17 - 18 June 2025
Chennai
India

Digital Media India 2025

Digital Media India 2025

June 16 Monday

10:00

Welcome address

10:05

Masterclass: Audience Engagement Tactics and Strategies.

Chair
Co-founder, HBM Advisory, UK / Member of WAN-IFRA Expert Panel
Co-founder HBM Advisory, UK / Member of WAN-IFRA Expert Panel
16:00

End of Masterclass

June 17 Tuesday

10:00

Welcome and Opening remarks

Speakers
CEO, Manorama Online, India
Managing Director, WAN-IFRA South Asia
10:05

Opening keynote: From legacy to leading edge: A framework for transforming newsrooms in the digital age.

Speakers
Co-founder, HBM Advisory, UK / Member of WAN-IFRA Expert Panel
Co-founder HBM Advisory, UK / Member of WAN-IFRA Expert Panel
10:30

Roundtable: Shaping the narrative of digital news media business. The business strategies and operating model for sustainable growth.

Chair
Senior Editor and Media Commentator
Speakers
CEO, Manorama Online, India
Vice President and Business Head - Digital, The Hindu Group
Associate Editor, Dinamalar
11:30

Networking break

12:00

Key drivers of digital transformation.

The strategies that worked in the changing media landscape and the path to building a successful, sustainable business model. (Virtual presentation)

Speakers
Louis Dreyfus - Photo: Damien Grenon · AFP
President and CEO, Group Le Monde, France

Lunch break

14:00

Digital subscription strategies and the journey to winning ‘Gold’ award at Digital Media Awards South Asia. A case study.

Revenue Track

Speakers
Business Head, Sakal Digital.
14:00

AI Showcase: Best case studies from the WAN-IFRA AI Catalyst South Asia Programme. A showcase of the best and most innovative AI projects.

Technology Track

Speakers
Chief Technology Officer, ABP Pvt Ltd
Resident Editor – Digital, Prabhat Khabar
DGM – IT & Production, Prabhat Khabar
Senior Subeditor, Malayala Manorama
14:30

Product thinking in the news media business to drive digital revenue. Case study of developing new products and successfully managing them.

Revenue Track

Speakers
Chief Product Officer & Business Head, STEP from The Hindu Group
15:00

Networking break

15:30

Stop building someone else’s empire. Start reclaiming yours!

Revenue Track

Revenue and audience value must stay where they belong: with the publisher, not walled-gardens ABP and Dailymotion Pro worked together to bring back the ownership—of their video tech, their costs, and their strategy.

Moderator
Sales Director, Enterprise & Supply India at Dailymotion
Speakers
VP of Supply & Enterprise Sales, APAC at Dailymotion
Head Of Engineering at ABP Network
15:30

Mastering news automation with AI-First CMS. Takeaways for seamless integration of AI into your digital publishing workflow for smarter, faster news delivery.

Technology Track

Speakers
Product Head- Times Internet
16:00

Audience engagement case study and presentation of one of top three new news websites in the world. A guide to what makes them unique.

Revenue Track

Speakers
Product Head, The Quint
16:00

Reimagining Journalism with AI: Fact-Checking, Literacy & Consumer Trust

Technology Track

Speakers
Deputy Editor, Vishvas News, Jagran New Media
16:30

In conversation: Independent content creators and the value proposition for the news media industry. Exploring partnerships, moving from competition to collaboration.

Moderator
Independent Journalist
Speakers
CEO and Co-Founder, Collective Newsroom, India
Founder-Editor, The Wire, India
17:15

End of day one conference.

June 18 Wednesday

09:30

Panel: Adopting to digital, the editorial imperatives. The roles have changed, how to meet the expectations of the different stakeholders. Editors of leading news media companies discuss the topic.

Chair
Executive Editor, The Quint, India
Speakers
Co-founder & Dy CEO, Collective Newsroom
Coordinating Editor, Manorama Online
10:15

Building for Trust: Accessibility, First-Party Data, and the Future of News Products

What does it take to build a news product that’s not just ethical—but also engaging, accessible, and data-smart? In this session, Chitranshu Tewari shares Newslaundry’s journey of creating one of India’s most trusted reader-funded platforms. From rethinking accessibility and deploying first-party data tools to redesigning distribution and reader engagement, this session offers practical insights into how independent media can build resilient, audience-first products—without compromising privacy or principles.

Speakers
Director, Product & Revenue, Newslaundry
10:45

Networking break

11:15

DW's biggest OTT success in India with Megacity Mindset and its content strategy. A presentation on the strategy behind this success of 57 million views and how OTT serves as an alternate publishing model.

Speakers
Editor, Asia Desk, Deutsche Welle
11:45

Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDP), India’s own GDPR. How to decode the Act.

Speakers
Executive Vice President - Technology, Info Edge India Ltd
12:15

Diversifying revenue streams, growing affiliate marketing business.

VG of Schibsted has grown its affiliate business from €0 to €10 million in just four years. This growth has been driven by editorial integrations, commercial content creators, and new services designed to simplify everyday life for users. The strategy around it. (Virtual presentation)

Speakers
Chief Commercial Officer, Schibsted Marketing Services, Norway
12:45

Lunch break

13:30

Incubating Labs within digital news enterprises. The strategies to bet for the future.

Speakers
Co-founder and CEO of HT Labs, Inventor of Saregama Carvaan, India
14:00

Leaders Fireside chat: Managing digital transformation and the future of news media business in the region.

Speakers
CEO, The Hindu Group, India
Managing Director, Vikatan Group
14:45

Startup at heart, and million users in mind. The way to scale and grow. The secret sauce of home grown digital mavericks.

Speakers
Founder & CEO, Kissflow
15:15

Digital Media Awards South Asia Presentation ceremony

16:30

Summary and closing

Day 1, 22062026

Sponsors

Supporting Publications

Contact us for more information

Thai Anban Chokkalingam

General Enquiries / Sponsorship

thai.anban@wan-ifra.org

Chennai, India