Digital
Indian digital journalism in 2025 was fragmented, says Delcom’s Vikram Singh
MUMBAI: Indian digital journalism in 2025 was shaped not by audience scale but by fragmented attention, collapsing trust and fundamental shifts in how content reaches readers. That is the assessment of Delcom News co-founder, chief journalist and chief platform architect Vikram Singh, who argues that publishers now operate in an environment where readers discover news passively rather than seeking it actively, loyalty has become rare, and credibility represents the industry’s most valuable asset.
Search engines, once the dominant gateway to news, have steadily ceded ground to social feeds, messaging applications and algorithm-driven interfaces. Traditional models of audience building have given way to a more chaotic landscape where publishers compete not just for eyeballs but for fleeting moments of attention across multiple platforms. The challenge, he suggests, lies less in reaching large numbers than in maintaining any meaningful connection with readers over time.
Indian Television Dot Com explores more about it in an interview with Singh.
If you had to describe Indian digital journalism in 2025 in one word, what would it be and why?
Fragmented. Indian digital journalism in 2025 was fragmented because attention, trust, language preferences, and platforms are all moving in different directions at once. Audiences are split across apps, short-form video, messaging platforms, regional-language ecosystems, and a handful of trusted news destinations. There is no single dominant gateway anymore. For publishers, this fragmentation means scale alone is no longer the marker of success—credibility, clarity of positioning, and repeat engagement matter far more than raw reach.
What was the single most important shift in digital news publishing this year?
The decisive shift was in distribution.Traffic moved away from search-led discovery to feeds, messaging apps, and creator- or algorithm-led surfaces. News organisations can no longer assume intent-driven discovery; instead, they must earn attention in passive environments. This has forced publishers to rethink headlines, formats, and even newsroom workflows—optimising not just for relevance, but for interruption in a crowded feed.
Did 2025 confirm or challenge your assumptions about how Indians consume news online?
It largely confirmed them but with a critical nuance. Mobile-first and video-first consumption are now defaults across age groups. What changed was the weight audiences place on trust. Reach without credibility no longer converts into loyalty. Audiences may sample widely, but they are increasingly selective about which brands they return to for verification, context, and depth.
What surprised you most about audience behaviour across websites, apps and social platforms?
What stood out was the contrast between breadth and loyalty. Audiences skim across dozens of sources daily, but they emotionally commit to just one or two brands they trust. This reinforces the idea that news consumption today is less about habit through volume, and more about habit through reliability and relevance.
Did digital audiences become more discerning in 2025, or simply more fatigued and scroll-happy?
They became both. Scroll behaviour increased, but tolerance dropped sharply. Audiences are quicker than ever to disengage from content that feels repetitive, shallow, or engineered purely for clicks. This fatigue has ironically made users more discerning—forcing publishers to earn every second of attention.
Which formats actually retained attention this year—short-form video, explainers, newsletters, live blogs or long-form reads?
Each format played a distinct role. Short-form video was unmatched in driving reach and discovery. However, explainers and newsletters were the strongest drivers of retention and habit. Long-form reads still performed well when tied to high-trust subjects, while live blogs remained event-specific utilities rather than loyalty builders.
Which 2025 events genuinely moved the needle for digital news in terms of scale and loyalty—and by how much?
National elections and extreme weather events were the most consequential. They drove traffic spikes of 2–4 times across platforms and, more importantly, led to double-digit improvements in app retention for publishers that invested in real-time explainers, local context, and verification-led reporting. These moments reinforced the value of being dependable under pressure.
Are audiences actively seeking news on digital platforms, or encountering it passively through algorithms?
Discovery is largely passive. Algorithms and social feeds now act as the front door to news. Active seeking still exists but it is reserved for major national moments or for brands that audiences already trust. This places greater responsibility on publishers to build recall and credibility outside breaking-news cycles.
What kinds of stories truly cut through the noise online in 2025?
Stories that respected the audience’s time and intelligence. Service journalism, hyperlocal relevance, clear explainers, and practical “what this means for you” narratives performed consistently well. Content that stripped away jargon and focused on outcomes, not opinions, earned stronger engagement.
Was 2025 the most dangerous year yet for misinformation online or the year it became most visible and contested?
It was the year misinformation became impossible to ignore. The scale and speed of false narratives forced platforms, publishers, and even audiences to acknowledge the cost of inaction. While misinformation remains a serious threat, 2025 marked a turning point where verification, labeling, and source transparency began to regain importance.
Did the pressure to be first on digital platforms make newsrooms more vulnerable to errors and misinformation?
Yes, particularly in live and social formats. The race for speed still often overrides verification. Newsrooms that lacked clear editorial guardrails or fact-checking layers were more exposed. The long-term lesson is clear: being first no longer guarantees trust, but being wrong guarantees loss of it.
Did regional-language digital platforms outperform English and national players in 2025?
Absolutely. Regional platforms consistently outperformed in engagement and loyalty. Their advantage came from cultural fluency, local relevance, and stronger emotional resonance with audiences. This trend underscores the future of Indian digital journalism as multilingual, decentralized, and community-driven.
What should digital news organisations stop doing immediately?
They should stop chasing clicks at the cost of trust. Low-quality, low-credibility content may inflate short-term metrics but erodes long-term value. Publishers must shift focus from traffic spikes to products and formats audiences return to daily, whether through apps, newsletters, or trusted explainers. In 2025, sustainability comes from loyalty, not virality.
Digital
Maharashtra partners OpenAI, Sarvam AI to boost state’s tech ecosystem
State to set up dedicated AI department and roll out frontier technology policies
MUMBAI: Maharashtra is set to become a primary hub for artificial intelligence following the 2026–27 Budget announcement. chief minister Devendra Fadnavis confirmed that the state has signed letters of intent with global giant OpenAI and national pioneer Sarvam AI to integrate advanced technology into the state’s economic and administrative framework.
The collaboration with OpenAI and Sarvam AI marks a shift towards adopting cutting-edge generative tools for governance. These partnerships, alongside MoUs with IIT Bombay and BharatGen, are designed to create a robust ecosystem for research and innovation. The move signals the state’s intent to bring together global technology leaders and domestic research institutions to accelerate the development and adoption of artificial intelligence across sectors.
Regarding the strategic intent of these alliances, chief minister Fadnavis stated, “With the objective of making the State’s Information Technology and Artificial Intelligence sector dynamic, letters of intent have been signed with globally and nationally reputed institutions like OpenAI and Sarvam AI to facilitate the Information Technology and Artificial Intelligence sector in the state.”
To manage these high-level partnerships and ensure effective implementation, the government is establishing an independent department of electronics, Information technology, and artificial intelligence. The new department will function with a dedicated commissionerate and specialised technical manpower, enabling faster decision-making, improved coordination, and stronger accountability in executing technology-driven initiatives.
The state also plans to introduce special policies aimed at strengthening its position in emerging technology sectors. These policies will focus on advancing Maharashtra as a global hub for frontier technologies such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, drones, autonomous vehicles, and deep technology.
According to the chief minister, “The state government plans to introduce special policies to develop Maharashtra as a world-class hub for frontier technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, quantum computing, drones, autonomous vehicles and deep technology.”
Artificial intelligence is already being integrated into the state’s governance framework. A collaboration with Microsoft has led to the development of MahaCrimeOS AI, a platform that has reportedly reduced police investigation times by 80 per cent across 23 police stations in Nagpur. The initiative demonstrates how AI-driven tools can significantly enhance law enforcement efficiency and data analysis capabilities.
The government is also working toward building a fully digitised administrative ecosystem. Plans are underway to achieve complete digitisation of land transactions and implement electronic office systems across departments, paving the way for a paperless government. In addition, a pilot project will introduce AI-powered solutions in 75 selected villages to improve infrastructure, governance efficiency, and overall quality of life in rural areas.
To strengthen digital infrastructure and data protection, the state also intends to establish an advanced data centre in Nagpur. This facility will be designed to safeguard sensitive and sovereign information while supporting large-scale digital services and government platforms.
These initiatives form part of Maharashtra’s broader cyber security and digital transformation strategy aligned with the Viksit Maharashtra 2047 vision. By partnering with global and domestic technology leaders such as OpenAI and Sarvam AI, the state aims to build a secure, future-ready digital ecosystem that enhances citizen services, supports innovation, and strengthens India’s position in emerging technologies.
