Project Report

On
Comparitive study between Times of India and Hindustan Times
Submitted In Partial Fulfillment
Of the Requirement
Of Bachelor of Business Administration

Project Guide Submitted By

Dr. Dimpy sachar Arjun Premjit
Assistant Professor 40250501716/(2016-2019)

Submitted To:

Banarsidas Chandiwala Institute of Professional Studies, Dwarka, New Delhi

(Affiliated to Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University)

1
 DECLARATION

I hereby declare that this Final Research Project Report titled “Comparative
study between Times of India and Hindustan Times” submitted by me to
Banarsidas Chandiwala Institute of Professional Studies, Dwarka is a bona-
fide work undertaken during the period from January 2019to April 2019and
has not been submitted to any other University or Institution for the award of
any degree diploma / certificate or published any time before.

(Signature of the Student) Date: / / 2019

Arjun premjit
40250501716

2
 BONAFIDE CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that as per best of my belief the project entitle

“Comparative study between Times of India and Hindustan Times ” is the
bona-fide research work carried out by (Arjun Premjit, 40250501716 )
student of BBA, BCIPS, Dwarka, New Delhi during January 2019–April
2019, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of
Business Administration.
He has worked under my guidance.

--------------------
Name: Dr. Dimpy Sachar
Research Project Guide
Date:

3
Counter signed by

-------------

Name:
HOD / Director
Date:

4
 Acknowledgement

It is really a matter of pleasure for me to get an opportunity to thank all the

persons who contributed directly or indirectly for the successful completion
of the project report, Comparative study between Times of India and
Hindustan Times I am thankful to my faculty guide Dr. Dimpy Sachar for
being a source of support during this major report project.

Arjun Premjit
40250501716
(2016-2019)

5
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGE
S.NO. TITLE
NO.
1 Student Declaration (i)
3 Certificate from Guide (ii)
4 Acknowledgement (iii)
5 Executive Summary (iv)
Chapter - 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1 About the Industry
6 1-5
1.2 About Company
6-15
Profile
Chapter - 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
16-17
7 2.1 Literature Review
18-45

Chapter - 3: RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY 46
8
3.1 Objective of the study 47-50
3.2 Research Methodology of the study
Chapter - 4: ANALYSIS&
9 51-67
INTERPRETATION

6
 Chapter - 5: FINDINGS &
SUGGESTIONS 68
10
5.1 Findings 69
5.2 Suggestions
11 Chapter - 6: CONCLUSION 70
12 BIBLIOGRAPHY 71
13 QUESTIONNAIRE 72-73

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 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

It includes introduction to the project highlighting its objective and sub objectives which
is to have an idea of the present standing of Times of India in market in relation to
Hindustan Times and also to find the fields in which Times of India is lagging and what
improvements are required in which field. This covers the scope and importance of the
project and also the areas that have been covered under the survey.

After defining newspaper in detail and comparing them with other consumer goods, it
also describes the marketing mix i.e. how the newspaper can be described in terms of
various P's. It then gives the company profile of The Times of India, its origin, its
evolution various departments, its functioning and some other services provided apart
from The Times of India newspaper. It also incorporates an outline of the Hindustan
Times company profile and finally it takes into consideration the literature and the
concepts which are useful for the project study.

Then it includes the research methodology giving the sampling methods and the various
analytical procedures used. It also gives the data collection methods used for the research.
. SWOT analysis of both Hindustan Times & Times of India is also done.

8
 CHAPTER-1
INTRODUCTION

The information age: - The age we live in has been described variously as the "Post-
industrial age", The "age of individualism", the "capitalist age" etc. While all these
definitions contain an element of truth, the most complete definition of the age we live in
is the term "the information age". Never before in the history of human civilization has
information been so important and central. Today, in business, commerce and every walk
of life, information is power.

Information in order to be useful

 Has to be accurate

 Should reach the right person

 Should reach in time

 Should be unbiased.

Information can change the outlook or the perspective of the people receiving it,as many
people take their decisions on the basis of the information provided to them. Thus the
information has to be true and factual i.e. it should represent the facts.

In this information age, the various sources of information are the radio, the television,
the newspaper, magazines and now more recently the computers (Internet).

The invention of computers and the internet facility on the computers have changed the
scenario and brought a radical change in the way people looked at the sources of
information. Computers entered the Indian market with a big bang and now with the
internet facility, they are all ready to take over the other sources of information in terms
of its market share etc. The invention of new technology every other day is providing a

9
real threat to the sources of information. With the coming of the internet technology, the
access to information has become a lot more easy and quicker.

So there is a kind of fight prevailing between the various sources of information to

capture the market. But the main deterrent to people (usually middle class & below
middle class) accepting computer or the internet facility available on the computer is the
high price of computers being expensive cannot be afforded by all and sundry and hence
newspaper are still the most popular source of information. So all the newspaper are
gearing up for any future competition from internet etc. and are making all efforts to
provide quality service to the consumers.. In the newspaper industry the two most
important newspapers, both popular among the masses, both providing accurate
information & both having good sales are making efforts to increase their target market.
This recently led to a war between these two newspapers i.e. Times of India & Hindustan
Times .In this research study I make a comparative study between The Times of India &
the Hindustan Times studying the preferences of the consumers.

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 CHAPTER-2

STATEMENT OF RESERCH PROBLEM

2.1 OBJECTIVE OF STUDY

Main objective of the research study is the comparative study between Hindustan Times
& Times of India on the basis of the product features of the newspapers.

Sub Objectives / Other Objectives

The sub-objectives (supplementary to the main objective) are as follows :-

 To know the reader's preferences regarding The Times of India features.

 To find the fields in which the TOI is lagging behind.

 The other objectives of our research study include

Reader's perception regarding following :

- Coverage of national international and sports news

- Editorial, cartoon and the entertainment section.

To know preference of the readers about the supplements etc.

Finally, to seek suggestions for improvement and value addition, in order to increase
the sales by catering to the needs of the consumers.

11
After that reader's feedback, recommendations & suggestions are taken..At the end we
have bibliography and then lastly the appendix which includes the questionnaires and the
diagrams.

2.2 LIMITATIONS OF THE PROJECT

Though full efforts are made to provide all the information required in the project, still
there are the following limitations of the project:

1. Project report is limited to making a comparative study with the Hindustan Times and
it ignores all other competitors like Indian express, Pioneer etc.

2. Information that has been gathered through the questionnaire explains only about a
limited number of 100 readers .Thus, enough samples/respondents have not been taken
into account for analysis. This was due to time constraint.

3. Project is limited to Delhi only.

4. Project is limited to certain categories only.

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2.3 COMPANY PROFILE OF THE TIMES OF INDIA

BRIEF HISTORY

The Times of India began as a small commercial newspaper in the year 1838 by the name
of the `Bombay times' which was published every Wednesday. It was then edited by Dr.
J.E. Brenan who explained his objective as "providing the earliest possible intelligence
upon all subjects of politics, science and literature".

It was on 2nd Sept, 1850 that the paper was converted into a daily. In the next few years
the Bombay Times absorbed other Bombay papers such as the Bombay Standard and the
telegraph and courier. On May 18, 1861, the paper changed its name to The Times of
India.

The Times of India has changed over 150 years of its existence. There have been
traumatic episodes in its corporate history and sharp alterations in its editorial policy. But
none of these has taken away from image of The Times of India as a reliable sober, if a
little pompous newspaper of record. Even the fact that lately, The Times of India has
adopted new fashions in keeping with the times has not materially affected the image.

"What has marked The Times of India generally has been an outlook of relative
objectivity in news gathering, responsibility and even pluralism in expression of opinion
and, by and large, a sober, if some what conservative presentation of news and opinion, it
has also been characterized by a degree of liberalism on both political and economic
matters, these features of The Times of India are reflected in the newspaper as a whole
over the long span of its existence.

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SERVICES AND PRODUCT LINE OF THE TIMES OF INDIA

Initially, Times of India was covering the various events and societal happenings in one
paper i.e. The Times of India. But later on Times of India found it difficult to reach the
entire target market/ consumers through a single newspaper. Secondly, it become difficult
for Times of India to depict the complete picture because of the increase in activities of
society, growing consciousness of people to know each and every aspects of the
happening and also because of the diverse demands of the people.

So apart from The Times of India, the company started offering many more services and
products which further increased the credibility of Times of India.

The various products and services offered by the company are as follows:-

1. The Economic Times: It is India's largest and world's second largest selling financial
daily published from Delhi, Mumbai, Madras, Ahmedabad, Calcutta, Hyderabad and
Bangalore.

2. Nav Bharat Times: India's largest Hindi Newspaper published from Delhi and Mumbai.

3. Maharashtra Times : A newspaper which is published in Mumbai.

4. Sandhya Times : Delhi's largest selling Hindi evening daily.

5. Meteropolist : Published on Saturday (weekly) in Mumbai.

6. Femina: India's number one women's magazine which is published fortnightly.

7. Filmfare: India's largest selling film based magazine published monthly.

8. Times FM: Times of India also diverted to radio channel and result was Times FM
radio channel network which brought revolution in the radio industry.

9. Times Guarantee: It is an investment branch which deals with the stocks.

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10. Times School of Management: After the various economic reforms in India the
Indian market was demanding new trained managers which it catered to by opening times
school of management.

11. Times School of Journalism: Times School of Journalism is known as a reputed

institute of journalism and churns out competent journalist who are sometimes absorbed
in Times of India.

2.4 COMPANY PROFILE OF THE HINDUSTAN TIMES

BRIEF HISTORY

The Hindustan Times, the most widely read newspaper in Delhi and Northern India,
needs no introduction.

It was launched by an Akali Group in 1924. In 1931, when the Akali's were in financial
straits, it changed hand and was taken over by Madan Mohan Malviya who was a
freedom fighter and a Congress leader. The finances for the paper were arranged by the
noted industrialist, late G.D. Birla, who in 1927, made his debut as one of its directors
after buying some shares, from then on it was conducted on a sound financial base. Later
on, it was completely taken over by Birlas.

The Hindustan Times was inaugurated by Gandhiji and the first issue contained articles
by Shri Motilal Nehru, Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru and Mohomed Ali. Its first editor was Mr.
K.M. Pankikar, Shri Lala Lajpat Rai, Shri Narendra Nath and Shri M.R. Jayakkar were
among its other owners and first directors. Because it was the only English newspaper in
the Capital, it attracted wide notice from the beginning Mr. K.M. Panikkar with the
support of Mr. K.C. Roy of the Associated Press of India was able to establish high
standards of journalism in the Hindustan Times

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GROWTH

The Hindustan Times was started as a single edition tabloid size English daily of 8 pages,
and today it is a 20 to 24 pages daily. Hindustan Times was the first paper to introduce
spot colours in Delhi.

At the time, when the paper was launched its circulation ran only in just thousand but
today it has a readership of more than 4 lakhs on week days and around 5 lakhs on week
ends. The paper when introduced in 1924 was just for 6 paise and it gradually increased
over the years because of the increasing cost of production. Now the price is Rs. 1.50 on
six days, and Rs. 3.00 on Friday for a paper.

Earlier only display ads were there but they were smaller in size since the paper was
tabloid in size. Today, it not only carries display ads but also classified ads.

POLICY

One thing which is unique in Hindustan Times is that it leaves no scope for inaccurate or
unfair reporting as every one knows that newspaper can never distort the facts. The
Hindustan Times keeps publishing regular analysis on relevant events which are not only
written by their regular staffs and senior editors but also by other personalities. The
Hindustan Times holds the same position in Indian Press as does the New York Times in
American media. It is not only read and influences the ruling elites but also fellow
journalists of Indian Language Press and other media persons, Television and Radio. Its
credibility as a forum for debate and discussion on burning national and international
issues is far ahead that of others.

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 A COMPARISON BETWEEN NEWSPAPERS AND OTHER
CONSUMER GOODS

Though newspaper is considered a product, yet it is very different from the normal
consumer goods. As in the case of the process of production, the fundamental purpose of
a newspaper is also totally different from that of other consumer products like soap,
cigarette and perfumes etc.

Newspaper has a limited shelf-life. Infact the buyer behaviour is quite similar to the one
experienced in case of fast moving consumer goods. The marketing practices adopted for
getting more readers or for retaining the existing readers are quite similar to what is
practiced by fast moving consumers goods marketers.

But the speed required to react to the ever changing needs of readers is many times faster
than what is required in case of other products e.g. a newspaper has to capture a news
event just in time, other wise it loses its relevance. This type of immediate response to the
buyers need is not witnessed in case of most of the other consumer product categories.

The readers have to be given newspaper on time. Again the complications involved
specially because of the limited time available are not comparable to any other product or
service.

Any age group can read newspaper. As a result the marketer has to tackle different type
of buyers at the same time.

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Sharp segmentation on the basis of age or sex is not possible in case of newspapers. The
segmentation is primarily done on the basis of, likes, dislikes, views, knowledge or
language etc. eg. from amongst the same readers some prefer the Indian Express, some
prefer The Times of India while some others may prefer The Hindustan Times. The
differences between the three newspapers as far as the news is concerned would
primarily be of different views.

Sales only take place because a buyer feels he will receive more value than the value of
money he parts with. Since extra advantage is a matter of feeling, the more cerebral the
product, the more would be its influence on the buyer's choice. This factor again
differentiates a newspaper from other consumer goods.

The large majority of consumer products are functionally individual satisfiers, in so much
that their use is an individual activity, like that of a soap. In the case of a newspaper its
entire raision d'etre is for a group and it strives to hold a group together.

2.4 THE MARKETING MIX OF NEWSPAPER

The first P - Product

We do not describe newspapers as a product or an object but as benefits which are

offered to the target market. Thus there are two important things to note.

1. Newspaper is a bundle or features and benefits.

2. These benefits and features have a relevance for a specific target market.

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 Hence while developing newspapers it is important that the package of benefits must
have a customer's perspective. A newspaper is a product with very low shelf life and
negligible options for attractive packaging.

For developing newspapers we have to assess customer benefits. It is said that people
don't buy products because of their attributes rather they buy their benefits.

The second P-Pricing

Newspaper, nowadays follow competitive pricing strategy. Pricing strategy is such as to

cope - up with the competition. In setting price, several factors in relation to the overall
marketing strategy should be considered.

The third P - Place or distribution

The distribution channel in case of newspaper is very short and direct.

The Fourth P - Promotion

Consumers of newspapers prefer personal sources over impersonal sources of

information. Promotion of newspapers is done basically to make a strong impression of
competency and to manage and maintain a fine image by positive world of mouth.

The Fifth p - people or Internal Market

In a newspaper industry if the employees are not given training in how to go about face to
face customer contact the entire marketing effort may not prove to be effective. Here, in

19
newspaper organisation employees are the contact personnel with the customer and they
play an important role in the marketing operations of an organization. So it becomes
essential to develop motivated and customer conscious employees.

The sixth P - Physical evidence

The physical evidence shapes the perception of the customer on the basis of which he
makes his purchase decision. Thus managing physical evidence is integral to the
marketing mix.

The Seventh P - Process Management

Process management will ensure availability and consistent quality of newspapers.

Without sound process management, balancing service demand with service
supply is extremely difficult.

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 CHAPTER-3

LITERATURE REVIEW

“Advertiser Perceptions: Cross Media Builds Purchase Intent” BY:

research firm advertising Perceptions 2010. The study found consumers
expressed a stronger intent to buy a particular product after they had been exposed to ads
for it on more than one medium. That finding could lend strong support to media buyers
looking to justify cross-media ad spend, especially since "intent to buy" is considered an
important way to measure a campaign's success.

In the study of “Advertiser perception of the internet as marketing

Communication vehicle: Case study ―By Khalid Alrawi and Walid
Alrawi African Journal of Marketing Management (2009) The overriding
finding of the study is that the scope of Internet usage as a media is affected by
managements' perceptions of the effectiveness of their websites as marketing tools. The
researcher‘s recommendation in this context is that firms should develop and evaluate a
web-based methodology for evaluating the effectiveness of promotional websites. ―The
public’s perception of advertising in today’s Society by Sally Ford-Hutchinson and Annie
Roth well” The Thinking Shop 9 Kenneth Crescent London NW2 4PS 2009. The main
findings of this study is that -Advertising is everything with a name on it, Life without
advertising would be dull, Advertising is an indicator of business health ‗Clever‘
advertising is good advertising is all -embracing :The all embracing concept of
advertising was a widely held one although the older respondents (age 25+)

Moose pile (2008), Print media is certainly entering a new phase, but the death knell
hasn't sounded yet, and this is an old topic. The "print" side of it, i.e. putting their wares
onto a physical medium, is changing, but it doesn't affect the core of what print media is.
Don't forget that "print media" is words, Images, etc put onto a paper medium - but the

21
medium is merely the vehicle. It's the Print media that is moving to the "display media",
but nothing else is changing. The Words and images that print media produces come via
another medium now, but it's the same. You can't call print media dead or dying because
people don't want to read on Paper anymore - the content doesn't need paper as a medium
to be relevant.

“Brand Perception & Brand Equity of Baby Accessory Products in

Working Moms’
Perspective” By: Phusit Wonglorsaichon* and Paitoon
Sathainrapabayut source International Review of Business Research
Papers Vol. 4 No.1 January 2008 Pp.385- 395. The findings of this study are,
working moms who were using differences brand would be perceived their brand with
difference ways. Working mom who was using Pigeon perceived that Pigeon was
innovating, Avnet was modernizing and Chico was safety for their babies. These results
were based on marketing communication programs that have been implementing from
each brand in order to create their brand characteristic and brand differentiation from
other players.

Children‟s Perception on TV Advertising A Case Study Of 3RD

Graders in SBY”: Maria Errson Ulrika Kobin SOURCE: Lulea
University of technology Bachelor thesis Marketing Department of
business administration and social sciences Division of indusial
marketing and e-commerce (2007). The findings of this study reveal that children
are affected by tv advertisements and more they watch the more they are affected. They
are highly influenced by peers. Furthermore, their behaviour towards parents and pester
more are also affected by their viewing of advertisements. The most memorable
commercial advertisements for the children appear to be the ones using humours and
celebrities.

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 CHAPTER-4

RESERACH DESIGN

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Research Design

To analyze and design this project in the present situation, the following type of research
has been taken into consideration:-

Analytical research: This has been conducted to collect information through survey
method i.e. preparing questionnaire and interviewing readers of both TOI and HT on the
basis of this questionnaire.

Quantitative research: This sort of research offered a direction of gathering data and
information regarding the comparative study between the TOI and HT newspaper to
provide a conclusive report.

DATA COLLECTION SOURCES

Data collection sources are divided in the following two categories.

1. Primary data : The main source for the study of this project was the questionnaire
through which data has been collected from 100 respondents. So the information
gathered through the questionnaire provides the best needed source for the
project.

2. Secondary research: Secondary data offered a great help in forming the project as
it provides company profile and other facilities like books on marketing research.

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THE NEWSPAPER WAR

The Times of India and the Hindustan Times being the two top newspapers of the country
are competing with each other for a greater market share.

Although, the Times of India (est. in 1838) is older than The Hindustan Times (est. in
1934), but when the Hindustan Times came to the fore, it took away a substantial market
from the Times of India and provided a good competition to it.

So to outdo The Hindustan Times and to further accelerate the growth rate in view of the
existence of a large body of latent readership, the Times of India adopted new marketing
strategy. This presence of latent readership was perceived, on the basis of the following
factors.

1. Considerable increase in the number of middle class families, during the date 80s/90s.
According to recent estimate, the urban middle class comprised 100 million people and
was increasing at the rate of over 10% per year.

2. National research shows that the readership of general newspaper (other than financial
papers) is increasing steadily.

3. Rising proclivity of the richer urban middle class to purchase packaged goods
supported by advertising. As a corollary of this trend, it has lead to a much wider interest
of the public in advertisement and information through advertisement can be attained
from the general newspaper. So, I took up this project to make a comparative study of
both the newspapers.

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SAMPLING PLAN

Sample Size: The data was collected from 100 samples. All the 100 readers were from
Delhi, ranging from all age group of 18-65 including student, servicemen and business
class and also others.

The sample report can be written as follows

Sample size : 100

Occupation

Students : 30

Service : 34

Business : 30

Others : 6

Further classification

Age group 18-25 26-45 45-65

Students 27 3 --

Service 4 18 12

Business 2 12 16

Others 1 2 3

Sampling Procedure

This sample is chosen on the basis of stratified random sampling.

25
Analytical Tools

For the project study we made use of many analytical tools such as percentage, Pie
charts in order to analyze and depict the data.

26
 CHAPTER-5

DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATIONS

1. WHICH OF THE TWO NEWSPAPERS DO YOU PREFER TO

READ?

FIG.1

Interpretations: According to the data collected, it is observed that majority of people

prefer Times of India i.e 52% over Hindustan Times because of its various factors like
language, graphics, printing, clarity in delivering information and many more.

27
2. WHICH FACTOR MAKES YOU READ YOUR PREFERRED
NEWSPAPER THE MOST?

HINDUSTAN TIMES

FIG.2

TIMES OF INDIA

28
 FIG.3
Interpretations: According to the data collected, it is observed that the prime reasons
for the preference of Times of India is the information and the clarity of the newspaper.
Whereas, it is also seen that printing and editorial are the other two factors which is better
in Hindustan Times.

3. WHICH PURPOSE DOES YOUR PREFERRED NEWSPAPER

SATISFY THE MOST?

HINDUSTAN TIMES

29
 FIG.4

Interpretations: According to the data collected, it is observed that majority of people

believe that Hindustan Times satisfies the purpose of Entertainment. And also, somewhat
helpful in finding jobs and in delivering Business news.

TIMES OF INDIA

FIG.5

Interpretations: According to the data collected, Times of India is majorly preferred for
fulfilling entertainment purposes. And also, is preferred for finding jobs and delivering
business news.

30
4. FOR SEEKING JOBS WHICH OF THESE SUPPLEMENTS DO
YOU PREFER?

FIG.6

Interpretations: According to the data collected, it is observed that for seeking job
supplements majority of people prefer careers i.e 60% compared to ascent.

5. WHICH OF THE TWO SUPPLEMENTS YOU PREFER READING

MORE?

31
 FIG.7

Interpretations: It is drawn from the data collcted that, majority of people prefer
reading HT city as supplement as compared to Delhi Times.

6. HOW DO YOU RATE THE FOLLOWING WITH RESPECT TO

THE TIMES OF INDIA?

TIMES OF INDIA

FIG.8

32
7. HOW DO YOU RATE THE FOLLOWING WITH RESPECT TO
THE HINDUSTAN TIMES?

HINDUSTAN TIMES

FIG.9

8. WHICH OF THESE TWO NEWSPAPERS WOULD YOU

PREFER WITH RESPECT TO THE FOLLOWING
VARIABLES?

TIMES OF INDIA

33
 FIG.10

HINDUSTAN TIMES

FIG.11

9. WOULD YOU LIKE TO CONTINUE THE SAME

NEWSPAPER IN THE COMING MONTHS?

34
(a) YES (b) NO

According to the survey conducted, the Hindustan Times people still prefers to continue
with their taste and similar is the case for Times of India

CHAPTER-6

CONCLUSION AND FINDINGS

FINDINGS

COVER NEWS

The data given shows that on the whole the readers feel that the coverage of news on the
cover page is better in case of TOI as compared to HT. Reader's feel that the cover page
of TOI has good presentation of news which creates good image among the readers.
Secondly, there is also good understanding of the news on front page which further

35
makes it popular. But as far as headings are considered people feel that HT has more
catchy headlines.

NATIONAL NEWS

In this category HT has an edge over TOI due to its wide coverage of national news. HT
has more diverse and in depth coverage and hence among HT readers 24% feel that it is
excellent and 48% feel that it is good, whereas in case of TOI only 18% feel that it is
excellent and 47% feel that it is good. The readers also feel that the national news in HT
is factual and is delivered on time whereas TOI sometimes delivers the news late. The
TOI also has comprehensive view.

Further classification shows the similar trends by students, servicemen as well as

businessmen i.e. they all feel that as compared to TOI, HT gives better coverage of
national news.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

In international section TOI far excels HT due to its interesting and diverse coverage.
The TOI covers all the major events in the international arena and is considered the best
newspaper for accurate international news.

The readers feel that HT is far lagging behind TOI in case of coverage of international
news, as very less space is devoted to international news in case of HT.

The data shows that in case of TOI 22% of TOI readers feels that international news s
extremely good but only 9% of HT readers feel that coverage of international news is
extremely good.

EDITORIAL

36
TOI has carved a niche for itself in the editorial section. It has interesting articles and
good editorial sections. In HT the educational section is good enough with the section
letters to the editor but still it is lagging behind TOI in case of educational section.

The editorial in TOI is adored by all its readers for the quality of language and the
contents.

Further classification on the basis of occupation shows that though all the segments
favors TOI for editorial but it is seen that businessmen are biased towards HT and
servicemen are biased towards TOI.

SPORTS SECTION

In the sports section also HT is the leader. HT is leading because of its diverse and
current coverage whereas in TOI diverse news is given but the current coverage of the
sports news is not so good. The readers feel that in case of HT apart from coverage of
major sports event it also keeps publishing regular sports analysis on relevant events
which are not only written by their regular staff and senior editors but also by sports
personalities. Further classification shows that the students feel that TOI despite having
daily two pages for sports, is not able to deliver much to its readers. Secondly in TOI
most of the news in sports is not by its own correspondents and they depend on the news
agencies.

37
ENTERTAINMENT SECTION

In the entertainment section though TOI is better than HT but the difference is not very
perceptible as the performance of both the newspapers in case of entertainment
section is similar.

The data received on the basis of questionnaire shows that 42% TOI readers feel that
entertainment news is extremely good whereas 40% of HT readers feel that cartoon &
entertainment section is extremely good. So this clearly shows that there is not of much
difference between the two newspapers regarding entertainment section.

BUSINESS NEWS

HT is leading in case of Business section. As per the findings, this is mainly because of
the stock listing. Though the reader’s feel that HT is leading both in case of business
news and stock listings but stock listings is given very good coverage in HT which has
led to excellence of HT in Business Section.

Readers of HT also reason out the good performance of HT in business news by

saying that HT gives views of general public as well as experts with respect to business
matters.

CLASSIFIEDS- Classified have better coverage in HT, than in TOI. TOI is lagging
behind in this section as more and more readers feel that the information given in HT is
varied and the amount of information is also more in case of HT. Further HT is leading in
this section mainly because it provides information with respect to UTI bulletin &
Magazine and tenders. Though TOI is lagging in this field it is sometimes preferred
because of its day wise concentration as TOI provides classifieds on a particular topic on
a particular day whereas HT provides mixed classifieds on all days.

38
ADVERTISEMENT AND NEWS RATIO

Today, Print media is getting fewer ads compared to in the past because of the visual
media, T.V. However it is not hampering its economic front because revenue wise print
media is quite ahead though not share wise at present. Despite the influence of other
media, people still prefer print media because of its impact, though limited.

The ratio of news to advertisement is less in case of HT and more in case of TOI i.e. in
general the number of advertisements is less in TOI as compared to HT.

Because of high % of advertisement more than half of the revenue earned by HT comes
from the advertisements placed in it.

The research shows that whenever more advertisements are to be placed in the daily, the
number of pages of the newspaper are increased but no ads are missed out but the
authorities at HT say that though HT is carrying more advertisement and may be that is
one way of making profits, but at the same time the readers are being benefited by
advertisement (both display & classified). The authorities also feel that HT is not carrying
more ads at the cost of news. The people at HT say that the season for HT being popular
among the advertisers could be its high circulation because advertisers always look into
readership of the publication while placing an advertisement.

A newspaper to maintain good standard in terms of ratio between news and

advertisement should maintain the ratio at 60:40.

SUPPLEMENTS

With respect to Delhi Times (TOI) and HT city, (HT) Delhi Times as has an impact over
the readers as against HT city (Hindustan Times).People feel that Delhi Times is more
entertaining as it gives varied news.

39
The most important aspect in case of supplement war is that' Section of HT which gives
news regarding the English and Hindi Cinema and also the television. It gives the
complete information regarding the current happenings in cinema world and the
television media and gives the details of the various programmed, movies etc. to be
telecasted in the coming week by various channels. It also gives interviews of popular
personalities and the latest releases etc. TOI lags behind in this section as it has no
supplement to counter that. Though TOI gives some information of this category in other
supplements but still it cannot give complete information in this regard.

SWOT ANALYSIS OF THE TIMES OF INDIA

STRENGTHS WEAKNESS
COMPANY GOODWILL
NEGATIVE PERCEPTION IN THE MINDS
OF DEALERS AND VENDORS
MORE THAN 158 YEARS EXPERIENCE

GOOD EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT

LATE PENETRATION IN DELHI PERCIEVED
AS HIGH CLASS BIAS
STRONG RESEARCH AND MARKET

BUSINESS NEWS FORM

THE ECONOMIC TIMES

INVITATION PRICING

NIE (NEWSPAPER IN EDUCATION)

DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT

40
 THREATS OPPORTUNITIES

ALTERNATIVE BRANDS LARGE POTENTIAL MARKET

DEALERS UNION INCREASE IN ENGLISH READERSHIP

NEW INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

OTHER MEDIA SUCH AS T.V.

RISE IN PRICES OF RAW MATERIALS i.e.

PAPER
SWOT ANALYSIS OF THE HINDUSTAN TIMES

STRENGTHS WEAKNESS

COMPANY GOODWILL BUSINESS NEWS NOT UP TO

CAPTURING MARKET THROUGH
MARKETING & ADVERTISEMENT
ANALYTICAL
DATE
NO ATTENTION TO RESEARCH
AND MARKET DEVELOPMENT

STATEGIES

LARGEST CIRCULATING ENGLISH

DAILY
THREATS

ALTERNATIVE BRANDS OPORTUNITIES

DEALERS UNION
LARGE POTENTIAL MARKET
NEW INFORMATION
INCREASE IN ENGLISH
TECHNOLOGY
READERSHIP
OTHER MEDIA SUCH AS T.V
MEET DEMAND OF SPECIFIC
TARGET GROUP
RISE IN PRICES OF RAW
MATERIALS i.e.PAPER
41
INCREASE COMPETTTION
42
READER'S SUGGESTIONS

Reader's suggestions and recommendations with respect to value additions to TOI and
HT.

The Times of India

1. Ascent should be printed more than once a week;

2. Should improve upon its printing;

3. University results & results of Medical examination and other professional colleges
should be printed from time to time;

4. News should be closer to the truth;

5. Update the sports section;

6. Information regarding competitive examination;

7. More space should be provided for the business news and financial news

8. Improvement in stock listings required

The Hindustan Times

1. Careers should be printed twice a week

2. Reduce on Advertisements

3. Should provide more factual news

4. More feature pages should be added regarding career and profession

5. Information regarding health and career guidance must be included in deities

43
6. More information regarding global market

7. Some fortnightly magazine must be introduced

8. Indexing news on the front page

44
 RECOMMENDATION

The following recommendations are made to TOI in order to improve its circulation:

More attention should be given to sports news, classified and advertisement where he
readers preferred to read Hindustan Times.

Newspaper industry is dependent on the hawkers and vendors because the newspaper
is a product which reaches at customer’s door and the supply of the product is totally
dependent on them. Therefore the company should express that Times of India is
interested in offering more benefits to their dealers.

Incentives should be given to those dealers who are increasing the sale of the TOI so
that other vendors also got motivated by this and increase the sale of TOI.

The cover page should contain less of advertisement so that readers get an impression
that TOI offers more news than advertisement.

More advertisement should be published to make people aware of their product features
and their leading strategies.

Earlier when the TOI reduced the price of their newspaper it had affected the entire
industry. It also reduced the profit of the hawkers and there are a number of dealers who

45
still have some grievances. The Times of India, company should take care of that and
should arrange some profits for them so that they can feel comfortable with the company
and they get an impression that company cares for them.

Delhi Times is well accepted by the reader but they still complain about the less news
and more of advertisements in this supplement.

The supplements of Saturday and Sunday should be planned in such a way which can
entertain readers in a better way.

Ascent is a supplement which offers only high profile jobs; low profile jobs should
also be included in it.

A few readers have complained that some times, the news is delayed by one day, this
delay is a curse for the newspaper company and it always gives a negative impression.

More news should be provided in the newspaper, Company should maintain news and
advertisement ratio at 60:40 respectively.

Ascent information is being given one date late and if possible should be printed twice
a week.

46
 Detailed & more current sports news should be incorporated. Also articles by
professional on prospects & future of various sports should be included which will make
the sports column more interesting to the sports lovers.

QUESTIONNAIRE

1.WHICH OF THE TWO NEWSPAPERS DO YOU PREFER TO READ?

(a) THE TIMES OF INDIA (b) THE HINDUSTAN TIMES

47
2. WHICH FACTOR MAKES YOU READ YOUR PREFERRED NEWSPAPER
THE MOST?

(a) PRINTING (b) GRAPHICS

(c) CLARITY
(d) INFORMATION
(e) EDITORIAL

3. WHICH PURPOSE DOES YOUR PREFERRED NEWSPAPER SATISFY THE

MOST?

Very Not
important Important important
Entertainment
Awareness
Business
Jobs

4. FOR SEEKING JOBS WHICH OF THESE SUPPLEMENTS DO YOU

PREFER?
(a) CAREERS (b) ASCENT

5. WHICH OF THE TWO SUPPLEMENTS YOU PREFER READING MORE?

(a) HT CITY (b) DELHI TIMES

6. HOW DO YOU RATE THE FOLLOWING WITH RESPECT TO THE TIMES

OF INDIA?

excellent good fair poor

Business
national

48
International
sports
Entertainment
classifieds

7. HOW DO YOU RATE THE FOLLOWING WITH RESPECT TO THE

HINDUSTAN TIMES?

excellent good fair Poor

Business
national
International
sports
Entertainment
classifieds

8. WHICH OF THESE TWO NEWSPAPERS WOULD YOU PREFER WITH

RESPECT TO THE FOLLOWING VARIABLES?
HT TOI
COVER NEWS
NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL
NEWS
ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
SPORTS NEWS
BUSINESS NEWS
CLASSIFIEDS
SUPPLEMENTS

9. WOULD YOU LIKE TO CONTINUE THE SAME NEWSPAPER IN THE

COMING MONTHS?

49
(a) YES (b) NO

10. SUGGESTIONS:
………………………………………………………………………………….
…………………………………………………………………………………..

PERSONAL DETAILS

NAME:
SEX:
AGE:
OCCUPATION:

50
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

INTERNET

1. www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/

2. www.hindustantimes.com

3. www.HTnext.com

BOOKS

51
1. Philip Kotler and Kevin Lane Keller, Marketing Management, Pearson Education,
2006 .

2. Times of India

3. Hindustan Times

52