Indian Newspaper Readership and The Impact of COVID-19: A Case of Dainik Bhaskar

Abstract

The following paper looks at the question of readership and the future of print in a post pandemic scenario. While keeping the broad framework of that future of print in mind, the paper looks at the journey of the newspaper Dainik Bhaskar which is one of the top five daily periodicals by circulation in the world. The effect of the pandemic on the newspaper industry in general and Bhaskar’s particular response to it help us nuance the picture of the future of print through the lens of access to capital, resources etc. The question of diverging trends when it comes to newspaper readership in India and the world are also taken up.