Highlights Recent Distribution Successes and Outlines Future Growth Agenda
The Association of Indian Magazines (AIM) today announced the election of its new office bearers for the upcoming term, following its Annual General Meeting held in New Delhi.
The new leadership team is as follows:
• President: Manoj Sharma, CEO (Publishing & Experiential), Living Media India
• Vice-President: Dhaval Gupta, Director, CyberMedia
• General Secretary: Anurag Batra, Chairman and Editor-in-Chief, BW Businessworld
• Treasurer: Riyad Mathew, Chief Associate Editor & Director, The Week
Outgoing President Anant Nath, (Executive Publisher, Delhi Press) in his address at the AGM, thanked AIM members and the executive team for their support and collective efforts during his tenure.
Reflecting on the last few years, he highlighted AIM’s role in revitalising the magazine ecosystem through collaborative initiatives that have positioned magazines as a trusted, multi platform medium.
“We have achieved significant milestones together — from strengthening subscription delivery and distribution networks, expanding digital storefronts, and building policy engagement with government ministries, to foregrounding magazines once again in the media and advertising conversation. AIM today stands on much firmer ground than it did five years ago, and the new leadership is well poised to build on this momentum.”
Recent Milestones and Initiatives
• Strengthening distribution and subscriptions through Magazine Post with India Post.
• Forging e-commerce and quick-commerce partnerships and collaboration with Indian Railways and IRCTC to expand retail distribution.
• Launching the WAVES OTT magazine store with Prasar Bharati and developing a shared storefront on ONDC.
• Deepening engagement with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Ministry of Railways, and India Post.
• Convening the industry through the Indian Magazine Congress and Magzimise Awards
IMC 2025 and Magzimise Awards
The recently concluded 14th Indian Magazine Congress (IMC 2025) in New Delhi marked a high point in AIM’s calendar this year. Themed “The Deep Connect: Building Communities, Nurturing Trust, Re-imagining the Future,” the congress brought together top publishers, advertisers, media planners, policymakers, and global experts.
IMC 2025 saw the announcement of three major initiatives:
• A WAVES OTT magazine store in partnership with Prasar Bharati.
• A shared magazine storefront on ONDC / DigiHaat to enable e-commerce sales.
• The “Magazines on the Move” program with IRCTC, bringing magazines to premium train travellers.
• The Magzimise Awards 2025, held alongside IMC, celebrated excellence and innovation in magazine advertising, recognising the most creative and impactful campaigns across categories.
Future Roadmap
Looking ahead, the new leadership team will build on this momentum with renewed focus on expanding magazine distribution and subscription strategies, rolling out a national magazine advertising campaign, and foregrounding the relevance of magazines for advertisers. AIM also plans to intensify policy advocacy with government ministries and departments to secure budgetary allocations for magazines in public libraries and educational institutions, as well as urge DAVP to revise and rationalise advertising rates for magazines. This, AIM believes, will help increase the empanelment of magazine titles and ensure a fairer share of government advertising revenues to the sector.
Speaking on his election, Manoj Sharma, the newly elected President of AIM, said: “This is a pivotal moment for the magazine medium. AIM has done important groundwork over the past few years to rebuild our distribution backbone and strengthen our voice. The new leadership team looks forward to carrying this work forward with greater energy, sharper focus, and stronger collaborations to grow magazine readership, advertising, and relevance.”