Divya Marathi to debut from Aurangabad in May

The second edition of the daily will be launched in Nasik in June, followed by the Jalgaon edition.

The maiden edition of Divya Marathi, Dainik Bhaskar Group's Marathi offering, is all set to be launched from Aurangabad in May, 2011. This will be followed by an edition from Nasik, in June.

The group has completed its first phase of survey in the city of Aurangabad, where it contacted 7 lakh people. According to those close to the development, around 97 per cent of those contacted during the survey are ready for a new daily. The group is in the process of identifying the requirements of the locals in this particular market.

The Dainik Bhaskar group initiated the booking process on March 19, charging Rs 740 for a yearly subscription. The group is eyeing an initial print run of 1.50 lakh copies for the first edition of Divya Marathi, of which 80,000 will cater to the city of Aurangabad, and the remaining copies will reach out to its neighbouring towns and cities, including Jalna.

The new entrant will face competition from Lokmat and Sakaal. As per sources, the Dainik Bhasar Group will follow the same strategy it follows for its other offerings - to be aggressive right from the beginning, and create a buzz prior to the launch.

The Dainik Bhaskar Group kickstarted its OOH campaign in the city a while back, to announce its intentions to launch Divya Marathi from the city. The copy of the hoarding written in Marathi read, 'Coming soon to know your preference', Divya Marathi by Dainik Bhaskar Group.

Soon after this, the Lokmat Group launched an OOH campaign on the same lines, with a similar backdrop. The hoarding put up across the city by Lokmat has its copy written in Marathi - 'Now your preferences will be given prime importance'.

Sakaal hasn't created anything yet to contest the upcoming competition in the market.

While Lokmat has a cover price of Rs 3.5 on all days, Sakaal bears a cover price of Rs 3 on three days, and Re 1 on the other four days of the week. According to sources, Divya Marathi will, in all probability, have a cover price Rs 2.50.