How much does the NRI dominate media consumption in India? Back in 1995 when the net took off globally penetration was poor in India. Most media firms that set up portals did so to catch the NRI (non-resident Indian). By reaching out to him, they could get advertising targeted to him. Rediff.com, one of India’s earliest net players even acquired a portal and two community newspapers in the US to cater to the overseas Indian. Over the years as Indian numbers zoomed, interest in the NRI declined. But he continues to be a strong (and vocal) consumer of Indian news. Anywhere between 20-50 per cent of the traffic on mainstream Indian news sites such as NDTV.com or Manorama.com comes from NRIs.

Win-win for media: The Indian living abroad wants to wallow in the past while the oneu00a0living here is happy to move on. The media industry makes money catering to both.