How brand newsrooms are reshaping India’s information economy, ET BrandEquity

By Vivek Pradeep Rana
A quiet transformation is reshaping India’s specialised media landscape. Much like the evolution of our payments infrastructure through UPI or the IT services revolution, we are witnessing a fundamental reimagining of how specialised information is created and distributed. This change isn’t unfolding in the glare of breaking news or viral headlines but in the nuanced realms of business, technology, and industry expertise, where critical decisions are made.
Brands, once relegated to the sidelines as advertisers, are stepping into the spotlight as full-fledged publishers. They are building newsrooms, hiring top-tier journalists, and producing content that rivals—and in many cases surpasses—the offerings of traditional media outlets. This is not just a marketing strategy; it’s a paradigm shift that is reshaping journalism, marketing, and consumer trust.
The New Economics of Information
The economics driving this shift are compelling yet represent a fundamental departure from traditional media models. Conventional business publications typically allocate ₹50–60 lakh annually for specialised beat coverage, constrained by advertising revenues and subscriber numbers. In contrast, when PhonePe publishes detailed analyses of India’s digital payments landscape or Zerodha produces in-depth research on market trends, their investments serve multiple purposes, redefining the economics of quality journalism.
Take PhonePe, for example: its investment in a team of financial journalists and analysts goes beyond content creation. It positions the company as an authoritative voice in digital payments, builds customer trust, and provides critical market intelligence for its operations. These multi-layered returns enable investments of several crores annually in their insights division, far exceeding traditional media budgets.
Similarly, Razorpay’s research into e-commerce trends is not just about publishing reports—it builds a competitive advantage through expertise, driving enterprise sales and shaping industry narratives. This difference in unit economics enables brand newsrooms to invest in depth and quality at a scale unmatched by advertising-supported models.
The Power of Data and Domain Expertise
This shift gains further momentum through the integration of proprietary data and deep domain expertise. When Paytm’s research division analyses digital payment trends, it relies on insights from millions of daily transactions across diverse geographies and merchant categories. This provides a level of detail that external publications cannot replicate.
The impact is evident in the quality of analysis. Razorpay’s recent examination of Indian e-commerce post-pandemic combined transaction data from 300,000 merchants with in-depth sector insights, producing unparalleled perspectives. HDFC Bank’s research on retail banking trends uses data from India’s largest private banking network, providing insights into middle-class financial behaviour during inflationary periods. Similarly, Zerodha’s market analysis leverages direct visibility into retail trading patterns, identifying emerging trends months ahead of external observers.
The Great Talent Migration
This structural shift is further underscored by the movement of talent. Leading business publications are seeing their specialised journalists transition to roles that bridge journalism and industry expertise. This is not merely a matter of salary; it signifies a realignment of where impactful specialised journalism is happening.
Former editors from top financial dailies now lead Paytm’s research division, bringing editorial rigour to data-driven insights. Veteran market reporters have joined Zerodha’s market education team, combining storytelling skills with direct access to market data. Senior financial journalists are helping build PhonePe’s digital economy research unit, crafting frameworks to understand India’s digital transformation.
These professionals report significant advantages in their new roles: access to proprietary data for deeper insights, collaboration with domain experts, and the ability to focus on long-term analysis rather than the daily news cycle. As one senior journalist put it, moving from a leading business daily to a fintech research team feels like “progressing from writing about the digital economy to actively shaping it.”
Beyond Traditional Models
This evolution is not merely content marketing in a new guise; it represents a fundamental restructuring of how specialised information is produced and distributed. Traditional media models faced natural constraints: limited advertising revenues capped investments in specialised coverage, and the need for broad readership discouraged highly technical analysis. Brand newsrooms, driven by direct business value, eliminate these constraints.
This transformation mirrors developments in other areas of India’s digital economy. Just as UPI redefined payment infrastructure, brand newsrooms are rethinking information infrastructure. The difference isn’t just greater resources; it’s the alignment of incentives that fosters sustained investment in quality.
The results speak for themselves. Infosys’s Knowledge Institute invests in six-month research projects that traditional outlets cannot justify. PayU integrates journalism with data science to analyse payment patterns, delivering insights unavailable elsewhere.
The Future of Specialised Storytelling
For traditional media, this shift is not an extinction event but a catalyst for evolution. The future likely holds a more complex media ecosystem where organisations serve distinct information needs. Traditional outlets may focus on investigative journalism and cross-domain analysis, while brand newsrooms provide deep specialised coverage.
Emerging partnerships hint at this future. Business publications increasingly cite analyses from company research divisions, while brand newsrooms collaborate with independent journalists on investigative projects. This suggests a future where different types of media organisations play complementary roles in the information ecosystem.
A New Information Architecture
This transformation is not merely another market shift; it represents a fundamental rebuilding of how complex information is created and distributed in the digital age. This new architecture blends real-time data, domain expertise, and professional journalism, enabling deeper analysis and faster insights.
However, this evolution raises important questions. How can editorial independence be maintained while aligning with business objectives? What new disclosure standards are needed for this hybrid model? How should regulations adapt to oversee this new form of information production?
These challenges are not hypothetical; they are practical considerations shaping the future of specialised journalism. Organisations that navigate them thoughtfully will define the next generation of business reporting.
For India’s media landscape, this is both a challenge and an opportunity. Early adopters who embrace this shift will lead the way in redefining how specialised information is created, validated, and distributed in the digital era. This is not merely about adapting to change—it is about rebuilding the architecture of specialised journalism for the future.
(The author is the managing partner, Gnothi Seauton.)
link