Ravanan N, CEO of Oneindia and Executive Director at Dailyhunt, is a seasoned leader with over 25 years of experience across content, sales, business development, product strategy, and operations. Since joining Verse Innovation in 2008, he has spearheaded transformative initiatives including WISE, an AI-powered SaaS publishing tool, Spark Originals, and OneArabia, the network’s first international venture. Under his leadership, Oneindia rebranded after 25 years, scaling into one of India’s top 10 fastest-growing content platforms with over 1 billion monthly page views. With strong multilingual and genre-specific verticals, Oneindia has built deep cultural relevance and consistent innovation in digital media.
In this exclusive interaction with MediaNews4U, Ravanan shares his vision, growth strategies, and perspectives on the future of digital publishing.
Excerpts:
Under your leadership, Oneindia has evolved into a diversified multilingual content powerhouse. What was your vision when you took over, and how has it shaped the network’s current trajectory?
Ravanan N: Today, across our properties and formats, Oneindia reaches close to 280 million unique users monthly, generating nearly 2 billion monetizable page views. We consciously measure only valid traffic, ensuring quality engagement. Our growth has been shaped by two dimensions — going deep across verticals and going wide across languages. Alongside our flagship Oneindia news portal, we now have eight strong vertical brands across entertainment, lifestyle, finance, sports, auto, tech, travel, and education, producing content in 10 Indian languages. In short, we are nine verticals deep and ten languages wide.
This scale was built over two decades. Starting in 1999, during the dot-com bust, we initially served the Indian diaspora abroad in their native languages. We then evolved into IndiaInfo.com, experimented with vertical-specific identities, and eventually unified under the Oneindia brand. Our journey has run parallel to India’s telecom and internet story — from dial-up to mobile-first consumption, and later the Jio-led broadband revolution, which accelerated digital content growth.
When I took charge as CEO five years ago, Oneindia was strong in regional news — No. 1 in Tamil, No. 3 in Telugu, and among the top five in Kannada. My vision was to expand our role from simply “informing” to also “entertaining and enriching” audiences, while diversifying across genres and formats. We also added new languages, introduced civic journalism, and strengthened our technology backbone.
The broader shift has been to position Oneindia not just as a content company using technology, but as a tech-driven media company solving for content creation, discovery, and scale. My focus remains on three pillars: broadening our role, expanding across languages and genres, and doubling down on technology — a path that continues to define our growth.
You’ve successfully scaled multiple platforms like DriveSpark, Filmibeat, and GoodReturns. What is the core strategy behind building genre-specific platforms within a single media network?
Ravanan N: Today, India has close to 800–900 million mobile internet users, and with this surge, content consumption has grown rapidly while also becoming more discerning. Audiences are no longer satisfied with generic news feeds — they build strong affinities for specific genres. We noticed the rise of niche readers and deep readers, each looking for expertise-driven content in areas such as tech, lifestyle, finance, entertainment, and sports.
To serve this demand, we chose to diversify and build dedicated vertical brands. This approach allowed us to create content at scale, while ensuring depth, authority, and trust in each category. A tech platform like Gizbot or an auto destination like DriveSpark cannot be served well by general news journalists; they require subject specialists who bring credibility. Today, this strategy has paid off, with our verticals ranking among the top three in their respective genres on comScore, the industry benchmark for digital publishers.
Equally important, this structure provides greater value for brands and advertisers. A user engaging with DriveSpark, for example, is more likely to be in the consideration stage of buying a car or bike, making the audience highly valuable for advertisers. Genre-specific platforms thus attract partners who want to reach audiences with clear intent, creating stronger monetization opportunities. While monetization followed as a natural outcome, it was a key strategic lever that reinforced our decision to build and scale vertical-specific brands within the Oneindia network.
Spark Originals and WISE highlight your investment in AI-driven media innovation. What role does technology play in shaping the future of content creation at Oneindia?
Ravanan N: When I took over as CEO, one of my core priorities was to transform Oneindia into a tech-powered entity that could solve for content creation and distribution at scale. With close to 900 million mobile internet users in India and more than 150 million users visiting our platforms monthly, the demand for credible, multilingual content is massive. It became clear that scaling purely through manpower would be inefficient. We needed technology at the core.
This led to the development of WISE (Widely Intelligent Support Engine), which began as an in-house initiative to address inefficiencies in content workflows. Traditional content production often involved multiple hops — from idea generation, scripting, editing, and HTML formatting, to design and social media adaptation. We reimagined this with a single end-to-end CMS interface, where the entire content lifecycle could be managed seamlessly. WISE supports idea generation, writing, formatting, and even creating social media posts, cutting both cost and turnaround time drastically. For example, an article that earlier took 3–4 days to complete can now be produced within hours. Today, WISE is not only powering our own platforms but is also being used by several small and medium publishers across India. Its strength lies in being multilingual (10 Indian languages) and format-agnostic — capable of generating text from video, video from text, and adapting across formats with ease.
The second pillar is Spark Originals, which focuses on immersive video storytelling. While text continues to be relevant, video is growing exponentially as the format of choice for audiences. Traditionally, video production has been resource-intensive, with high entry barriers and creative limitations. Spark addresses this by removing both barriers and ceilings — making video creation faster, more accessible, and infinitely more creative. It enables storytellers to focus on creativity while the system takes care of production complexities. Today, Spark Originals operates as a full-stack AI-driven video service, catering not just to our platforms but also to external brands, including interest from international markets.
Together, WISE and Spark represent our philosophy of using technology to produce, personalise, and propagate content at scale. They embody our shift from being a content company that uses technology to a technology-driven media company innovating for content creation and discovery. This is the foundation on which we are building the future of Oneindia.
Spark Originals and WISE are Tech service available for other media players?
Ravanan N: Yes, both WISE and Spark Originals are available externally in different formats. WISE primarily operates in the B2C space, enabling individual creators and smaller publishers to scale content creation efficiently. On the other hand, Spark Originals functions in the B2B domain as a full-stack service. We’ve already received strong interest globally, with clients in London, Dubai, across the Middle East, and of course India.
The offering goes end-to-end — from idea generation and storyboarding to the final output, with technology driving efficiency and creativity throughout the process. In essence, we don’t just provide tools; we provide a complete service layer that integrates tech with storytelling to deliver high-quality, multilingual, and multi-format content at scale.
With each vernacular platform having its own reporting team, how do you maintain consistency in editorial standards across languages and regions?
Ravanan N: India is often described as “a million Bharats” — we are one of the most diverse and heterogeneous nations in the world. At Oneindia, this reality is reflected in the way our editorial operations are structured. In practice, Oneindia functions like multiple independent entities under one umbrella. Each language — whether Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, or others — has its own editorial team, leadership, and dedicated support functions including product, SEO, and social media. We firmly believe that a Telugu editor cannot replicate the nuance required for Tamil or Hindi, and therefore, each team operates as an independent unit with its own P&L responsibility.
At the same time, there is a horizontal support layer powered by our technology backbone, which brings efficiency, common tools, and intelligence systems across all verticals. This balance allows us to preserve editorial independence and cultural nuance, while benefiting from shared infrastructure.
When it comes to consistency, we focus heavily on hiring and training. Every new team member undergoes a rigorous onboarding and orientation program over three to four months to align with Oneindia’s editorial guidelines and values. We maintain clear guardrails and ethical standards, but we do not impose rigid uniformity that would stifle creativity or local relevance. This approach, refined over 25 years, has enabled us to maintain both editorial integrity and cultural authenticity, which I believe is the cornerstone of our success as a multilingual media network.
What efforts you take to position yourself a Prominent News Media Player like any other Legancy News Media Entity?
Ravanan N: Legacy media brands enjoy the natural advantage of having strong backing through television or print, which ensures brand recall and audience familiarity. In contrast, Oneindia is a pure digital-native platform, and among the top Comscore-ranked publishers, very few players share this distinction. While the journey has not been easy, in terms of digital reach, engagement, and time spent per user, we rank high on the pecking order.
That said, being a vernacular-first platform, brand recall has historically been lower compared to legacy names. Over the last few years, we’ve made significant strides to strengthen visibility and reinforce Oneindia as a trusted brand through our content itself. We have also been actively engaging with three key stakeholders: advertisers and brand partners, government bodies that invest heavily in digital advertising, and most importantly, our users. Each of these constituencies is central to building credibility and scale.
On the government front, we have introduced initiatives such as Political Vibe/Governance Vibe, which blends citizen journalism with governance visibility. This effort allows ordinary citizens to raise concerns while also giving government institutions a platform to respond. It’s still in its early stages, but such initiatives not only serve public interest but also deepen our brand positioning as a meaningful and impactful news platform.
With the launch of OneArabia, you’ve ventured into international territory. What insights or trends led you to focus on the MENA region, and what’s next on the global map?
Ravanan N: The MENA region was a strategic and logical extension for us, though the audience size—around 50 to 55 million—is smaller compared to India. What attracted us is the youthful, vibrant, and discerning nature of this audience, coupled with its strong monetization potential. Unlike many parts of the Indian market, where consumption is largely passive, the MENA audience demonstrates “lean-in” behaviour—they actively seek, search, and engage with content rather than waiting to be served.
Interestingly, much of OneArabia’s content is powered by our WISE technology tool, enabling a lean yet highly efficient team to generate quality content and traffic. We also produce content in Arabic, catering directly to the region’s preference for staying well-informed and engaged.
While our immediate focus is on establishing a successful playbook in MENA, we do see opportunities to expand further into other regions globally. However, we want to first consolidate and scale OneArabia before replicating this model elsewhere.
Subscription models are gaining traction in digital media. Has Oneindia explored paid content or premium offerings, especially for niche or high-value segments like finance or education?
Ravanan N: Contrary to popular belief, subscription models in India have grown but also plateaued. At Oneindia, our core philosophy is to serve the Bharat audience—a base of nearly 900 million consumers—by providing accessible, high-quality content. Given the scale of this opportunity, our immediate focus remains on an ad-led model rather than moving content behind paywalls.
In India, premium content has already been partially democratized, making it difficult for publishers to achieve sustained subscription growth. While there is traction in first-time subscribers, repeat audiences remain a challenge. Globally, publishers like The Guardian or The New York Times thrive on paid models, but in India, only a handful of publishers have managed meaningful scale.
That said, it’s a journey. A few years ago, no one would have believed people would pay for OTT platforms or music, yet today they do. Similarly, audiences will eventually pay for content that adds significant value to their lives. For now, however, our priority is to scale reach through advertising, and transition to subscriptions only when the market matures further.
Are there any platform-specific monetization strategies — such as native ads on GoodReturns or influencer tie-ins on Boldsky — that have proven particularly successful for brand collaborations?
Ravanan N: Our move into branded content and alternative monetization models stemmed from the intent to reduce dependency on traditional inventory-based revenues. Over the past six to seven years, CPMs have been under pressure, with most platforms shifting toward programmatic advertising. To counter this, we focused on building non-inventory-led revenue streams, which today contribute more than 50% of our overall revenues.
Native integrations have worked well, and beyond that, we actively pursue content syndication partnerships and widget-based solutions to drive engagement, especially as search increasingly relies on AI-driven summaries. To strengthen credibility and reach, we collaborate with subject matter experts across verticals—doctors, fashion specialists, auto experts—who bring authority while amplifying distribution through their networks combined with ours.
In addition, our Spark and WISE services emerged as strategic extensions of this diversification approach. We also work with brands on long-term narrative building, moving beyond one-off campaigns or hashtag activations. In fact, we are currently on retainer partnerships with multiple brands, where our teams collaborate closely to craft ongoing, consistent storytelling that strengthens brand equity.
This multi-pronged strategy—spanning content production, branded integrations, social collaborations, and expert partnerships—has enabled us to minimise reliance on inventory and unlock sustainable monetization opportunities.
Can you deep-dive into Brand Integrations offerings and Slice the data on inventory based and non-inventory based monetization?
Ravanan N: At OneIndia, our monetization operates through two distinct pillars. The first is inventory-based, which contributes about 40–50% of our topline and includes display, video pre-roll, and programmatic sales across our multilingual network. We see particularly strong traction in Tier 2 and Tier 3 geographies, where language-led inventory is in short supply but high demand, giving us a differentiated edge.
The second, and faster-growing, pillar is non-inventory-based monetization, which now accounts for nearly 60% of revenues. This spans branded content partnerships and long-form native storytelling across our vertical platforms—FilmiBeat for entertainment, GoodReturns for finance, DriveSpark for auto, Gizbot for technology, and BoldSky for lifestyle. We also build large-scale thematic IPs around elections, festivals, and major sports events, offering brands contextual integration opportunities. Additionally, we collaborate with influencers and subject matter experts across categories such as health, fashion, and automobiles, which enriches content and amplifies distribution through social channels. On the production front, our offline studios and Spark Studios—our AI-driven creative unit—enable us to deliver high-quality branded assets at scale. Beyond content, we drive monetization through widgets, syndication partnerships, and our SaaS platform WISE, which powers client web-views globally.
By aligning solutions closely with brand categories—for instance, auto brands preferring DriveSpark or insurance partners choosing GoodReturns—we ensure sharper contextual fit and measurable impact. This co-creation model has resulted in strong renewal rates and long-term brand partnerships, while significantly reducing our reliance on traditional CPM-led advertising.
Oneindia recently underwent its first rebrand in 25 years. What did that process involve, and how did you ensure the brand remained relevant yet rooted in its legacy?
Ravanan N: The rebrand was not an overnight decision but the result of a transformation journey that began in 2024. We first went back to the fundamentals—restructuring how the organisation worked, rethinking content creation, and asking ourselves critical questions: Are we creating for the user or simply for algorithms? Do we want to serve niche audiences or the larger Bharat? These choices set the foundation for change.
We also revamped our products, UI, and user experience, ensuring that our platforms were more intuitive and user-friendly. Only after these core changes did we move to the brand identity refresh, which was the final step in the process.
After 25 years, it was important to evolve our identity into something bold, sharper, and future-facing, reflecting the consumption habits and expectations of today’s audiences. The new visual language and tone are designed to resonate with a younger, more digital-first user base, while still preserving our legacy under the name Oneindia, which continues to symbolise trust and inclusivity for our audience.
This rebrand is not the culmination but a milestone in an ongoing journey—a step toward keeping Oneindia both relevant and deeply rooted in its heritage.
How do you view the role of AI in Oneindia’s operations and the broader media ecosystem?
Ravanan N: We see AI as a potent enabler, not a threat. The competition is not with AI itself, but with how effectively it is used—something that Nvidia’s CEO Jensen Huang articulates well. The real differentiator will be who leverages AI more intelligently to their advantage.
While AI is certainly a disruption, it is not about replacing jobs entirely. As Huang observed, AI can potentially perform 80% of most jobs, but it cannot fully accomplish 100% of that 80%. This means humans will continue to remain essential partners in the process, providing judgment, creativity, and context that AI cannot replicate.
At Oneindia, we embrace AI as a strategic ally—helping us accelerate processes, enhance newsroom efficiencies, and strengthen our storytelling. The real challenge lies in keeping pace with the rapid speed of change, which is faster than anything we’ve experienced before. For us, the opportunity is to adopt AI responsibly and proactively, ensuring it amplifies both business outcomes and audience value.
What’s your long-term vision for Oneindia over the next 5 years — especially in the context of AI, global growth, and multilingual content leadership?
Ravanan N: In today’s landscape, five years can feel like a lifetime, especially with the rapid evolution of AI. In just the last few months, we’ve seen foundational shifts—from LLMs to SLMs, and now to Hierarchical Reasoning Models (HRMs). At this pace, it’s difficult to predict exactly how technology will unfold, but our vision remains anchored in our original mission: to serve Bharat with content that informs, entertains, and enriches.
Going forward, our focus rests on three pillars. First, we want to evolve into a tech-powered organisation rather than a tech-assisted content platform. Second, we will continue to deepen our role as India’s choice for multilingual content, staying true to the diverse needs of our audience. Third, we aim to remain ahead of the curve in content consumption patterns, whether that means preparing for multimodal experiences or even device innovations that may move beyond traditional screens.
Our journey is about balancing legacy and innovation—serving audiences at scale while staying agile to adapt to disruptive shifts in technology and user behaviour.
