iTV Network, founded by visionary media entrepreneur Kartikeya Sharma, has swiftly emerged as one of India’s most influential and fastest-growing independent news empires. With a powerful presence across television, digital, and print, the network commands strong national and regional reach through channels like NewsX, India News, and leading publications such as The Sunday Guardian and Aaj Samaj. At the helm of this transformation is Abhay Ojha, Group CEO, whose sharp strategic leadership and commitment to innovation are redefining the future of Indian journalism. With cutting-edge AI integration, a Gen Z–first approach, and a relentless focus on credibility lead by Akshansh Yadav, Chief Product and Technology officer, iTV Network is setting bold new benchmarks in the media-tech space.
In this exclusive conversation with MediaNews4U, Abhay Ojha (CEO) and Akshansh Yadav (CPTO) delve into how iTV Network is blending advanced technology, people-first values, and a future-ready vision to build a hyper-digital newsroom. From redefining content creation to launching global platforms like NewsX World, they share how iTV is not just adapting to the evolving news landscape—but leading its reinvention.
Q: iTV Network recently laid the foundation for a ₹100 crore future digital business milestone in just 100 days. Was this part of a larger digital roadmap, and what key strategies enabled such rapid scaling while also setting the stage for sustained growth?
Abhay Ojha: Absolutely, this milestone was part of a much larger and deliberate digital roadmap. We’ve moved beyond the era of merely talking about digital transformation—it’s here and evolving rapidly, especially with the emergence of AI at scale. Many companies claim to be digital, but very few actually have the mindset, structure, and systems that embody true digital-first thinking.
At iTV, we built a solid foundation to support our digital ambition. The first critical move was developing an advanced, AI-driven content management system (CMS). This wasn’t just another back-end tool—it was built to communicate intuitively with platforms like Google Search and Google Discover. Our CMS aligns with how users search, think, and consume content today. For instance, Gemini—Google’s AI—is already shaping over 40% of its ecosystem, and our platform was designed to interface seamlessly with it.
The second key was rethinking our content strategy. We created content for our actual audience—Gen Z and young digital natives—by working with them. We hired creators as young as 18 to 20 years old. These are individuals born into the digital world, unburdened by legacy mindsets, and naturally aligned with the consumption patterns of their peers. They understand what clicks and what converts because they are the audience.
This synergy—AI-powered product infrastructure, youthful content creators, and a razor-sharp focus on our under-25 target demographic—drove explosive growth. Within a month, just one of our websites jumped from 10,000 to over 5 million text-based views. That’s not by chance. It’s the result of designing systems and stories that speak the language of digital consumers.
In terms of vision, yes—our larger digital journey was formalized with the launch of NewsX World during our flagship event NXT in February, which was inaugurated by the Honourable Prime Minister. This initiative aims to position NewsX as a global digital-first news brand. The growth we saw in 100 days is just the beginning. The digital revenues that didn’t exist earlier are now real, recurring, and scaling fast.
Q: There’s a common belief that while Gen Z is value-driven and vocal, they can be hard to engage or retain. What has been your experience working with Gen Z in terms of commitment and retention?
Abhay Ojha: It’s all about respect, relevance, and adapting your culture. Gen Z is not difficult—they’re just different. If you treat them with a legacy mindset—fixed office hours, rigid roles, top-down orders—they won’t engage. But if you build a workplace that reflects their world, they’re extremely committed.
We’ve built a culture that meets them where they are. For example, we don’t celebrate Rangoli Day—we celebrate Doughnut Day. It sounds symbolic, but it’s about creating a workplace where they feel seen and included. This generation didn’t grow up with landlines or trunk calls—they were born into smartphones and streaming. You can’t expect them to work in structures built for a different era.
They also want to be empowered. You can’t treat a 22-year-old who’s shaping millions of views online like a junior copywriter from the 90s. Respect their creativity, let them lead with ideas, and you’ll see incredible loyalty and innovation.
At iTV, we’ve embraced this mindset wholeheartedly. Our young team is not only highly productive but also invested in the company’s mission. They’re not here to clock hours—they’re here to create impact.
Q: Can you walk us through the tech stack that powers your digital properties—what makes it scalable and future-ready?
Akshansh Yadav: We’ve completely reimagined the publishing workflow—from newsroom to distribution—using AI at the core. Our goal was simple: let journalists focus purely on content creation while everything else is automated.
We built a proprietary AI-powered CMS, trained in-house with editorial and ethical parameters aligned with iTV Network’s journalism standards. This CMS automates time-consuming tasks like mobile headlines, meta tags, image alt attributes, keywords, related links, and SEO optimisation. For instance, if a journalist is writing about Elon Musk, the system automatically fetches trending tags, related search patterns, and contextual hooks, all in real-time.
This reduces content creation time from 90 minutes to under 45, with higher relevance and greater discoverability. Our system also directly integrates Google Discover and trending APIs, ensuring our content gets picked up faster by search engines and news feeds—organically.
Q: Gen Z is influencing both your audience and your workforce. How is iTV evolving its newsroom and content strategy to resonate with this demographic?
Abhay Ojha: At iTV Network, we’ve made a conscious shift to a digital-first content strategy across the board—including television. In fact, even our TV content is now conceptualized and created with digital amplification in mind. We’re fortunate not to be bound by traditional TV rating systems like BARC, which gives us the creative freedom to build content that’s relevant, nimble, and scalable across platforms such as YouTube and other digital ecosystems.
Our newsroom operates with a clear understanding: content must be discoverable, shareable, and native to how Gen Z consumes media. This means we don’t just report the news—we package it in formats and tones that speak to their preferences, whether it’s short-form video, byte-sized explainers, or creator-led storytelling.
Gen Z isn’t just our audience—they’re increasingly our content creators and curators too. Our editorial and production teams are built to reflect this mindset. Their digital fluency and intuitive grasp of content virality allow us to stay ahead of the curve.
In essence, our evolution is rooted in a simple principle: create content that Gen Z wants to consume, on platforms they live on, with voices they trust. That’s how we’ve aligned both our newsroom strategy and long-term business goals.
Q: How do you balance speed and accuracy in a world of short attention spans and viral trends?
Abhay Ojha: My approach is very clear: it’s not about breaking news fast—it’s about breaking it right. In today’s hyperconnected world, news spreads across platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and WhatsApp within seconds. If your only objective is speed, you’ll quickly lose credibility and value.
Many media outlets rush to publish without verifying, and the result is often misinformation, reputational damage, and regulatory scrutiny. That’s a path we consciously avoid. For me, credibility is non-negotiable.
We take a moment to pause, verify, and ensure our reporting is accurate. Because in the long run, trust is the real currency—not speed. “Breaking right” is a principle we uphold across the organization, and it’s one of the key reasons our brand continues to grow with integrity in a time of widespread media fragmentation.
We also focused on responsible journalism. During sensitive periods like the India-Pakistan conflict, we received zero legal notices from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting—a stark contrast to the 70–75 received by some legacy media. That’s a testament to our commitment to credibility.
Q: What innovations are you most excited about in the near term—be it immersive formats, blockchain for news, or something else entirely?
Akshansh Yadav: We have an advance tech stack supporting the entire ecosystem. Our Editors no longer have to manually verify tags or trends. We also use AI to suggest multiple editorial angles for trending stories. For example, if a celebrity like Kiara Advani has a major life update, the system recommends 15–20 possible content directions—such as her wedding, past relationships, or career highlights—and then prioritises those based on current Google trends.
The CMS also provides competitive content mapping. When a journalist files a story, the system shows how many publishers have covered the topic, what angles they’ve explored, and suggests unique headlines. This ensures originality and higher engagement without the need for a large SEO or research team.
We’re experimenting with blockchain for timestamping stories to combat fake news. It allows us to track the origin and timeline of content, verify its authenticity, and flag any manipulation. This adds a crucial layer of accountability—especially in high-stakes or sensitive news reporting.
On the immersive side, we’ve launched a CTV app available across connected TV ecosystems. The app is built for hyper-personalisation. If a user watches content on a certain theme, the app curates an entire viewing experience around that interest, similar to OTT platforms but with a news-first orientation.
Q: What is your broader vision for NewsX World? How will it stand out in an already competitive digital news environment?
Abhay Ojha: NewsX World is built with a truly global outlook—not just as an “international” brand in name, but in editorial scope and distribution footprint. Unlike some legacy channels that operate under the guise of being global but focus heavily on Asia, NewsX World is designed to serve a much wider spectrum. Our content distribution strategy is segmented—approximately 20% targeting Asia, 40% focused on the U.S., and the remainder across Europe, Africa, and other global regions. This balanced approach is core to our editorial philosophy.
Moreover, we’re not entering this space just as another global news voice from India—we’re creating content with the global viewer in mind. We’re not limiting ourselves to serving only the Indian diaspora. Doing so often leads to being typecast politically or regionally. Instead, we aim to deliver objective, demand-driven content that resonates universally, regardless of geography. The goal is to create content that users want to consume—what I refer to as user-demanded content, the media industry’s equivalent of UGC (user-generated content).
Q: Who is the target audience for NewsX World in the U.S. market—diaspora or mainstream global viewers?
Abhay Ojha: We are targeting a global audience, not just the Indian diaspora. Catering exclusively to diaspora communities often results in content that leans one way or the other, politically or culturally. This can compromise neutrality. While no media brand can be truly neutral, our aim is to be as balanced and reflective of user sentiment as possible. Our belief is simple: if you consistently produce the content that people actually want—grounded in truth, context, and relevance—you will build a sustainable global audience.
Q: Do you believe global audiences are ready to accept a world news platform emerging from India?
Abhay Ojha: It’s certainly a challenge—but not an impossible one. In the U.S., for example, media polarization is stark: CNN is viewed as leaning left, and Fox News is viewed as right-wing. In that environment, there’s a space for a platform that simply focuses on doing the right thing—delivering truthful, user-centered journalism.
Let me give you a real-world example. During a recent aviation tragedy, global media narratives quickly pinned the blame on the pilots. But no one had the courage to question the aircraft manufacturer. That’s a gap we intend to fill—by presenting the facts the way the audience intuitively understands them. If users feel they aren’t getting the truth from traditional sources, they will turn to platforms that meet that need.
Q: How is NewsX World preparing for the future of news consumption—especially with the transition from search-based discovery to AI-led recommendation engines?
Abhay Ojha: We’ve been preparing for this shift proactively. With the rise of AI-powered search interfaces—like Google’s new AI overviews—the game has changed. News is now being consumed via summaries, previews, and intelligent recommendations. We’ve already adapted our content systems to match this trend.
Our CMS is engineered to communicate with AI frameworks like Google Gemini. As a result, our stories are being surfaced in these newer, AI-driven news panels. This tech-first content architecture—combined with high-quality, relevant reporting—has already helped us grow from under 10,000 visits to over 5 million monthly views organically, without a marketing budget.
We’re also expanding our digital news network with new sites like The Sunday Garden and The Daily Garden, which will serve niche audiences and strengthen our overall group footprint.
Q: You’ve previously said NewsX is not part of BARC. With recent changes in its ratings methodology, what is your stance on its relevance today?
Abhay Ojha: BARC, in its current form, is outdated. It was built on a 2011 framework, and we’re now in 2025. The content consumption ecosystem has changed drastically. My content is consumed across cable, DTH, OTT platforms, websites, and social media—yet BARC judges performance based on a limited and non-representative TV sample.
India has over 160 million TV households, but BARC’s active sample size is still in the 20,000–25,000 range. That’s far too narrow to reflect actual viewership accurately. Moreover, I have serious concerns about landing page manipulation and forced views—these distort the real picture and mislead advertisers.
Our legal challenge to BARC is based on the need for a fairer, more transparent system. We would absolutely welcome a comprehensive 360-degree measurement model—one that includes digital, TV, DTH, and free dish—alongside unified reporting metrics. If such a solution existed, I’d subscribe on day one.
We’re already operating in an environment where U.S. publishers have near-perfect visibility on their audience reach. India should evolve toward that benchmark.
Q: What kind of investments can we expect from iTV Network going forward?
Abhay Ojha: Our primary investment is in people. In a media-tech company, it’s not the capital or infrastructure that defines success—it’s the quality of talent. Talented individuals drive systems, build culture, and create products that scale. Money is simply a by-product of having the right people in place.
We are committed to investing in high-quality talent, even when the global trend is about downsizing. Let me be clear: we don’t hire arbitrarily. We define the why behind hiring someone, the expected time frame for delivery, and the criteria for performance evaluation. It’s a transparent, goal-oriented structure. If someone delivers, they stay and grow; if not, there’s a fair and professional mechanism to part ways.
In the last four months alone, our digital division has seen less than 1% attrition—an incredible figure in a sector known for job-hopping over minor pay increments. That tells me our culture of purpose and clarity is working.
Q: Are there ethical or editorial boundaries you’ve set when it comes to using AI in your newsroom?
Akshansh Yadav: Absolutely. While we embrace AI as a core part of our content strategy—from CMS development to SEO optimization—we are also deeply mindful of its ethical boundaries.
The editorial integrity of our content is paramount. AI augments our capabilities, but it does not replace human editorial judgment. We have a clear code of conduct and human oversight in place to ensure that AI-generated or AI-assisted content adheres to factual accuracy, ethical journalism standards, and platform guidelines.
Our goal is to create meaningful, responsible content using the best of both worlds—technology and human insight. The moment we compromise editorial ethics for speed or automation, we risk losing trust—and in media, trust is everything.
Q: How is AI leveraged in real-time fact-checking and editorial accuracy across your platforms?
Akshansh Yadav: Our AI is not a generic plug-in. It’s a proprietary engine trained specifically to uphold editorial credibility. For example, when a story is filed—say, on an air crash—our system runs real-time verification by checking legitimate sources such as DGCA, airline websites, and official social media handles. If no authoritative confirmation exists, the CMS immediately raises a red flag and prevents the story from being published.
Abhay Ojha: Yes, and we’ve already seen this system in action. During a recent false report about UAE offering 10-year visas for ₹23 lakh, our CMS flagged the story instantly. No UAE authority had issued such a statement. We were able to avoid publishing misinformation, even when others had already gone live.
Q: What does “purpose-driven leadership” mean to you in the context of a media-tech company?
Abhay Ojha: For me, purpose-driven leadership is about setting a clear vision, empowering your people, and then stepping aside to let them deliver. I do not believe in micromanagement. Once objectives are defined, I give my team the autonomy and accountability to execute. In today’s fast-evolving media-tech landscape, agility and decentralisation are far more effective than a top-down, control-heavy approach.
Unfortunately, many leaders today—especially founders or promoters—tend to get involved in every small detail, which slows down innovation and demotivates teams. My approach is the opposite. I believe in empowering talent, defining purpose clearly, and creating an environment where people thrive and take ownership.
Q: How do you both—CEO and CTO—collaborate to align business objectives with tech innovation? What does that dynamic look like?
Abhay Ojha: We work in a way where strategy and execution are in lockstep. My job is to set the business vision and define the outcomes we want to achieve—whether that’s scaling to a global audience, improving content discoverability, or automating manual inefficiencies.
Akshansh Yadav: And my role is to translate that vision into technology. I identify the use cases that can be automated, prototype solutions, and bring them to production. The relationship is fluid—we share ideas openly and iterate fast. Abhay sir brings industry wisdom and editorial insight, and I bring the engineering execution to match it.
