TMR 2023: Indian newsrooms and the challenge to get consumers to subscribe

With more news outlets introducing paywalls and subscriber models, readers now have more options than ever before. But are we in danger of subscription fatigue?

This was the theme of “Subscription Fatigue”, a panel discussion at The Media Rumble 2023 that took place in Delhi on October 21. Powered by Google and moderated by Newslaundry’s Chitranshu Tewari, panellists comprised Nandagopal Rajan, editor (new media) and business head at The Indian Express; Niyati Rajput, a subscription expert; Pradeep Gairola, business head at The Hindu; and Swetha Susan Elias, program manager at Google’s news partnership team. 

The panel contrasted how news subscription is seen as against subscriptions to OTT and music platforms. Nandagopal said subscriptions must “tap into loyalty and create new loyalties over time. Pradeep said it’s hard to retain audiences, and explained success with Indian Express’s epaper. Swetha brought up India’s linguistic diversity and said there’s a need to launch new verticals to accommodate varied audiences.

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