Indian News Agencies

Indian News Agencies: 7 Prominent News Sources in India and Beyond

News agencies are organizations that gather and distribute news to a wide range of media outlets, such as newspapers, magazines, television, and radio stations. They also offer a variety of news services, including text, photo, video, and audio. They play an important role in informing the public about current events and providing a platform for different perspectives to be heard. Indian news agencies are part of the rich and diverse mass media landscape of India, playing a vital role in the news ecosystem.

The major Indian news agencies

  1. Press Trust of India (PTI)
  2. Bhasa: Hindi Language Service of PTI
  3. United News of India (UNI)
  4. Univarta: Hindi Language Service of UNI
  5. Asian News International (ANI)
  6. Indo-Asian News Service (IANS)
  7. Hindustan Samachar

These agencies have a vast network of correspondents across the country and abroad, and they provide news coverage in a variety of languages, including English, Hindi, and other regional languages. They also offer a variety of news services, including text, photo, video, and audio. News agencies also play an important role in promoting democracy and transparency. They hold the government and other powerful institutions to account by investigating and reporting on corruption, abuse of power, and other wrongdoing. They give a voice to the marginalized and the voiceless.

Press Trust of India (PTI)

The Press Trust of India (PTI) is a not-for-profit, private limited company owned by a group of Indian newspapers, who are also its subscribers. PTI is self-funded through its source(s) of revenue, which is the subscription model for dissemination of news. PTI earns its revenue from licensing content to its hundreds of subscribers, comprising newspapers, TV broadcasters, websites, mobile apps, and other clients.

PTI is India’s premier news agency, with a reach that covers every corner of India. It employs more than 600 journalists and 800 stringers to cover almost every city and small town in India.

PTI claims to send over 1,000 text stories, about 100 live videos, about 150 raw video stories, more than 20 voiced video stories, and 250 photographs, including graphics, every day to its diverse subscribers, including the mainstream media, specialized presses, research groups, companies, and government and non-governmental organizations.

Press Trust of India Services
Press Trust of India Services

PTI correspondents are also based in leading capitals and influential business and administrative centers worldwide. It also has exchange arrangements with several foreign news agencies to magnify its global news footprint. Currently, PTI commands 90 percent of the new agency market share in India.

PTI was registered in 1947 and started functioning in 1949. A Board of Directors oversees PTI, with the Chairmanship rotating at the Annual General Meeting. The CEO, who is also the Editor-in-Chief, is in charge of PTI’s day-to-day management and administration. Its board of directors includes the owner and editor of most of the leading publications in India.

As of September 2023, Aveek Sarkar is Chairman of the Board of Press Trust of India.

PTI Fact Check

It is a dedicated fact-checking unit within the editorial department of PTI. PTI’s general news budget funds the PTI Fact Check team. PTI does not accept donations from any political party.

Bhasa: Hindi Language Service of PTI

Through its Hindi language service, Bhasha, PTI provides detailed coverage of all events from around the country and the world. Bhasha claims to produce 400+ stories per day. It has coverage across categories such as national, international, business, sports, entertainment, and legal.

United News of India (UNI)

Indian News Agencies

UNI started its commercial operations on March 21, 1961. It has news bureaus in all state capitals and other major cities. The agency also has representatives in key world capitals.

The agency’s subscribers include newspapers published in 14 languages, AIR, Doordarshan, the Central and State governments, corporate and commercial houses, and electronic and web-based media.

UNI also pioneered a national news photo service in 1987.

UNI has been the first and only news agency in the world to supply news in Urdu since June 5, 1992.

Univarta: Hindi Language Service of UNI

UNI was the first to start a multi-language news service, UNIVARTA, on May 1, 1982. It provides news services to Hindi newspapers and media organizations, providing a comprehensive package of national, international, regional, sports, and commercial news in their language of publication.

Asian News International (ANI)

press-conference

ANI is South Asia’s leading multimedia news agency, with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia, and across the globe.

ANI has established itself as a ‘complete content house, providing text, video, and picture content for TV, print, mobile, and online media.

ANI also provides a range of facilities for foreign and domestic channels to package their reports in India and uplink via satellite. These include the provision of professional crews, editing and post-production facilities, access to archives, uplinking facilities, coordinators, producers, and correspondents, as per requirement.

ANI services include loosely edited news feeds and customized programs for television channels, audio bytes for radio stations, live web casting and streamed multimedia and text content for websites and mobile carriers, and news wire services for newspapers, magazines, and websites.

Indo-Asian News Service (IANS)

IANS was established in 1986, initially to serve as an information bridge between India and its diaspora in North America. Today, it is a full-fledged, 24/7 agency based in Delhi-NCR (Noida), putting out real-time news from India, South Asia, and this region around the world.

Its client list includes a range of print publications, television news channels, websites, ethnic publications abroad, government ministries, foreign missions, private sector players, and multilateral institutions.

IANS is divided into six business verticals: IANS News Service (English & Hindi), IANS Multimedia, IANS Publishing, IANS Media Consultancy, IANS Software Services, and IANS Mobile Services.

Sandeep Bamzai is the current MD, CEO, and editor-in-chief of IANS.

Hindustan Samachar

The Hindusthan Samachar was formed on December 1, 1948, as a co-operative society. It provides news in 14 Indian languages. Its subscribers include AIR, Doordarshan, various state governments, Nepal Radio, and several regional papers.

Presently, the service is being provided in Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Nepali, Oriya, Asamiya, Kannada, Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Sindhi, Sanskrit, Punjabi, and Bangla. They have 22 bureaus in various states of India.

Indian News Agencies Challenges

These agencies collectively form the backbone of India’s media landscape, connecting diverse regions and languages while facilitating the flow of information across the nation and beyond. Their commitment to timely and accurate news remains a cornerstone of informed journalism in India, reinforcing their indispensable role in the country’s media ecosystem.

Indian news agencies face several challenges, including:

  • Competition from foreign news agencies
  • Rising costs of operations
  • The spread of misinformation and disinformation

1 thought on “Indian News Agencies: 7 Prominent News Sources in India and Beyond”

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

error: Content is protected !!
Scroll to Top