India Today

This article is about the news magazine. For the news channel, see India Today (TV channel).

India Today
50th anniversary issue of India Today
Editor-in-chiefAroon Purie
Madhu Trehan (founding editor)
CategoriesNews magazine
Circulation1,600,000[1]
PublisherLiving Media India Limited
FounderVidya Vilas Purie
First issue1–15 December 1975
CompanyLiving Media
CountryIndia
Based inNoida, Uttar Pradesh[2]
LanguageEnglish, Hindi
Websiteindiatoday.in
ISSN0254-8399

India Today is a weekly Indian English-language news magazine published by Living Media India Limited.[3][4] It is the most widely circulated magazine in India, with a readership of close to 8 million.[5] In 2014, India Today launched a new online opinion-orientated site called the DailyO.[6]

As per the Indian Readership Survey 2019, the India Today magazine's English edition had a readership of 9.24 million and the Hindi edition 7.02 million, making them among the most read magazines in India.[7] As of 2026, India Today has published 2,006 issues.[8]

History

India Today was established in 1975[9] by Vidya Vilas Purie (owner of Thompson Press), with his daughter Madhu Trehan as its editor and his son Aroon Purie as its publisher.[10][11] Trehan later returned to the United States, after which editorial leadership passed to other editors as the magazine continued to expand its coverage.[12]

The magazine began with a circulation of about 5,000 copies and grew to 15,000 by the end of the Emergency in January 1977. Its circulation increased to around 50,000 by March 1977 and crossed 100,000 by December 1978.[13]

The magazine was originally launched as a news-focused publication and later broadened its scope to include reporting and analysis across politics, business and public affairs. Over time, the magazine became the India Today Group's flagship print title. In addition to its English edition, the magazine was also published in several Indian languages including Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam.[12]

The magazine is credited with introducing scientific election polling (psephology) to Indian media through its collaboration with Prannoy Roy and David Butler in the 1980s.[14] In June 1997, to keep pace with the accelerating news cycle after economic liberalization, the publication transitioned from a fortnightly to a weekly format.[15]

In 1982, India Today launched an international edition, which was well received and circulated in 104 countries.[16] During the late 1980s, India Today was first Indian news organisation sending staff reporters to cover global events firsthand, including the Tiananmen Square protests, Afghan War and the collapse of the Soviet Union.[17][18]

In October 2017, Aroon Purie handed over operational control of the India Today Group to his daughter Kallie Purie, who became vice-chairperson.[19]

In December 2021, the magazine reported an increase in circulation following changes in distribution during and after the COVID-19 lockdowns.[20] In March 2024, Gulf News partnered with India Today magazine to distribute the magazine in the Middle East, extending its availability among readers in the United Arab Emirates.[21]

In January 2026, the magazine marked its 50th anniversary with a 600-page commemorative double issue titled The Remaking of India: 1975–2025. The issue was the largest in the publication's history, documenting five decades of Indian political, economic, and cultural history.[8]

In February 2026, U.S. President Donald Trump shared the cover of India Today’s Newsmakers of the Year 2025 edition featuring himself and Indian PM Narendra Modi on Truth Social, amid renewed diplomatic engagement between India and the United States.[22]

The magazine is published by Living Media India Limited, which is jointly controlled by the Purie family and IGH Holdings, an investment company associated with the Aditya Birla Group.[23]

Circulation and readership

According to the Indian Readership Survey 2019 Q3, the English edition of India Today had a total readership of 9.24 million, while the Hindi edition recorded 7.02 million, making them the two most-read magazines in India.[7]

In the Indian Readership Survey 2017, India Today and India Today Hindi were ranked first and second respectively among all magazines in the country, with readership figures of over 7.9 million for the English edition and 7.1 million for the Hindi edition.[24]

Civic survey

India Today conducts an annual civic behaviour survey titled Gross Domestic Behavior (GDB), which measures social and civic indicators across Indian states. It was launched in 2025. The survey evaluates Indian states on parameters such as civic sense, public safety, gender equality and diversity. It publishes an overall ranking of states as well as rankings for each parameter.[25][26]

India Today Conclave

The India Today Conclave is an annual conference organised by India Today. It has been held since the early 2000s. The event brings together speakers from politics, business, defence, media and academia. They discuss issues related to India and international affairs. Over the years, the conclave has covered topics such as governance, the economy, foreign policy, technology and culture.[27] In 2025, the conclave focused on artificial intelligence, innovation and India's role in international affairs.[28]

Over the years, the conclave has featured political leaders and public figures such as Bill Clinton, Narendra Modi, A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Manmohan Singh, Hillary Clinton, Bill Gates, Imran Khan, Sachin Tendulkar, Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, and Mukesh Ambani.[29]

See also

References

  1. ^ "IRS 2012 Q1 Topline Findings". Archived 7 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine. mruc.net. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
  2. ^ "Publications". India Today Group. Archived from the original on 5 August 2012. Retrieved 28 September 2010.
  3. ^ Douglas Bullis (1997). Selling to India's Consumer Market. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 46. ISBN 978-1-56720-105-5. Archived from the original on 29 June 2023. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
  4. ^ Advertising N Promotion. Tata McGraw-Hill Education. 2009. p. 713. ISBN 978-0-07-008031-7. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  5. ^ "IRS 2017: India Today most-read magazine in the country, Business Today No.1 among business magazines". Business Today. 10 February 2018. Archived from the original on 20 July 2019. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
  6. ^ Vivek Pai (15 September 2014). "India Today Group launches Medium clone DailyO". Medianama. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 27 March 2019. It looks like The India Today Group has launched a new opinion-oriented site called DailyO that provides commentary on news from various categories like politics, sports, life, sci-tech, money, humour and art & culture.
  7. ^ a b "Indian Readership Survey 2019 Q3" (PDF). Media Research Users Council. Indian Readership Survey .
  8. ^ a b "India Today unveils 50th anniversary special issue 'The Remaking of India: 1975–2025'". BestMediaInfo. 7 January 2026.
  9. ^ The Far East and Australasia 2003. Psychology Press. 2002. p. 490. ISBN 978-1-85743-1 33-9. Archived from the original on 29 June 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
  10. ^ Bhandare, Namita. "70's: The decade of innocence" Archived 2012-08-17 at the Wayback Machine.Hindustan Times. Retrieved 29 July 2012.
  11. ^ "India's Top 50 Influentials". Daily News and Analysis (DNA). 1 January 2009. Archived from the original on 8 July 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  12. ^ a b Bhula, Pooja (18 July 2022). "Who Owns Your Media: The highs and lows of the India Today Group". Newslaundry.
  13. ^ "Our challenge is to continue telling you compelling stories". India Today. 25 December 2000.
  14. ^ Rai, Praveen (2021). "Psephological Advancements and Pitfalls of Political Opinion Polls in India". Open Political Science. De Gruyter. doi:10.1515/openps-2021-0023.
  15. ^ The Far East and Australasia 2003. Psychology Press. 2002. p. 490. ISBN 978-1-85743-133-9.
  16. ^ "'Sometimes success is born out of failure'". India Today. 22 November 2012.
  17. ^ "India's most consequential decade" (PDF). Indian Express. 3 January 2026.
  18. ^ Purie, Aroon (3 January 2026). "From the Editor-in-Chief". India Today. Retrieved 13 January 2026.
  19. ^ Ray, Shantanu Ray (18 October 2017). "Aroon Purie hands over reins of India Today to daughter Kallie; appoints her as group vice-chairperson". First Post. Archived from the original on 25 June 2018. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  20. ^ "India Today magazine reports highest ever revenue in its 46th anniversary issue". Exchange4media. 28 December 2021.
  21. ^ "India Today now available in the UAE through Gulf News". 25 March 2024.
  22. ^ "US President Donald Trump shares India Today cover featuring him and PM Modi". Exchange4media. 2 February 2026.
  23. ^ "Aditya Birla Group acquires stake in Living Media India". Business Standard. 21 January 2013.
  24. ^ "India Today most-read magazine". PrintWeek India. 31 January 2018.
  25. ^ Gross Domestic Behavior, India Today, accessed 6 Sept 2025.
  26. ^ "Gross domestic behaviour survey: Here are India's 2 most well-behaved states". Tribune India. 24 March 2025.
  27. ^ "World's Most Powerful Leaders convene at India Today Conclave 2019". Adgully. 27 February 2019.
  28. ^ "India Today Conclave 2025: Embracing the Age of Acceleration". India Today. 14 February 2025.
  29. ^ "India Today Conclave marks a milestone of two decades of intellectual exchange with its 20th edition on 17th–18th March 2023". afaqs!. 16 March 2023.
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