Keen competition between India’s biggest publishers saw top places at the Indian Printers Summit shared between ABP Kolkata and two Times of India print sites.
In the ‘best in print’ competition, Bennett Coleman & Co won two golds (for The Times of India, Pune and Mumbai) and a bronze for The Times of India, Bengaluru) and a siver for The Economic Times, Lucknow, while ABP Pvt won silvers for The Telegraph, Kolkata, and for Anandabazar Patrika, Kolkata. A bronze (in the under 150,000 circulation category) was awarded to DB Corp for Dainik Bhaskar, Jaipur VKI.
Three print sites – ABP Kolkata, and the Times of India’s Ahmedabad and Delhi – Sahibabad sites – were awarded Carbon Footprint Verification certificates for their commitment to data transparency and environmental accountability in the news publishing industry. They had participated in a WAN-Ifra project that audited GHG emissions at printing plants.
More than 260 delegates from over 50 organisations attended the Indian Printers Summit 2025 event, which focused on innovation and the adoption of new technologies in publishing and newspaper distribution.
The summit, held on Monday and Tuesday (September 15-16) was the 33rd such event and featured two tracks focused on printing and distribution, spotlighting innovations in printing and also pressing challenges in distribution.
WAN-Ifra vice president Mariam Mammen Mathew, who is chief executive of Manorama Online called on delegates to discuss how print can co-exist with digital platforms. “Print and digital go better together,” she said.
During the opening keynote, Benjamin Peetre, print senior business developer at Bonnier News Local in Sweden, shared how 45 of its newspapers are produced entirely using AI-assisted workflow. “While print revenue is going down, digital revenue is growing. Our focus is on making print production as efficient as possible to keep it profitable.”
A chief executives’ roundtable at the summit’s inaugural session explored the current state of print and advertising in India. Pawan Agarwal, deputy managing director of DB Corp, said, “The good news is the industry is stable.
“We have to continue to focus on print. Digital cannot substitute what print is doing ever. Each medium has to make its own niche.”
Highlighting the importance of distribution, ABP chief executive Dhruba Mukherjee said, “Being hyperlocal gives us the opportunity to buy local ads.
“The impact is high, wastage is low and exposure is greater. This is one area where TV and digital have not been able to penetrate.”
Malayala Manorama executive editor and company director Jayant Mammen Mathew stressed the role of strong journalism: “Unless we are editorially superior, it will be very difficult for our readers to stick with us.”
Tanmay Maheshwari, managing director of Amar Ujala, stressed the importance of adding value for readers. Ritu Kapur, co-founder and chief executive of The Quint, moderated the discussion.
The Printing Summit focused on how automation is being used to streamline print operations, featuring insights from publishers who have implemented system-level changes; while the Distribution Summit explored how publishers were turning long-standing delivery issues into new business models. Distribution case studies from India, Sri Lanka and Japan showed how different publishers are adapting their strategies to stay competitive.
During the closing session,
WAN-Ifra South Asia managing director Magdoom Mohamed – who also presented the early findings of World Press Trends 2025-2026 – shared reflections on the two-day event. “The level of participation in this event has been improving every year,” he said.
“Indian publishers’ passion for print, its strong hyper-local connection, and the way digital is pushing print to do more were all clearly evident in the programme. This augurs well for the future of the news media industry in India.”
Winners in the 2025 Best in Print Awards were:
Less than 150K circulation: Gold– Bennett Coleman & Co. [The Times of India, Pune; Silver–Bennett Coleman & Co. [The Economic Times, Lucknow]; and ABP Pvt Ltd [The Telegraph, Kolkata]; Bronze: DB Corp [Dainik Bhaskar, Jaipur VKI].
Greater than 150K circulation: Gold– Bennett Coleman & Co. [The Times of India, Mumbai]; Silver– ABP Pvt Ltd [Anandabazar Patrika, Kolkata]; Bronze– Bennett Coleman & Co. [The Times of India, Bengaluru].
Below: Colleagues at ABP Printing/Kolkata celebrate their success