Agenda

Indians love to consume news. More than 400 million people access the internet at least once a month and news sites are one of their favourite destinations. But the unexpected load during the lockdown has put stress on publisher infrastructure.

The pandemic, other than operational issues, has forced publishers to question many of their approaches including whether apps are a good investment or not: apps do allow personalisation and greater stickiness but, on the other hand, they lose out when it comes to social media traffic. There are greater security concerns around apps too.

Meanwhile, the old issues of inadequate monetisation haven’t gone away. Greater ad spends are moving online but publishers are not benefiting from this trend. What can custodians of news brands do under these circumstances?

As people begin to return to the world outside, will that alter the way they consume news? Have their expectations from their favourite media brands changed? Top publishers discuss.