Digital Media India 2025, held in Chennai on 17-18 June, brought together more than 170 media executives from nearly 50 organisations. Now in its 14th year, the annual conference is a vital platform for South Asia’s news publishers to explore digital transformation, innovation, and revenue strategies
The Digital Media India 2025 Conference opened with a keynote by Alan Hunter and Michael Brunt, co-founders of HBM Advisory (UK) and members of the WAN-IFRA Expert Panel, who urged publishers to clearly define their mission and utilise AI as a strategic accelerator. “Everyone in your organisation, from interns to the editor-in-chief, should know why you exist, who you serve, and what value you provide,” said Hunter. “This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to rethink not just how you work but what you do,” added Brunt.
Day 1 sessions focused on AI-driven workflows, subscriptions, editorial reinvention, and audience engagement. Speakers included leaders from The Hindu, BBC, The Wire, Le Monde, and Jagran News Media. A standout roundtable featured Mariam Mammen Mathew (CEO, Manorama Online), Pradeep Gairola (VP & business head – Digital, The Hindu Group), and Krishnamurthy Ramasubbu (associate editor, Dinamalar), discussing strategies for sustainable digital growth.
“Editorial has become a side game in news organisations focused on a minimum viable product. But without a great editorial product, there’s no way a newsroom can survive,” said Gairola. “We’ve run after traffic, not value. Sustainable revenue needs more than just advertising,” noted Mathew. “Digital-only models aren’t viable at scale unless they’re niche,” Ramasubbu commented.
Day 2 spotlighted ethical innovation and user-first design. Speakers from BBC Collective Newsroom, The Quint, Manorama, Deutsche Welle, HT Labs, and others shared insights on building data-smart, accessible products. Chitranshu Tewari (director, Product & Revenue, Newslaundry) led a practical session on creating resilient independent media. Our app puts users at the centre – from profile deletion and subscription cancellation to granular notification control,” he said.
The event hosted the Digital Media Awards South Asia 2025 ceremony, where The Hindu Group was named Champion Publisher. More than 110 entries across multiple categories were received. Winners included The BBC, The Hindu, Hindustan Times, The Quint, Sakal, and The Indian Express. The awards recognised excellence in areas such as data visualisation, AI integration, newsletters, and reader revenue strategies.
(This article is from a WAN-IFRA press release.)
from Webdoux