Manoramaonline.com bags ‘Best News Website of The Year’ accolade in South Asian Digital Media Awards 2019

Other than Manoramaonline.com, the online news portal of Malayala Manorama, BBC News, The Wire, NDTV Hop, Arre, Sangbad Pratidin, Prothom Alo, ABP, Mathrubhumi and The Hindu are in the list of winners of the South Asian Digital Media Awards 2019. The awards recognise publishers that have adopted digital media and mobile strategies as part of their total product offering to meet the major changes in how people consume news today.

Manoramaonline.com, the digital version of Kerala-based Malayala Manorama newspaper is one of the largest regional language news websites in India. Before the award this year, the newspaper in 2016 had won the award for the Best News Website at the WAN-IFRA World Digital Media Awards. In the best news website category, the publisher also grabbed the second spot with its ‘Manorama Mobile’ offering.

This year, the award for the ‘Best News Startup’ went to The Wire (English) run by Foundation for Independent Journalism. The Wire also bagged Gold in the ‘Best Use of Online Video’ category for its web series Sadak Se Sansad, which covered stories from 55 Lok Sabha constituencies across India.

Two categories—Best Marketing Campaign for News Brand and Best Native Advertising/Branded Content Campaign—saw the Gold Award being shared by two contestants each. Sangbad Pratidin’s Augmented Reality Face Filters during Durga Puja—‘Pujor Face’, fetched it the top position for the best marketing campaign. It also won the bronze medal in the same category with its ‘MaaClicks’ campaign. The Hindu’s #UnderMyWatch campaign made it the other top scorer in the same category. The Hindu also emerged winner in the Best Paid Content Strategy with its ‘The Hindu+’ programme.

In the Best Native Advertising category, Prothom Alo’s ‘Alor Poth’ bagged Gold while ‘Shusthyotar Jonyo’ by ABP Pvt Ltd took it to the top spot.

The winners were selected from 10 categories including Best Data Visualisation, Best Digital News Startup, Best Digital Project to Engage Younger/Millennial Audience, Best in Lifestyle, Sports, Entertainment Website or Mobile Services, Best in Social Media Engagement, Best Marketing Campaign for News Brand, Best Native Advertising/Branded Content Campaign, Best News Website or Mobile Service, Best Paid Content Strategy (including membership or crowd funding models), and Best Use of Online Video.

Winners in Each Category

Best Data Visualisation

• Gold: BBC News – How many promises did the Narendra Modi government keep?
• Silver: The Federal – Chandrayaan 2 mission
• Bronze: Prothom Alo – Prothom Alo – Election Portal

Best Digital News Startup

• Gold: Foundation for Independent Journalism – The Wire English
• Silver: The Federal
• Bronze: ETV Bharat

Best Digital Project to Engage Younger/Millennial Audience

• Gold: NDTV Convergence – NDTV Hop
• Silver: Sangbad Pratidin – Pujor Face – Augmented Reality Face Filters during Durga Puja
• Bronze: BBC News – BBC’s Beyond Fake News Project

Best in Lifestyle, Sports, Entertainment Website or Mobile Services

• Gold: Arre
• Silver: The Hindu – Sportstar

Best in Social Media Engagement

• Gold: MM Publications Limited (Vanitha) – Ivide nalla vishesham campaign
• Silver: BBC Media Action (India) Limited – #FlushKeBaad: A social media initiative for public awareness on faecal Sludge Management
• Bronze: The Daily Star – Bangladesh in World Cup

Best Marketing Campaign for News Brand

• Gold: The Hindu – #UnderMyWatch
• Gold: Sangbad Pratidin – Pujor Face – Augmented Reality Face Filters during Durga Puja
• Silver: ABP Pvt Ltd – Santanan Dehi
• Bronze: Sangbad Pratidin – MaaClicks

Best Native Advertising/Branded Content Campaign

• Gold: Prothom Alo – Alor Poth
• Gold: ABP Pvt Ltd – Shusthyotar Jonyo
• Silver: Quintillion Media Pvt Ltd – The Bold Brunch
• Bronze: Times Network Digital- Jan Nivesh

Best News Website or Mobile Service

• Gold: Malayala Manorama Co. Ltd – Manorama Online
• Silver: Malayala Manorama Co. Ltd – Manorama Mobile
• Bronze: Quintillion Media Pvt Ltd – The Quint

Best Paid Content Strategy

• Gold: The Hindu – The Hindu+
• Silver: Quintype – BQ Blue
• Bronze: Vikatan – Appappo

Best Use of Online Video

• Gold: Foundation for Independent Journalism – The Wire – Sadak Se Sansad
• Silver: BBC News – Ink of the Earth
• Bronze: Quintillion Media Pvt Ltd – The Making of Lynchistan: Killing in the Name of the Cow
• Bronze: BBC News – Hand in Hand: A story of faith and friendship at Kumbh
• Bronze: Mathrubhumi Printing & Publishing Co Ltd – Mathrubhumi.com fire and flame.

Winners will be presented trophies on February 18 at Digital Media India 2020 conference to be held in New Delhi. The ‘Gold’ winners in each category of the award will compete in the World Digital Media Awards that will be presented at World News Media Congress scheduled to be organised from June 17-19 at Zaragoza, Spain.