News Broadcasting
India Today’s Putin interview goes global
NEW DELHI: India Today has scored a rare global hit. Its exclusive interview with Vladimir Putin has rippled far beyond Indian screens, racking up vast audiences, heavy newsroom pickup and sustained international chatter, according to the group’s newly released media impact report.
The numbers are arresting. The interview generated 235 million video views across television and digital platforms, with peak concurrent live viewership hitting 1.2 million worldwide. Social media added muscle, delivering 5.8 million interactions across Meta platforms, X, Instagram and YouTube.
The reach was not merely wide, but influential. The report records coverage, citation and attribution across 25 leading international media organisations, alongside prominent front-page and headline placements across Europe, Asia and the global south. International pickup included BBC, Reuters, Associated Press, The Washington Post and The New York Times, supplemented by extensive regional and multilingual adoption.
Measured against other recent political exclusives, the contrast is stark. High-profile Western interviews—ranging from Donald Trump’s appearances on 60 Minutes and ABC’s 100 Days to Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s US broadcast engagements—drew strong domestic audiences but struggled to travel. India Today’s interview, by contrast, became a sustained reference point across global newsrooms, policy debates and diplomatic discourse.
Depth mattered as much as scale. Beyond live transmission, the interview continued to draw audiences weeks later, with digital consumption remaining robust and social engagement signalling active participation rather than passive reach.
By peak live viewership and post-broadcast performance, the report ranks the interview among the most-watched real-time global political conversations in recent years.
“This milestone marks a powerful start to the year and reinforces our commitment to journalism that shapes conversations across borders by asking questions that resonate with the global citizen,” said Kalli Purie, vice chairperson and executive editor-in-chief of India Today Group.
In a crowded media world, attention is fleeting. This one travelled—and stayed.
News Broadcasting
India Today Group debuts AI anchor ‘Sutra’ at AI Impact Summit 2026
Sutra aims to simplify live policy debates using sovereign AI models
NEW DELHI: India Today Group has unveiled Sutra, an AI-driven news anchor designed to deliver real-time, contextual reporting, marking the group’s latest push to integrate artificial intelligence into mainstream journalism.
The AI anchor was introduced at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi and developed in collaboration with BharatGen, with the initiative showcased by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
India Today Group said Sutra is built to navigate complex policy discussions and fast-moving developments by synthesising information into concise, accessible insights, aimed at narrowing the gap between high-level debates and public understanding. The AI anchor was used to surface live takeaways from key sessions at the summit.
India Today Group chief AI officer Nilanjan Das, said the project was focused on clarity and accessibility without diluting editorial rigour. He added that working with BharatGen aligned the group’s AI ambitions with India’s broader push towards sovereign technology capabilities.
BharatGen CEO Rishi Bal, said the partnership reflected a shift from basic automation towards deeper contextual intelligence in media. He emphasised the importance of indigenous, multimodal AI models capable of understanding Indian languages, regional dialects and cultural nuance, particularly as AI-driven news formats gain traction.
The launch positions India Today Group among the first major Indian media houses to deploy an AI anchor backed by home-grown technology, underscoring a growing convergence between journalism, public policy and sovereign AI infrastructure.
