Anurag Thakur at DNPA 2024: Championing Fair Compensation for Digital News Publishers

Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur attended the DNPA (Digital News Publishers Association) Conclave and Awards in 2024, where he addressed key issues facing India’s digital media landscape. His speech highlighted the need for fair compensation for digital news publishers, especially as they compete with tech giants for revenue. Thakur assured the audience of the government's commitment to legislation that supports equitable revenue sharing for Indian media outlets. His remarks align with DNPA’s ongoing efforts to push for fairer terms in the publisher-platform relationship, especially given the growing dominance of foreign tech companies in India’s digital space.

The conclave also featured the release of the "State of Digital Media in India" report by Ernst & Young, which detailed insights into Indian news consumption patterns, showing that digital news reaches around 89% of India’s internet users. This underscores the vital role of digital platforms in the Indian media ecosystem and the importance of addressing revenue disparities between publishers and tech giants.

In addition to Thakur, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, India’s Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology, highlighted similar issues, calling for policies that protect India’s digital ecosystem from monopolistic practices by major tech firms. The conclave attracted notable speakers and leaders, including Amitabh Kant, former CEO of NITI Aayog, who praised India’s unique approach to digital media compared to other tech-reliant regions.