Dailyhunt has the users, the capital, and the valuation

But does it still have the narrative?

Dailyhunt was the early bird that got India’s news aggregation worm

It has 100 million app downloads, 250 million monthly users, and over $200 million in funding

But advertisers are slashing ad budgets, and publishers are saddled with layoffs and edition closures

Dailyhunt’s real competition is now the likes of Hostar, which is cornering ad budgets that it coveted

News aggregation is a messy business to be in.

Users like to keep abreast of news, provided it comes from their chosen bubble, though they’ll rarely pay for it. Indignant publishers simultaneously depend on and resent aggregation platforms. Advertisers would rather their brands were placed next to happy or positive stories, even though most stories are anything but. And governments always have a view about what kind of news is kosher and what is “fake news.”

It’s no wonder then that the largest of tech platforms the world over have deliberately stepped back from news aggregation.

AUTHOR

Pranav Balakrishnan

Pranav is one among the fresh graduates who joined from ACJ's Bloomberg programme. Pranav writes about mobility and electric vehicles. He also has keen interest in consumer electronics and telecom.

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