The media landscape in India is transforming, but how much of the transition is being swayed by digitalisation? There is now a greater emphasis on developing core capabilities like user-focused content, technology, and innovation — all with an eye on scaling up the new media ecosystem.

How are media companies adapting to this ever-changing dynamic?

Let’s talk facts: As per the joint research by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and Kantar, there are currently 759 million Internet users in the country. This number is expected to reach 900 million by 2025. The digital ecosystem is also evolving with emerging demographics, the diminishing urban-rural digital divide, and the rise of localised content.

As digital publishers aiming to make an impact, it is important to be proactive to provide maximum value to our readers and lead them along the path of significant engagement. The three important pillars upon which a digital ecosystem is centered today are building scale, driving impact, and making sustainable efforts.

1. Building the base of scale

Producing and distributing content using scalable technology is the need of the hour. This entails experimenting for a digitally enabled “new Bharat” (“emerging India,” the new, emerging trend surfacing in the country as the result of the burgeoning population under the age of 35) — creating new types of content, adopting different formats, using avant-garde technologies for distribution, and developing alternative revenue models to drive consumer aggregation.

This is the North Star for Jagran New Media: Produce “factual and credible content that empowers ‘new Bharat’ through knowledge, information and POV towards an inclusive and progressive society.”

Every vertical of Jagran is centered around content that is factual, credible, and verified, and that ultimately empowers people to make well-informed decisions. Following a data-backed approach helps formulate a content engine that is distributed at scale to readers across geographies. Transformation across different platforms can help acquire new audiences, gain actionable insights, facilitate result-driven advertising, and increase authoritativeness.

2. Bringing in the real impact

As they say, “the proof of the pudding is in the eating.” And, the effectiveness of any publishing strategy that is a blend of content and innovation can be analysed by user engagement metrics. The key is to engage users with content that is topical and concerns readers’ lives on a day-to-day basis.

To increase readership and average time spent, it is imperative to continuously devise strategies to reach target audiences and create a tangible impact.

One such example of literacy and evangelisation is Sach Ke Sathi, an award-winning campaign by Vishvasnews.com. The campaign organised on-the-ground news verification and fact-checking awareness workshops across the country, thus strengthening the intention of responsible journalism.

3. Sustainable for today and tomorrow

A common strategy for media companies is to focus on engagement and retention. While the cornerstone is the differentiation and factuality of content, combined efforts should also be aimed at creating a sustainable business model that prioritises diversified revenue and audience streams.

Our journalists are guided by newsroom 2.0 tools and data-driven processes that help generate ground-breaking, trending, informative, and authoritative content in multiple formats for distribution.

The future is here

Scaling technology and innovation will empower culturally focused organisations and make way for businesses to thrive. It is imperative to foster a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace, as it goes hand-in-hand with building an all-inclusive audience strategy that is fueled by technology.

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