How Akshansh Yadav Engineered ITV Digital's Remarkable Comeback

Introduction

In India's crowded digital news landscape, legacy doesn't guarantee relevance. Platforms that once dominated headlines can quietly lose ground to faster, more agile competitors — and rebuilding that lost momentum is far harder than building from scratch. That's exactly the challenge Akshansh Yadav walked into when he took the CEO role at ITV Network's digital arm. What he's achieved since then is turning heads across the media industry. In just months, brands that were struggling for visibility are now outranking some of India's most established news platforms. So how did he do it — and what does it mean for India's digital media ecosystem?

What Just Happened

Akshansh Yadav was appointed CEO of ITV Network's digital division with a clear mandate: rebuild and scale a portfolio of six distinct brands — NewsX, India News, The Daily Guardian, The Sunday Guardian, NewsX World, and Inkhabar.

The challenge was real. Several of these properties had lost ground in an increasingly competitive digital news environment dominated by well-funded platforms with massive editorial teams and distribution muscle.

Yadav brought over a decade of experience from some of India's most respected media organisations — ABP News, Zee News, and the India Today Group — combining editorial instincts with product thinking and commercial strategy.

The results showed up quickly. By February 2026 Comscore rankings, ITV Network's digital properties had climbed significantly. Most strikingly, India News ranked ahead of Aaj Tak, ABP Live, Jagran, and NDTV on desktop metrics — a milestone that would have seemed ambitious just a year ago.

What This Means for Your Brand

For media buyers, advertisers, and brand managers, ITV Digital's resurgence opens up a genuinely interesting conversation about where to place digital news budgets in India.

1. Legacy platforms are back as credible options. For years, media planners have defaulted to a handful of dominant digital news platforms when buying programmatic or branded content inventory. ITV's climb up the Comscore rankings means brands now have a high-reach, data-validated alternative — one with strong editorial credibility across both English and Hindi news segments.

2. Niche and opinion-led platforms deserve a second look. NewsX and The Sunday Guardian occupying stronger positions in the long-form and opinion category is significant. Brands targeting informed, urban, policy-aware audiences — think BFSI, luxury, public affairs, and B2B categories — should be paying close attention to these platforms as premium contextual environments.

3. Advertiser confidence is already shifting. The reported rise in branded content partnerships and advertiser interest isn't coincidental — it follows audience growth. In digital media, Comscore ranking improvements directly influence media plan inclusions. ITV's momentum means its sales conversations with brands are now backed by hard data rather than legacy reputation alone.

The forward-looking question for Indian brands: are you still planning digital news buys based on last year's rankings, or are you tracking the platforms that are actively moving up?

The Numbers Behind the News

Comscore rankings are one of the most closely watched metrics in India's digital media industry. They determine which platforms get included in agency media plans, influence CPM rates, and signal advertiser confidence. Climbing those rankings — especially past established players like Aaj Tak and NDTV on desktop — is not a small feat.

India's digital news market is fiercely competitive. With hundreds of news websites and apps competing for finite reader attention and advertiser budgets, the difference between growth and stagnation often comes down to editorial consistency, page experience, and data-driven content strategy — exactly the areas Yadav's team focused on.

At just one of the youngest CEOs in India's digital media industry, Yadav's trajectory is also a signal to the broader market: that media turnarounds are possible with the right blend of editorial vision and technology thinking.

The brands.in Perspective

ITV Digital's growth story deserves more attention than it's getting. The Indian media industry loves a new-age startup narrative — but the harder, less glamorous story is rebuilding legacy brands in a market that has moved on. Akshansh Yadav's approach — disciplined technology upgrades, data-led editorial decisions, and a refusal to chase short-term traffic spikes — is a playbook that many struggling digital news brands could learn from. For advertisers, the message is equally clear: Comscore rankings don't lie. If a platform is outranking NDTV and Aaj Tak on desktop metrics, it's time to put it on the media plan.

Key Takeaways for Marketers

• ITV Digital manages six brands including NewsX, India News, and The Sunday Guardian
• India News now ranks above Aaj Tak, NDTV, and ABP Live on desktop Comscore metrics
• Growth driven by technology upgrades, data-led editorial strategy, and consistent execution
• Advertiser interest and branded content partnerships are rising alongside audience growth
• ITV Digital represents a credible, high-reach alternative in India's digital news buying landscape

FAQ

Who is Akshansh Yadav and what is his background? Akshansh Yadav is the CEO of ITV Network's digital division. He brings over a decade of experience from ABP News, Zee News, and the India Today Group, combining editorial, product, and business expertise.

What brands fall under ITV Digital's portfolio? The portfolio includes NewsX, India News, The Daily Guardian, The Sunday Guardian, NewsX World, and Inkhabar — covering English, Hindi, and opinion-led news segments.

Why should brands consider ITV Digital for media planning? February 2026 Comscore data shows ITV Digital properties outranking major competitors on desktop metrics, making them a data-validated, credible option for digital news advertising.

Let's Talk

India's digital news landscape is being rewritten — not just by new entrants, but by legacy brands smart enough to rebuild smarter. Is your media plan reflecting the new rankings, or is it running on autopilot? Share your thoughts below and follow brands.in for the sharpest brand and media intelligence in India.