Association of Indian Magazines (AIM) announced the election of its new office bearers, following its Annual General Meeting held in New Delhi.
Manoj Sharma, CEO (Publishing & Experiential), Living Media India, was elected president, Dhaval Gupta, Director, CyberMedia, was named vice president, and Anurag Batra, Chairman and Editor-in-Chief, BW Businessworld, general secretary.
THE WEEK’s Chief Associate Editor & Director Riyad Mathew was elected treasurer.
The AIM is the apex industry body representing leading magazine publishers across multiple languages and genres in the country.
Outgoing president Anant Nath, (Executive Publisher, Delhi Press) in his address at the AGM, thanked the AIM members and the executive team for their support and collective efforts during his tenure. Nath also highlighted the 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,” he said.
AIM’s recent milestones and initiatives
Here’s a look at some of the recent achievements by the AIM.
• 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” programme with IRCTC, bringing magazines to premium train travellers.
• The Magzimise Awards 2025, held alongside IMC, celebrated excellence and innovation in magazine advertising.
The new leadership team plans to build on previous achievements with a renewed sense of purpose. They will focus on expanding how magazines reach readers and improving subscription strategies. A national advertising campaign for magazines will also be launched to highlight their value to advertisers. AIM will also increase its efforts to work with government ministries and departments. Their goal is to secure dedicated funds for magazines in public libraries and educational institutions. They will also urge the DAVP (Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity) to review and adjust advertising rates for magazines, making them more reasonable. AIM believes these actions will lead to more magazine titles being approved for government advertising. This will ensure the magazine sector receives a fairer portion of government advertising revenue.