India Today report highlights international reach of Putin interview

New Delhi: India Today Group has released a Media Impact Report assessing the global reach and engagement generated by its exclusive interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin, conducted earlier this year. 

The report states that the interview achieved 235 million video views across television and digital platforms, 1.2 million peak concurrent live viewers globally, and 5.8 million social interactions including shares, comments, and reactions across Meta platforms, X, Instagram, and YouTube. Coverage, citation, and attribution were recorded in 25 leading international media organisations, with prominent front-page and headline placements across Europe, Asia, and the Global South.

The interview became one of the most globally cited exclusive political interviews in recent years. International coverage included outlets such as BBC, Reuters, Associated Press, The Washington Post, and The New York Times, alongside widespread adoption in regional and multilingual media. 

The report notes that the interview reached beyond geographical, ideological, and geopolitical boundaries. By comparison, other high-profile Western political interviews, such as Donald Trump’s appearances on 60 Minutes and ABC’s 100 Days, or President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s engagements with U.S. networks, generated strong domestic or regional attention but had more limited international citation and newsroom adoption.

“This milestone marks a powerful start to the year for India Today Group and reinforces our commitment to journalism that matters, journalism that not only informs audiences at home but also shapes conversations across borders and around the world by asking the right questions, questions that resonate with the global citizen,” said Kalli Purie, Vice Chairperson & Executive Editor-in-Chief, India Today Group.

The report further emphasises that engagement went beyond live broadcast viewership. Prolonged consumption across digital platforms in the weeks following transmission and high levels of social interaction reflect sustained global participation in discussions around the interview.