Mumbai: Once upon a time, the media world was ruled by a few mighty giants—TV channels with decades-old legacies, newspapers with loyal readerships, and radio stations with a voice in every home. But then came the digital storm. And now, those once-mighty media empires are struggling to stay afloat in an ocean of reels, memes, and 3-second attention spans.
So why do old giants struggle to scale in digital media? Let’s break it down—with some fun facts, face palms, and a few cheeky insights.
The Titanic Problem: Too Big to Pivot
Legacy media companies are structured like cruise ships: grand, powerful, but painfully slow to turn. Their systems, workflows, and cultures were built for a time when change happened once a decade—not once every 10 days.
Fun Fact: Some legacy broadcasters still run their newsroom operations on software designed in the 1990s—when “streaming” meant a river.
While creators today A/B test thumbnails, headlines, and hooks every hour, old giants are still locked in boardroom meetings about what to post on Facebook.
Algorithm Aversion
In the digital world, content isn’t king—algorithms are. But most legacy media houses treat platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok as dumping grounds for their TV content.
Long, unedited videos with no thumbnails. Captions that read like formal press releases. Zero understanding of platform language.
Example: A primetime debate is chopped into 20-minute chunks and uploaded on YouTube… with the caption: “Debate 8pm 25th March.” That’s not content; that’s clutter.
Fun Fact: MrBeast reportedly spends more time testing titles and thumbnails than shooting the video itself.
Audience Is Not an Age Group Anymore
Traditional media is obsessed with demographics—18 to 24, 25 to 44, and so on. Digital media doesn’t work like that. It’s about moods, moments, and memes.
A 45-year-old can binge baby animal reels. A 19-year-old can follow stock market influencers. It’s all about micro-interests.
Old mindset: “Our readers are 35+ males.”
New mindset: “Our viewers love late-night food hacks, finance memes, and sarcastic takes on news.”
The Revenue Riddle
In TV, the ad model was simple: higher TRP = higher ad rates. In digital, it’s chaos. CPMs, CTRs, affiliate links, brand integrations, platform cuts—it’s a financial jungle.
Many legacy companies find themselves stuck: not enough scale for big digital ads, too clunky for creator-brand collabs.
Fun Fact: The New York Times makes more money from its cooking app and crossword subscriptions than many legacy Indian media houses make online.
Too Many Bosses, Too Little Risk
Want to post a 15-second reel on Instagram? You’ll need to run it by the Editor-in-Chief, the Brand Head, the Legal Team, and—why not—the intern who handles SEO.
By the time it gets approved, the trend is over.
In digital, speed beats perfection. Legacy systems are built for control; digital demands chaos.
Insert idea: A mock org chart showing 7 steps of approval before a tweet goes live.
Content ≠ Format
Repurposing a 1-hour news show with flashy fonts and dramatic music doesn’t make it digital-first content. Different platforms demand different storytelling.
Example: A two-minute voiceover reel can do more for a story than a 30-minute debate.
Fun Fact: Facebook users spend less than 20 seconds on videos longer than 5 minutes.
Talent Drain: The Creators Have Left the Building
The smartest, sharpest media minds under 30 aren’t joining newsrooms—they’re building personal brands. Why? Freedom, creativity, and speed.
Meanwhile, old media still demands fixed hours, office attendance, and a dress code. In 2025.