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Arnab Goswami Challenges India’s News Audience Measurement System
Arnab Goswami says India may have many more news viewers than official numbers show.
He believes the systems used to count audiences may not fully capture how people consume news.
People now watch news on television, websites, apps, social media and connected TVs.
Goswami wants media companies to see the raw data and understand how the numbers are calculated.
He also says audiences in southern India may not be represented well enough.
Better measurements could affect advertising and the money available to run news organizations.
He said Republic wants to rely less on large technology platforms for distributing and earning money from its content.
Goswami also argued that a media company’s values and relationship with its audience will matter as technology and artificial intelligence speed up content production.
Arnab Goswami questioned whether India’s existing television and digital audience measurements capture the full scale of news consumption.
Speaking at the South India Media Summit 2026 in Hyderabad, he called for greater transparency and access to raw measurement data.
Goswami said South Indian audiences are underrepresented and urged methodologies to reflect regional languages and viewing habits.
He linked audience figures to advertising, revenue and the cost of operating newsrooms across multiple regions.
He said Republic Media Network is pursuing greater technological and distribution independence as audiences shift toward digital video and platforms.
- Who
- Arnab Goswami, Editor-in-Chief of Republic Media Network, and the wider Indian media industry.
- What
- Goswami questioned India’s news audience measurement systems and called for greater transparency, raw data access and better regional representation.
- Where
- Hyderabad, India.
- When
- At the South India Media Summit 2026.
- Why
- He argued that existing measurements may not reflect fragmented, cross-platform news consumption, particularly in South India, affecting advertising and the economics of news.
Key facts
- Speaker
- Arnab Goswami, Editor-in-Chief of Republic Media Network
- Event
- South India Media Summit 2026
- Location
- Hyderabad
- Main concern
- Whether current audience measurements capture the full scale and diversity of Indian news consumption
- Requested change
- Greater transparency, including access to raw data and measurement methodology
- Regional issue
- Goswami said South Indian audiences are underrepresented
- Industry impact
- Audience figures influence advertising, revenue and the cost of operating news organizations
- Platform strategy
- Republic is seeking greater independence from platforms including YouTube, Instagram and X
Quotes
Arnab Goswami
Editor-in-Chief of Republic Media Network
“The first thing about news that you must know, it’s much bigger than what it is told”
republicworld.com
“What you stand for will be much more important than what you serve”
republicworld.com
Sources
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