Introduction
The 14th Indian Magazine Congress (IMC), a premier event for magazine publishers in India, is just around the corner. The event is scheduled to take place on August 8 at the iconic The Imperial, New Delhi, from 9:30 AM to 9:00 PM.
The annual industry gathering is once again bringing thought leaders, publishers, innovators, and policy makers from across the publishing ecosystem under one roof. It is the window that will show where Indian magazines are headed in the future.
The Essence of IMC
The essence of IMC lies in bringing together magazine publishers, editors, media strategists, digital leaders, policy makers, and researchers. The gathering aims to discuss the evolving publishing landscape.
It is a one-day summit offering inspiration and bold launches. It also aims to give a collective effort to boost print and digital magazines in the right direction. The summit is organised by the Association of Indian Magazines (AIM), a distinguished organisation that represents all major magazine publishers in India.
AIM represents over 40 publishing houses, 300 publications, and more than 150 million readers across 10 languages. Among the various voices shaping IMC 2025, CyberMedia particularly stands out. It is an AIM Associate Member and the conference co-host.
CyberMedia brings a legacy of innovation to the event, reflecting the forward-looking spirit of IMC. It is the largest specialty media house in South Asia and among the top five magazine brands in India. Its footprints span across nine leading media titles – Dataquest, PCQuest, Voice&Data, Global Services, DQ Channels, and the DQ Week Delhi and other editions.
What sets CyberMedia apart is its reach to a community of over 1.5 million readers and website visitors every month. It continues to host over 100 events every year and innovate in the digital space. Hence, the presence of the organisation at IMC 2025 is undoubtedly going to shape the future of the publishing sector in India.
The Theme of IMC 2025
The theme of IMC 2025 is “The Deep Connect: Building Communities. Nurturing Trust. Re-imagining the Future”. The theme couldn’t be more relevant. Current readers have more choices than ever as digital channels keep multiplying. Magazines are working day and night to build a genuine connection with their audiences.
This year’s IMC will provide a platform for discussing how to effectively engage audiences across various formats. The key focus will be on solving current publishing challenges through creativity, technology, and trust. The platform will see distinguished members conversing around advertising models, subscription growth, and digital transformation.
Highlights of IMC 2025
Here are the major highlights of the event for this year:
- Special Keynote Address: Ashiwni Vaishnaw, Minister for Railways, Information & Broadcasting, Electronics and IT, will open the IMC. He will provide insights on the media and digital transformation agenda for India.
- Launch of Magazine E-Store on Waves OTT: Gaurav Dwivedi, CEO of Prasar Bharati, will launch the magazine e-store on Waves OTT. Now, you can read India’s leading magazines whenever you want.
- Debut of Magnet Seller App: Vibhor Jain, Acting CEO and COO of ONDC, will introduce a new e-commerce platform. The purpose of making this application was to empower publishers and optimize magazine distribution processes.
- Magazimise Awards: These awards will honor advertising campaigns. The awards will be given based on the criteria of creativity and highly impactful collaboration between brands and magazine publishers.
All-Star Speaker Lineup
Here is the list of visionaries and decision-makers who will speak during IMC 2025:
- Shashi Sinha (CEO, IPG Mediabrands India)
- Shreyams Kumar (President, Indian Newspaper Society)
- Prasanth Kumar (WPP Media-GroupM)
- Neeraj Sharma (MD, Accenture)
- Dhaval Gupta (Director, CyberMedia)
- Puneet Kukreja (VP, Times Internet)
- Richa Shah (Editor, Champak)
- Abhishek Sharma (CPO, Hindustan Times)
- Srinivasan B (CMD, Ananda Vikatan)
- Anant Nath (Executive Publisher, Delhi Press; AIM President)
- Manoj Sharma (CEO, Magazines, India Today)
- Anurag Batra (Chairman, BW Businessworld)
- Riyad Mathew (Chief Associate Editor and Director)
- Girish Mallya (COO, Next Gen Publishing)
- Deepak Bhatt (Circulation Director, India Today)
Why IMC 2025 Matters For You
Attending the Indian Media Congress is like attending a masterclass to know what’s next for print and digital magazines. The platform offers an opportunity to collaborate and exchange ideas. The event is not just about networking and lengthy panel discussions. It’s a think tank and hub of creative ideas.
The IMC celebrates how storytelling, technology, and commerce come together to serve millions of readers. ‘The Deep Connect’ theme resonates with this vision. IMC 2025 will offer inspiration to everyone. If you’re a publisher looking to boost your business or an advertiser searching for trusted media partnerships, IMC is an event that you can’t miss.
Key reasons for you to pay attention are:
- Witness how emerging and established publishers are solving industry issues.
- Get inspiration from award-winning creative campaigns in the Magazimise Awards.
- Learn about different strategies on upcoming monetization trends in the Indian magazine sector.
Final Thoughts
IMC 2025 is not just an ordinary industry event. It’s a hub of ideas and innovation that will shape the publishing sector of India. It is a platform that empowers publishers and inspires everyone to collaboratively solve problems. Stay tuned for more information and see how magazine publishers of India are leading the change.
