Representatives of 23 international news agencies pose for a family photo in the Plaza de la Armería, next to the Royal Palace in Madrid. EFE/JuanJo Martin

India’s premier wire service joins global network of news agencies

Madrid, Apr 28 (EFE).- India’s premier wire service PTI has joined the global network of news agencies, MINDS International, heralding a new beginning of the digital media business in the world’s most populous country.

MINDS International supports digital development and the media industry worldwide and gives its members access to valuable know-how and innovative products for their clients.

It acts as a research-and-development unit for its partners by centrally pooling knowledge.

Press Trust of India, which claims to command 90 percent of the news agency market share in India, became a member of the not-for-profit organization at the 34th MINDS Conference in Madrid on Thursday.

Agencia EFE, Spain’s international news agency, hosted the meeting of the 23 organizations in Europe, the Americas, Asia, and Oceania that comprise the Media Innovation Network or MINDS International.

“We are a very old news agency, 75 years old. In a way, we are a startup. We have just started our digital business, video service, and being a member of MINDS allows us to connect with the global news agency ecosystem,” PTI CEO and Editor-in-Chief Vijay Joshi told EFE.

He said being at the MINDS conference was “an eye-opener” for him “because you hear so many different experiences and perspectives of news agencies that have moved away from the traditional print subscription business and have diversified.”

Joshi said his agency was looking for “exactly this kind of experience” to learn from other agencies.

He said the global curiosity to know India’s story would only grow in the coming years since the country was set to become a more important player in terms of its influence on the world stage.

“And PTI is in the right position to inform its partners in MINDS about India in the most credible and authentic manner.”

Since its founding in 2007, the Media Innovation Network has expanded to include EFE and other European Alliance of News Agencies members, The Associated Press, Japan’s Kyodo News Agency, Turkey’s Anadolu Agency, The Canadian Press, and the Australian Associated Press, among others.

The network organizes two MINDS International conferences every year. EFE

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