and Bangalore, Ruia adds.

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