The Business of Summits by Mainstream Media Houses – Lucrative and Unethical?

Key Points

Over the past decade, Media Summits have grown into a global industry practice. Once limited to MNCs, summits have become standard across fields and disciplines.

It makes sense why media houses have adopted summits so readily. The live events by nature facilitate networking and investment, while providing an avenue for discussing industry trends and practices. But that is only half the story.

Media Summits

We live in the age of information. The internet has revolutionized humanity’s access to information and exposure to current events, upending the foundation of the media industry. News organizations, production houses, and ad firms have had to adapt quickly from papers and TV to social media and YouTube. And they must continue adapting to keep up with today’s lightning-fast algorithms.

It makes sense then that they would turn to real-life media summits amidst all the uncertainty of a digital-first business. These events are a much more tangible and controllable product that require a one-time investment. In return, they create a stream of exclusive content, position the organizer as industry leaders, and create an opportunity to not just keep up with but decide trends and practices. As a result, these events help build brand image and improve investor confidence.

These events have become large revenue sources for many leading media houses like Reuters, the Wall Street Journal, etc. The exclusivity of the events allows them to curate guestlists for their sponsors while also allowing consumers access through premium-tier subscription, driving conversions.

For Indian media houses such events also provide the added incentive of allowing them to show how their values are in line with governments narratives.

Indian Media Houses

In 2025, India ranked 151 of 180 on the Global Press Freedom Index – the past decade has seen not only a rise of media summits but of a growing nexus between mainstream media houses and the Indian government.

Most news channels – like Republic, Zee, News18, NDTV – have lost their credibility, with talking points across stories reflecting an ideological bias. These organisations are aptly called 'Godi Media'.

Experts called in are usually related in some way or another to the party in power, while any opposition voices have their mics switched off or feeds cut. Primetime shows have devolved into screaming matches focused on government propaganda. It is rare to see a host go against official narratives – those in power are no longer scrutinised, only their critics.

The faces behind the organisation, not just those on the screen, might have something to do with this. Over the past few years, ownership of media conglomerates has also changed. Today, most mainstream networks are owned either by businessmen aligned with the BJP or by BJP leaders themselves: Ambani’s reliance owns the News18 network, Gautam Adani has taken over NDTV, Zee News is owned by BJP MP Subhash Chandra, and Republic TV is run by Rajiv Chandrasekhar and Arnab Goswami who are known for their nationalist rhetoric. Many national and state organisations have links to other parties as well, like the Congress, the TMC and Shiv Sena.

Another aspect to focus on is revenue. Media houses run on ad revenue and sponsorships. Anyone who has opened a newspaper in the last few years knows what this means. State and central governments are the biggest spenders when it comes to paper and digital ads – the Centre alone spent upwards of ₹ 2,320 crore on ads between 2021 and 2025. It seems that if media houses want to stay operational, they have no choice but to pander to their biggest cash banks.

And with stricter measures in place than ever, like the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, the Broadcasting Act, and the revitalised sedition law, what option is there?

See Also: Former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak Says ‘Mithai Comes First’ During Visit to Delhi

Indian Media Summits

Indian mainstream media summits are the perfect place to see this sycophancy in action.

The general overview for most of these events look the same: a day of lectures by eminent personalities, followed by workshops and networking sessions. Then another day or two of the same. Otherwise, the workshops can be replaced by an award function to placate stakeholders and stroke egos.

Looking at a few recent summits – the Economic Times Awards for Corporate Excellence, the Republic Plenary Summit 2025, and the NDTV World Summit 2025 – we see the same generic formula behind all the proceedings:

A keynote address by some government officials, followed by speeches from more officials or business leaders, and a closing ceremony featuring yet another official or, at least, for the benefit of one.

Dr. Munish Kumar Raisada, founder of the Bharatiya Liberal Party, put it succinctly:

At the Economic Times ceremony – “a night of taareefs” – IT & Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman kicked off the event with a series of conversations. There were only praises to be heard for the Centre’s initiatives.

At the NDTV conclave, the agenda featured a robust list of speakers – global leaders, CEOs, actors, and government officials – talking on India’s position as a global trend- maker and its enviable future. The first day of the event ended with an address by PM Modi titled ‘Unstoppable Bharat: The Force of Now’.

The Republic Plenary Summit 2025, titled ‘Limitless India’, provides the most striking example. The event featured the likes of Akshay Kumar, Sonu Sood, Himanta Biswa Sarma, Rekha Gupta, and of course, PM Modi. Modi delivered an hours-long speech glorifying his past successes and possible threats to a better India. The address sounded fit for an election rally.

Of course, these summits rarely address any actual issues – which is to be expected – they are spaces meant only for congratulations, peacocking, and networking. But that begs the question: are they ethical?

Businesses will align with their stakeholders; that’s a simple truth. But when the business represents the fourth pillar of democracy and the stakeholder is the government, where does that leave the common people? Who can they put their trust in? With a systematic targeting of independent news agencies, are they left with any choice but constantly consume propaganda? Are profits worth integrity? [OG/DS]

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