From national newsrooms to startups, South Asian publishers are rapidly shifting from collecting data to activating it. These were the key lessons, frameworks, and case studies shared at the INMA South Asia News Media Festival last week on how media companies are turning raw user data into growth, engagement, and monetisation. 

First-party data isn’t a resource — it’s a strategic engine.

1. From silos to strategy, data becomes core infrastructure

L.V. Navaneeth, CEO of The Hindu Group, set the tone in his opening address: “This is not a time of change. This is a time of accelerated reinvention.”

Data, he stressed, must evolve from a departmental function to infrastructure underpinning the entire enterprise. “We need to speak the language of business outcomes, not just media metrics,” he urged. 

This philosophy reverberated throughout conference and study tour. 

Instead of housing data in silos, organisations like Amar Ujala, Jagran, and HT Media are aligning editorial, product, marketing, and advertising sales around shared data tools and KPIs. By establishing common North Star metrics, these companies are fostering data fluency across departments. 

Sonali Verma, representing INMA’s Generative AI Initiative, highlighted that publishers worldwide are replacing vanity metrics like pageviews with loyalty and value-based ones. Jagran, for instance, has developed dashboards that show authors how their stories contribute to lifetime value and monetisation. The Hindu has also moved toward treating first-party data as enterprise infrastructure, connecting content performance directly to business outcomes.

Prothom Alo, Bangladesh’s leading media brand, also demonstrated this infrastructure-first mindset. Jabed Sultan, chief digital business officer, explained how the company has unified its subscription and OTT operations (Chorki) using shared audience insight. By blending cross-platform data, Prothom Alo can identify which premium users are likely to engage with both journalism and entertainment — allowing them to shape bundles and targeted content journeys. This fusion of platforms under one data roof exemplifies modern media reinvention.

2. Segmentation in action with intelligent engagement

A standout session came from Dream11, India’s fantasy sports platform with 213 million users. Their data science team of more than 60 professionals segments users by engagement level, churn risk, payment likelihood, and cognitive load to personalise every interaction.

This precision allows Dream11 to deliver a custom experience to each user. First-time users are given curated match recommendations, while returning users receive contests aligned with their behaviour patterns. 

Machine learning-driven experimentation is core to their philosophy: A/B tests are deployed across large cohorts of 20,000 to 50,000 users before full rollouts. They’ve even used AI to reduce drop-off rates during contest selection and payment processing.

One standout learning from Dream11 is the idea of micro-segmentation across “decision anxiety” zones — where users are most likely to abandon a transaction. By mapping these friction points, they introduced nudges and helper UI that boosted conversion rates.

News publishers can adopt this thinking to identify drop-off zones in their own products — whether during newsletter sign-up, subscription checkout, or app onboarding. 

What does this mean for publishers?

News brands can apply similar segmentation logic to create smarter onboarding flows, dynamic paywall experiences, and more relevant story recommendations. HT Media, for example, has adapted these principles to serve users across urban metros and vernacular regions, blending behavioural signals with regional preferences.

Similarly, Lokmat and Loksatta, both prominent regional brands, are leveraging segmentation to deepen local relevance. Hemant Jain of Lokmat explained their use of city-tier-based segmentation to serve Marathi-speaking readers with personalised offers and localised video explainers.

At Loksatta, micro-targeted WhatsApp campaigns based on readership clusters have led to double-digit engagement gains, reinforcing that language and location are vital first-party variables.

3. Revenue beyond CPMs: Data monetisation as a service

The INMA study tour stop at Wondrlab revealed how first-party data is spawning monetisation opportunities far beyond traditional programmatic advertising.

Wondrlab’s WISR platform, described as India’s first ecosystem to help schools monetise their infrastructure, uses first-party data to match brands with physical spaces within schools —like canteens, notice boards, and auditoriums. 

Campaigns like Luxor’s pen drive and Sports4One’s registration blitz for the SFA Championships were executed using precise geo-mapped data on age groups, gender breakdowns, and parent profiles. Schools earned additional revenue, while brands achieved minimal media spillage and maximum relevance.

The result?

A new paradigm in contextual advertising — data-enriched, consent-driven, and localised at scale. Publishers should take note: This level of data refinement, executed ethically, is the future of advertising partnerships.

INMA conference delegates also heard how The Economist combined data-driven product development with editorial insight. Its subscriber analytics team uses real-time dashboards to measure friction points across different geographies and tailor user journeys accordingly.

For example, long-form content is promoted more in mature markets like the UK, while mobile-first summaries and graphics are more aggressively tested in South Asia. The Economist’s internal culture of experimentation — combined with a strong paywall strategy — shows how data and content can co-evolve.

4. Video, chatbots, and personalisation: Activating data in product design

Amar Ujala offered one of the most tangible examples of data activation translating into consumer-facing innovation. Their AI anchor, Srishti, was not just a novelty — it solved real workflow challenges by automating video news delivery overnight.

No need for graveyard shifts; breaking news could be processed and published automatically while retaining the familiar anchor experience.

This was just the beginning. Their AI-generated quizzes engage users contextually by generating questions in real time based on the article being read. This not only boosted engagement but also doubled time-on-site.

Sarthi, their AI-powered chatbot, was a breakout case. Originally launched to help guide millions during the Mahakumbh, Sarthi mapped frequently asked questions to verified information sets, providing answers faster and more intuitively than traditional search.

As AI-powered answer engines become the norm, media houses must build their own intelligent response layers — and Amar Ujala’s model offers a path forward. 

5. Metrics that matter: redefining success with data

The shift from quantity to quality in measurement was a persistent theme across the two days. Traditional metrics — pageviews, unique visitors, and click-through rates — are no longer sufficient. Instead, metrics like scroll depth, read time, shares, and retention are taking centre stage.

INMA’s Verma presented global examples to reinforce this shift. At Mediahuis, a pageview doesn’t count unless at least 20% of the article is read. The Times of London incorporates loyalty and engagement into its editorial dashboards. Axel Springer tracks gender diversity in sourcing as part of its performance benchmarks.

Jagran was a regional exemplar. The company empowers journalists with dashboards that reflect their contribution to high-value user journeys — whether in terms of time spent, article completions, or conversions to subscriptions. This democratisation of data is not punitive — it’s empowering.

At The Wall Street Journal, editors conduct retrospective analyses on priority stories and review dashboards in real time. Data is not a threat — it is a conversation starter.

At Prothom Alo, this principle is equally important. Their dashboard ranks stories by contribution to subscriber acquisition, not just traffic. Data is shared with reporters, editors, and marketers, sparking cross-functional collaboration on topics that drive value.

This shift has enabled Prothom Alo to build richer, data-aware newsroom conversations and focus on journalism that converts — not just trends.

6. Data-informed lessons from Friday Filmworks

In the content industry, there’s a fine balance between data and creativity.

The study tour visit to Friday Filmworks — creators of critically acclaimed productions like “Special Ops” and “A Wednesday” — made this clear. Their mantra: Let story drive the engine but let data light the path.

While they resist using data to decide what stories to tell, they embrace it in deciding how to tell those stories. Marketing assets are hyper-targeted based on regional preferences, viewer psychology, and emotional triggers. OTT platforms increasingly create multiple trailers tailored to different demographic cohorts — and post-release research is all driven by data. 

Friday Filmworks also segments its audiences for precise placement, focusing on where engagement is highest. Their point: Data should never dictate the creative, but it can and should inform distribution, timing, and format.

7. The print advantage: QR codes and affluent targeting

Print is far from dead. It’s being reinvented through data.

Ashish Pherwani, partner, media and entertainment at EY, noted that while digital advertising dominates growth, print retains unmatched strengths: trust, affluence, and regional penetration.

At The Times of India study tour stop, participants learned how QR codes are bridging print and digital, allowing advertisers to track scans and customer journeys. Print campaigns are being A/B-tested in different geographies, and first-party data is being leveraged to create customised experiences even on paper.

Moreover, bundling is back. Advertisers are seeking integrated solutions that package print, e-paper, digital, events, and influencer marketing. IPG Mediabrands revealed how integrated attribution models are now expected — even for legacy platforms. 

The message? Print isn’t competing with digital. It’s collaborating — powered by first-party data and smarter packaging.

8. Emotional intelligence and understanding user needs

One of the most resonant sessions came from INMA’s Verma, who introduced the concept of emotional segmentation.

Borrowing from BBC and The Atlantic, she highlighted how user needs go beyond information. People read the news to be inspired, entertained, reassured, or simply distracted.

The problem? Most publishers over-serve the “update me” need with breaking news and underserve the rest. Dutch broadcasters, after discovering this, pivoted their story mix—resulting in major engagement gains. 

This is where first-party data becomes a compass. If quizzes double time spent on site, it indicates a need for “divert me.” If explainer videos go viral, it points to a need to “understand.” Emotional intelligence, activated through behavioural data, is where differentiation lies.

At Amar Ujala, aligning editorial calendars with these needs is already shaping content strategy. It’s not just what people click. It’s what they feel. 

9. Guardrails and governance: data activation with ethics

With great data comes great responsibility. Throughout the INMA South Asia News Media Festival, speakers reminded the audience that activation must be paired with governance. Algorithms can guide choices, but human editors must retain control.

Editorial supremacy must prevail. While AI anchors and chatbots support efficiency, they must not compromise values. Transparency in how data is collected, used, and stored is crucial.

The Hindu and Indian Express are building strong governance frameworks. Attribution, opt-ins, human judgment — these are not optional. In an era of misinformation, trust is your greatest currency. First-party data may be your strongest asset, but only if used responsibly.

10. A blueprint for the future 

The conference didn’t just offer ideas — it provided a blueprint. 

From newsroom workflows to advertising product design, from school campaigns to AI anchors, the takeaway was clear: First-party data is the connective tissue of the modern media organisation.

It drives intelligence in editorial decisions, precision in marketing, transparency in sales, and intimacy in user experience. 

The best practices are emerging not from Silicon Valley but from India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka — regions where innovation is necessity-driven and frugality fuels creativity. 

“This is our moment,” Navaneeth said. “Let’s turn disruption into direction.” 

Publishers who activate their data — ethically, intelligently, and creatively — will lead not just the South Asia market but set the global standard for media reinvention. 

This article was written with the assistance of AI tools. All content has been reviewed and edited by a human editor to ensure accuracy and adherence to journalistic standards.

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