Sakal Media Group is the largest independently owned media house in Maharashtra, under the umbrella of AP Globale. Boasting an impressive combined readership of 14 million across Marathi and English platforms, Sakal has revolutionized the way news is consumed. 

Since its establishment in 1932, Sakal has been synonymous with credibility and community trust. But it is not just their rich history that sets them apart. The dawn of the digital era saw Sakal leap forward, embracing the online world in the early 2000s. Launching web portals for news and agriculture in both Marathi and English, they set the stage for a digital revolution.

Sakal became the heart of the largest online Marathi community, creating a digital fortress with over 50 million traffic across all titles before the pandemic. Sakal not only weathered the storm of digital change but emerged as a leader, setting the stage for what is possible when tradition meets innovation.

Sakal grappled with multifaceted challenges that compromised its operational efficacy and market standing. The group's reliance on a custom-made Drupal-based platform for its flagship, e-sakal, manifested in pronounced operational inefficiencies—reporters faced hurdles in story submission, and the organization was beleaguered by sluggishness and ineffectiveness.

Key challenges included:

The team from Sakal detailed their operational challenges to Quintype, highlighting the substantial obstacles faced by their reporters. Despite producing hyperlocal content across 12 distinct locales in Maharashtra, Sakal's correspondents encountered formidable difficulties, especially when reporting from remote villages. 

The existing protocol required reporters to draft their articles on laptops and use an administrative VPN to submit their content, which often resulted in bottlenecks within the system. This inefficiency severely hampered timely reporting, transforming routine news dissemination into a Herculean task. 

Protracted Publishing Times: The legacy system necessitated minutes, not seconds, for publishing stories, even from within office precincts, significantly delaying Sakal's time to market. Sakal took almost 9 minutes to publish a story that undermined its competitiveness.

Stagnation in Innovation: The absence of cutting-edge technological integration and an outdated technical infrastructure precipitated considerable frustration. It signaled a dire need for modernization.

Inefficacies in Content Management Systems (CMS): The existing CMS was fraught with limitations, causing substantial delays in disseminating stories across Sakal's digital platforms and applications in Maharashtra. This is hampered reader engagement and also placed undue strain on journalists' ability to publish reports efficiently.

Over-reliance on External Agencies: The custom set up engendered a dependency on third-party entities, exacerbating challenges related to multi-platform publishing, technical glitches, and a resultant decline in web traffic.

‍Frequent Website Downtime: Sakal's digital presence was marred by recurrent website outages, evidenced by pervasive 503 and 504 errors. This detracted from the brand's reputation and impaired its capacity to manage traffic surges effectively.

‍Suboptimal SEO Practices: The limitations of the deployed CMS in accommodating intrinsic SEO optimization further restricted Sakal's content reach and visibility.

To address the pressing need for a more agile remote reporting mechanism, Sakal expressed a keen interest in transitioning to a mobile-based solution. This change aimed to eradicate the existing upload delays, which previously extended to approximately 10 minutes for an article, not accounting for the additional time required to adjust image sizes.

Addressing these challenges head-on, Quintype's intervention heralded a new era for Sakal, pivoting from a narrative of constraints to one of digital empowerment and operational revitalization. Sakal transformed its digital strategy, offering unmatched user experiences and engaging content that resonates with their audience. But how did Quintype does it?

Sakal desperately needed a better content management system (CMS) to address and eradicate the myriad challenges plaguing its operations seamlessly. Their imperative was clear: to transcend the limitations imposed by external dependencies and use a system renowned for its reliability, devoid of technical disruptions and frustrations.

Moreover, Sakal aspired to align with advancements in technology and operational excellence, ensuring their processes were efficient and future-proof. 

In addition to our innovative technology, we pledged unwavering 24*7 technical support, a testament to our commitment to our clients. This assurance was designed to shoulder any potential risks, enabling Sakal to operate with unparalleled peace of mind, confident that they were supported every step.

Responding to Sakal's exigencies, Quintype embraced their requirements and guaranteed a future where such impediments would be nonexistent. Our team thoroughly analyzed the challenges, proposing Quintype's state-of-the-art solutions tailored to meet and exceed, Sakal's expectations.

Publishing workflow: Sakal editorial team transformed their operations, achieving lightning-fast story publication, video, web pages enriched with captivating multimedia. They can publish the story in different languages with ease.

Multi-Channel Publishing: Content reaches effortlessly across various social platforms and devices at the click of a button with BOLD. Sakal harnessed this unified publishing solution to ensure that their compelling content reached their loyal audiences in no time.

Front-End Customization at Lightning Speed: With Quintype's intuitive page builder, customization is no longer a bottleneck to your go-to-market strategy. Sakal leveraged this tool to launch three digital products within two weeks. This level of agility and flexibility in front-end layout customization sets a new standard for Sakal.

Master SEO with Built-In Tools: Bold CMS has an advanced SEO tool enabled Sakal to refine their search engine strategy without needing external resources. This built-in feature ensures your content resonates with the audience and ranks well, increasing visibility and audience engagement.

Enhance Efficiency with AI: Imagine a backend so intelligent it simplifies complex processes and enhances your team's productivity. Sakal experienced a significant uplift in backend efficiency reduction in time with AI tools, allowing their team to focus on what they do best: creating captivating content.

Elevate User Experience with a State-of-the-Art Mobile App: In today's mobile-first world, providing a seamless smartphone reading experience is crucial. Sakal's mobile application, offers readers an unparalleled experience. With enhanced usability and zero technical glitches, readers enjoyed a flawless journey through Sakal's content, increasing reader satisfaction and loyalty.

Zero Downtime for Uninterrupted Operations: Reliability is the cornerstone of any digital product. With Bold CMS, Sakal enjoyed a flawless operation without technical errors or downtime. This stability ensures your content is always available to your audience, helping you build trust and reliability in your brand.

Sakal's meteoric rise after partnering with Quintype is nothing short of inspirational. At the heart of our mission lies a fundamental belief: success isn't just words, but it is in numbers. By integrating Quintype's newsroom CMS and page builder tools, their operational efficiency skyrocketed by an astonishing 50%. But that is not all. They also achieved a 30% surge in productivity, complemented by a 40% reduction in costs.

Sakal's journey with Quintype has taken them from a beloved local voice to a formidable competitor on the national stage. Expanding a reader base isn't just about breaking barriers, challenging norms, and setting new benchmarks for success in the media industry. With Quintype, Sakal has bridged the gap and set a new standard for excellence.

Quintype is a comprehensive solution suit that revolutionizes how content is created, managed, and delivered. Sakal's story is a testament to the transformative power of Bold CMS, showcasing how it can streamline operations, enhance user experience, and accelerate digital growth. 

Sakal is an example of what is possible when innovation meets ambition. If you are ready to transform your newsroom's efficiency, elevate your productivity, and save costs while delighting your editorial team, it is time to explore what Quintype can do for you. Like Sakal, you, too, can redefine your success story.