As India’s internet user base rapidly expands into rural communities, over 98 percent of new digital consumers prefer content in Indic languages. However, regional vernacular newsrooms continue to struggle against big-tech algorithms that historically favor national English and Hindi platforms.

The Bharat Media Association advocates for algorithmic transparency and investments in AI-powered translation tools to level the digital playing field. Supporting independent Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, and Bengali publishers is critical to democratizing information access for India’s diverse, non-English-speaking majority.