India's language dailies are "tapping into the mix of sentiment and technology," as the Internet serves a means of "keeping in touch with one's roots" and staying informed as more people spread around the globe.

Internet "penetration" is increasing in rural areas, adding to the base of nearly 50 million users in mostly urban settings, Exchange4Media is reporting.

Newspapers had been launching their online versions as "customary add-ons to their main dailies," Exchange reports, but more papers have started to launch newer verticals as well as sub-domains, enabling them to "have better control over classifieds" and use the online medium effectively and profitably.

Online versions of newspapers have become "brands" in and of themselves with high page views per month and extensive readership. As an integral part of the newspaper business in India, most dailies are looking to extend the market.

Online has never been considered an "add-on" feature, Mariam M. Mathew of daily paper's web version, Malayala Online, said.

"Online editions of regional newspapers will not only grow in the future as hyper-local information centers, but will also become the key-differentiating factor," Mathew said. "Their strong brand presence in the market will also help in this growth."

Source: Exchange4Media via IFRA