Kalli Purie’s swipe at billionaire-owned channels over no-poaching deal

New Delhi: India Today Group Vice-Chairperson Kalli Purie took a swipe at billionaire-owned news networks during a podcast with Smita Prakash, which went live on Sunday.

In a freewheeling conversation with the ANI Editor, Purie suggested that Reliance-owned Network18 and Adani-owned NDTV have a no-poaching agreement in place, leaving independent groups like India Today more vulnerable to talent raids.

While discussing cross-media ownership, Prakash pointed out how billionaires such as Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani have entered the media space in recent years.

To this, Purie responded with a tongue-in-cheek comment, “The billionaire channels that have a no-poach agreement between them.”

When asked whether cross-media ownership should face stricter regulations, Purie argued that conglomerate-owned media companies ultimately prioritise their broader commercial interests over journalism.

“Yes, they’re running a news channel, but when it comes down to it, they are not going to allow the smallest part of their organisation to cause harm to a bigger part of their organisation. They are in it for different reasons, and that will always be the main motive,” she said.

Positioning the India Today Group as different, Purie stressed that news is its only business. “We don’t have any other commercial interests, right? This is our main business, and we want it to be our main business. We’ve not gone into anything else. It doesn’t compromise us in any way,” she said.

Purie insisted that the presence of deep-pocketed players should be seen as an opportunity rather than a threat.

“Yes, there’s a lot of big money, right? I get that, but okay, you have big money, then you have no idea. So what are you going to do if you have all the money in the world? Then why are you copying us? Why are you not creating things that I can copy?” she added.