India Today Advertising

Who reads India Today online?

India Today has a different reader from its Hindi sister, Aaj Tak. The audience reads in English, lives mostly in metros and large cities, and includes many working professionals, students preparing for competitive exams, and business owners. A good share of them reach the site through search and social links to explainers and analysis.

The brand's roots matter here. India Today began as a news magazine in 1975 and built its name on long-form political and investigative reporting. That reputation now carries over to indiatoday.in, the app and its English TV channel stream.

The India Today Group reported 295 million unique visitors in Comscore's News and Information category for July 2025, a figure that includes social and counts every group brand together. India Today's own English share is smaller. We share campaign-level reach estimates for your targeting during planning.

Why do brands advertise on India Today?

India Today advertising works best when the message needs a serious, credible setting. Typical buyers include banks and insurers, mutual funds, premium cars, laptops and phones, higher education, real estate and B2B technology firms.

One example. A Pune-based EV startup wanting to reach early adopters in Bengaluru, Mumbai and Delhi can buy technology and auto sections, add contextual keywords around electric vehicles, and run rich media to show the product. The same budget on a mass Hindi site would buy more impressions but fewer of the right people.

What ad formats are available, and at what cost?

Native suits this audience well. Readers come for context, so a sponsored explainer about tax-saving funds or a cybersecurity checklist fits the page.

As an indicative guide, PG and private deals run ₹150–400 CPM. Open auction display is about ₹40–120, rich media ₹90–220 and in-stream video ₹120–280. The minimum spend is about ₹5 lakh.

Metro-only targeting, business sections and big news days push the CPM toward the top of the range. Final India Today ad rates are confirmed per campaign, and GST is extra.

When should you advertise on India Today?

Budget week in February is a natural fit for financial brands. Election counting days bring huge English news traffic. The India Today Conclave and other group events draw attention from policy and business readers. Board exam results and admission season in May and June suit education brands.

The festive quarter from September to November is busy across all publishers. Premium consumer brands should lock inventory by August if they want the best slots.

How does India Today compare with Aaj Tak and other English sites?

You can buy both in one plan. See our Aaj Tak advertising page for the Hindi side. Against other English news sites, India Today is strongest on political and current affairs reading, while business-only sites such as Moneycontrol suit investor messages better.

How do you measure India Today campaigns?

For display and native we report impressions, reach, frequency, viewability and click-through. For video we add completion rate and cost per completed view. B2B advertisers often care more about site visits and lead form starts, so tag your landing pages before launch. Brand lift studies are available where the budget qualifies.

Tips for better results

Write for a reader who is short on time but likes facts. One clear number in a banner beats three adjectives. Run desktop during working hours if you sell to businesses. Keep native copy useful rather than salesy. And ask for a free media plan to compare costs across publishers before you finalise the split.