Dear Sir,
In response to an article that appeared today titled ‘Onslaught of Internet on the traditional Newspaper’, whilst I agree that it has definitely eaten into the production of newspapers, readership and in most cases ads, I do like to point that the newspapers is still a very strong medium. I for one, do not see the newspapers being replaced by the new generation Tabs and the Pads. At the same time, it is only in the developed nations that the distribution of news has expanded to a considerable extent, thanks to the creation of internet / World Wide Web enabled devices and appliances. Infact, you don’t need a computer to surf for information now, there are TV sets available where we can get information online. In case of developing or underdeveloped nations like India, the penetration of computers is still very small. According to PWC, India’s internet penetration is a dismal 7 % (about 80 million) , while the newspapers reaches about 242 million users in India.
And to second what Mr Mani has said, even in the west, there is no such threat. While the number of printed may have reduced, the number of subscriptions have increased as many users subscribed to the online version of the newspapers as well. Newspapers who have robust clientele like WSJ, Financial times do not allow user to just read the news. The news is available on subscription. So in the end, it only about being smart and embracing the available technology to gather and deliver news/ News will remain the same, whichever medium it is delivered.
Thanks!
Yours sincerely
Sam KHUMANTHEM
Manager – Corporate Communications
HSBC Technology and Services
