Moneycontrol reigns as No.1 digital destination for Budget Day coverage, beats previous digital readership records

Moneycontrol’s Budget-Day coverage smashed all previous digital traffic records as people from across India visited its specially designed microsite for up-to-date information and quick clarity on 1 February, when the finance minister announced a raft of measures to revive the economy. Moneycontrol, India’s leading financial news platform, experienced a significant increase in visits by readers, again  becoming the destination of choice for the most comprehensive, and real-time coverage of the  Union Budget.Moneycontrol cornered more visits by users than its competitors, The Economic Times, LiveMint and Financial Express, by 21% and 77%, 108%, respectively, according to data by SimilarWeb, a testament to the value that readers attach to its coverage of important financial events. Moneycontrol also recorded a higher number of sponsors than the competition. The high-engagement numbers again demonstrate the faith of readers and sponsors in our real-time updates, which again was backed by in-depth insights on the  Union Budget 2021. Readers flocked to Moneycontrol’s  live updates blog for real-time information that was supported by deep analysis of the impact of the announcements. Moneycontrol’s team of senior editors along with our in-house analysts and financial experts of think-tanks connected the dots for our readers as the budget unfolded. A unique feature of the budget day coverage this year was the display of a set of smart visual cards that gave readers up-to-date information of the budget’s measures on each vital sector of the economy. Binoy Prabhakar, Executive Editor, Moneycontrol, said: “The  Union Budget is India’s biggest financial event every year and Moneycontrol’s team of journalists, designers, product managers and engineers collaborated to give our readers a unique experience. I am pleased to note that more readers than ever visited our website for our important stories, deep analysis, and valuable commentary.” Moneycontrol broke down the Budget for readers using the theme Rebuilding India, which captured the impact of Budget 2021 on individuals, investors and businesses. Through the day and well into the night, Moneycontrol used a variety of storytelling formats, including videos and podcasts, that helped readers make sense of the budget. “The incredible traffic numbers demonstrate that readers gave a huge thumbs-up to our efforts to bring them the most precise, relevant and comprehensive coverage of the budget,” said Binoy Prabhakar, Executive Editor, Moneycontrol. Some of India’s biggest policymakers, the sharpest business minds and well-known corporate leaders also weighed in on the budget, discussing the finer points of the Budget and offering insights what the measures would mean for the economy and business. Moneycontrol interviewed the masterminds of the budget such as minister of state for Finance and Corporate Affairs Anurag Thakur, finance secretary Ajay Bhushan Pandey, expenditure secretary TV Somanathan; India’s top dealmakers and corporate lawyers such as Zia Mody, co-Founder & Managing Partner, AZB & Partners and Cyril Shroff, Managing Partner, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas; and financial experts such as  Ashish Shankar, Head - Investment Advisory, Motilal Oswal Private Wealth Management and Homi Mistry, Partner, Deloitte Haskins & Sells LLP, among others, to give intelligent analysis about the budget. Moneycontrol’s Budget-Day coverage stood out because it not only provided real-time updates but also unpacked an exhaustive assessment of the measures. Disclosure: FirstPost is a sister concern of Moneycontrol and part of the Network18 Group