If You Want a Good Job in Media Become Digital-First Says Pankaj Pachauri

Pankaj Pachauri, a veteran journalist and a former communications advisor to the PM’s office during the time of Dr Manmohan Singh is now founder and editor-in-chief of GoNews24X7, India's first app based news channel.

“I tried to think ahead and launched a media company called GoNews. It gives you all the news in 90 second clips. And it’s completely app only. We started this company from below and we are first digital. We first went on app, then we will move to WAP and only then as a last place to expand to, will we go on DTH and cable.

Because the future is in digital. Last year was the first year in the UK that internet sales revenue crossed television sales revenue. This includes a huge market with hallmark media companies like Sky News, and BBC. Because of this if you want to start a media company the first place you should build it is on digital.

Today as we speak one billion videos will be downloaded on YouTube alone. That’s what the future is going to look like. If you want a good job in media you will have to think digital-first.”

The problem is that only a meagre approximation of 12 percent has internet in India. These media industry leaders are then expecting that internet penetration will keep increasing fast enough to make a profit as a digital media company.

That’s why there are a few patrons of TV broadcasting left in India who will keep innovating the old school picture box.

Amitabh Srivastava is South Asia head for the Association of International Broadcasters (AIB) and has headed operations for international famers like Walt Disney and BBC. Right now Amitabh is working with Russia Today on news gathering programs for BRIC nations.

“I am involved in lots of strategic consulting with the international media who is looking at Asia as a big market and especially India, because of the big numbers involved.”

But none of the consulting is exactly about digital.

“I am involved with a UHD (ultra-high definition) or 4K channel. It’s a new technological advancement, where the picture quality is 4x better than HD.”

You know what. Forget digital. India doesn’t even have the infrastructure to accommodate the latest in TV technology.

Amitabh continues, “The channel is yet to come to India because the user needs a TV set enabled to support the video quality and this will take some time. But we are getting ready to bring this channel to India.”

Still, the move to a totally digital world seems an eventuality. “I come from the editorial side of the business. For us today, digital is as much a part of our story telling as the old television medium. I come from the original group of television journalists in India. Over the years, we realized the move has to be towards digital because people are not consuming television anymore,” said Rohit Gandhi.

Former editor-in-chief at DNA India, Rohit Gandhi is an award winning veteran war journalist and an Emmy nominated documentary film maker. He is also editor-in-chief of Democracy Live and will soon be launching his own digital media startup.

“We as journalists want to make sure we bring you balanced information. I launched a platform in India where we hope to give a perspective on global news so that people in South Asia, people in India begin recognizing the challenges we have ahead. I’m in the process of launching a new platform right now and it’s entirely digital. I realized that television is not the way to go. Too expensive to do and you have to begin compromising your whole pool of content [and editorial judgment]. So great digital content which people, especially the young audience will consume and recognize is crucial for the sustainability of any media company.

Television is for the 45 – plus group age, and that’s an audience we don’t want to target.” The new media platform that Rohit has created is targeted towards the millennial. Expect the first cut of that digital platform in the next week or so.