Malayalam newspaper Mathrubhumi has teamed with TeliBrahma to deliver an augmented reality experience on a new platform.

The mobile Mathrubhumi Insight site has been offering video, photo and additional content for readers since the start of the month. Android smartphone users snap a picture or logo to access rich media, with an iPhone app following shortly.

TeliBrahma Technologies principal PR Satheesh says readers from Kerala are “the most involved and knowledgeable” when it comes to news. “It is our privilege to extend a new experience through the Mathrubhumi Insight mobile application, which is powered by our PointART technology,” he says.

Mathrubhumi marketing and electronic media director MV Shreyams Kumar says the AR app brings “another dimension” to printed content through a combination of augmented reality and visual recognition technology. “The application enables us to deliver multimedia content through our print products, thus making the reading experience wholesome, interactive and exciting,” he says.

The newspaper, which claims readership of about 6.5 million, is the first in the southwest Indian state to launch an augmented reality application. Front page news, sports and global news are being augmented in the first phase.

“By integrating augmented reality, Mathrubhumi will be able to bring interactivity to static print pages with video overlays, slideshows, social media connect, links to download content and so on, and emphasise the importance of connecting print publications with digital engagements through mobile.”