The Times of India (indiatimes.com)
India's most visited English-language news and media portal.
The Times of India at a glance
The Times of India is a news & media website and one of the most visited sites in India, currently ranked #2 in the country. It was founded in 1838 (print); indiatimes.com launched 1999 by Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. (Sahu Jain family control) and is headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. Today The Times of India is owned by The Times Group (Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd.). Our estimates put its audience at ≈ 350 million visits per month. The business earns money mainly through display and programmatic advertising, sponsored content and native advertising, subscription products (times prime). Its closest rivals include NDTV, Hindustan Times, India Today, News18.
Traffic statistics
Traffic history
| Period | Visits | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Q1 | ≈ 340 million / month | +1% |
| Q2 | ≈ 355 million / month | +4% |
| Q3 | ≈ 360 million / month | +1% |
| Q4 | ≈ 350 million / month | -3% |
Traffic sources
- Organic search40%
- Direct / app30%
- Social media18%
- Referral8%
- Paid4%
Audience & demographics
- Men63%
- Women37%
- Age 18-2420%
- Age 25-3432%
- Age 35-5433%
- Age 55+15%
Readers skew toward urban, English-speaking professionals interested in national news, business and entertainment, alongside a large mobile-first youth audience.
Geographic reach
- India92%
- United States2%
- United Arab Emirates1%
- Other5%
SEO profile
- Organic keywords
- Millions of news and trending-topic terms
- Estimated organic traffic
- ≈ 140 million visits / month
- Strongest clusters
- Breaking news, cricket, Bollywood, business
Top organic keywords
| Keyword | Position | Volume | Traffic share |
|---|---|---|---|
| times of india | 1 | Very high | — |
| toi news | 1 | High | — |
| cricket news | 3 | High | — |
| bollywood news | 2 | High | — |
Backlink profile
- Referring domains
- ≈ 500,000+
- Link profile
- Extensive citations from global and regional news aggregators
Top referral sources
- Google Search / Google News50%
- Direct / app25%
- Facebook & X15%
- Other news aggregators10%
Technology stack
Website technologies
Advertising & analytics technologies
The Times of India's digital platform combines a legacy CMS with modern AMP and React components optimised for high-volume, mobile-first news consumption.
Mobile app statistics
- Push notification subscribers
- Tens of millions
- App session frequency
- Multiple times per day for core readers
Company information
- Website
- indiatimes.com
- Sector
- News & Media
- Owner
- The Times Group (Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd.)
- Owner type
- Private company
- Founders
- Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. (Sahu Jain family control)
- Founded
- 1838 (print); indiatimes.com launched 1999
- Headquarters
- Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
- Employees
- ≈ 10,000+ (across Times Group digital and print operations)
- Ownership
- Privately held by the Sahu Jain family via Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd.
- Valuation
- Not publicly disclosed (part of diversified private Times Group)
- Revenue
- ≈ USD 300-400 million (Times Internet digital revenue estimate)
- Languages
- English and Hindi, with regional editions
- Top traffic sources
- Organic search, Google News, direct app traffic and social referrals
Ownership, investors & funding history
Financials
- Revenue trend
- Steady growth driven by digital advertising
- Profitability
- Profitable at the Times Group level; digital scaling investment ongoing
- Cost base
- Editorial staffing, content production and technology infrastructure
Business model & revenue
Indiatimes.com and The Times of India monetise a large daily readership through display advertising, sponsored content and bundled subscription services, supported by the broader Times Internet digital network.
- Display and programmatic advertising
- Sponsored content and native advertising
- Subscription products (Times Prime)
- Classifieds and lead generation
- Video advertising (Times Now, TOI video)
Products & services
Flagship English-language newspaper and news portal.
English news television channel and digital simulcast.
Subscription bundle offering discounts and perks.
Lifestyle and entertainment content vertical.
Business and financial news brand under Times Group.
Seller ecosystem
- Advertisers
- Thousands of brand and programmatic advertisers
- Classifieds partners
- Integrated with Times Group classifieds network
International presence
- Primary market
- India
- Diaspora readership
- United States, UK, Gulf countries
Employee statistics
Customer statistics
API & developer information
- Content syndication
- Times Content syndication licensing available
Website rankings
- India news rank
- #1 English-language news portal
- Global rank
- Among top 100 sites worldwide
Main competitors
Website comparisons
| Website | Monthly visits | Rank | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hindustan Times | ≈ 150M/month | — | Rival English-language daily |
| NDTV | ≈ 120M/month | — | Broadcast-led news rival |
Overview
Indiatimes.com is a flagship digital property of the Times Group, closely associated with The Times of India, the world's largest-circulated English-language newspaper. It has grown into one of India's most visited news and lifestyle portals.
Traffic Statistics
The site attracts an estimated 350 million monthly visits, with readers typically viewing a handful of articles per session as they check breaking news and trending topics.
Traffic Sources
Organic search and Google News drive the largest share of traffic, followed by direct app access and strong social media referrals from Facebook and X.
Audience & Demographics
The audience skews male and urban, concentrated among 25-54 year olds, with a large mobile-first segment of younger readers following cricket and entertainment news.
Geographic Reach
The vast majority of readership is based in India, with meaningful diaspora audiences in the United States, United Kingdom and Gulf countries.
SEO Profile
The portal ranks for millions of news-related keywords, with particular strength in cricket, Bollywood, business and breaking-news search clusters.
Technology Stack
The platform runs on a hybrid legacy CMS supplemented by React components, AMP pages and CDN edge caching to serve high-volume, mobile-first traffic.
Social Media Statistics
The Times of India maintains a large social footprint, with tens of millions of followers combined across Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube.
Mobile App Statistics
The Times of India app has surpassed 100 million downloads on Android and sends push notifications that drive multiple daily sessions among core readers.
Company Information
Indiatimes.com and The Times of India are operated by Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd., part of the privately held Times Group headquartered in Mumbai.
Ownership & Investors
The Times Group is privately controlled by the Sahu Jain family, with no public shareholders in the core media business.
Financials
Times Internet's digital operations generate an estimated USD 300-400 million in annual revenue, driven primarily by advertising.
Business Model
Revenue comes from display and programmatic advertising, sponsored content, subscription bundles like Times Prime, and classifieds lead generation.
Products & Services
The Times Group portfolio includes The Times of India, Times Now, the Economic Times, Indiatimes lifestyle content and the Times Prime subscription service.
Competitors
Key rivals include Hindustan Times, NDTV, India Today and News18.
Company History & Milestones
Founded in 1838 as the Bombay Times and Journal of Commerce, the paper was renamed The Times of India in 1861 and launched its digital portal, indiatimes.com, in 1999.
Latest News
Times Internet continues investing in short-video news formats while The Times of India maintains its long-running circulation leadership.
User Reviews & Ratings
Readers appreciate the breadth and speed of coverage, though some criticise the volume of advertising and occasional sensationalist headlines.
Pros & Cons
Pros: trusted brand, broad coverage and strong mobile notifications. Cons: heavy ad load, mixed headline quality and occasional slow load times.
Key Statistics
~350 million monthly visits, ~150 million monthly unique visitors, ~3 million daily print copies and the #1 English-language news portal ranking in India.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who owns The Times of India? Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd., controlled by the Sahu Jain family. Is it free? Yes, ad-supported. How old is it? The print paper dates back to 1838.
Data Sources
Times Internet corporate communications, Similarweb estimates, Audit Bureau of Circulations data and Statcounter.
Last Updated
September 2026
Related Websites
Economic Times, Flipkart, Hotstar, IRCTC and Myntra.
Website Rankings
#1 English-language news portal in India and among the top 100 sites worldwide by estimated traffic.
Revenue & Funding History
As a privately held family business, the Times Group has grown organically over nearly two centuries without external venture funding rounds.
Employee Statistics
The broader Times Group employs an estimated 10,000+ people across editorial, sales and technology functions.
Customer Statistics
The site reaches an estimated 150 million monthly unique visitors alongside tens of millions of print readers across regional editions.
Backlink Profile
Indiatimes.com and The Times of India hold an estimated 500,000+ referring domains, reflecting extensive citation by regional and global news aggregators.
Top Organic Keywords
"times of india", "toi epaper", "cricket news" and "bollywood news" are among the top-performing search terms.
Top Referral Sources
Google Search and Google News dominate referrals, supplemented by strong traffic from Facebook and X.
Website Technologies
A hybrid PHP/Java CMS, React-based front-end modules, AMP pages and CDN caching support high-traffic news delivery.
Advertising & Analytics Technologies
Google Ad Manager, Times Internet's programmatic stack, header bidding and Google Analytics.
API & Developer Information
Times Content offers licensed content syndication for third-party publishers and platforms.
International Seller Opportunities
Advertisers and brands can access India's largest English-news audience through Times Internet's programmatic and sponsored-content advertising products.
Company history & milestones
- 1838
Founded as the Bombay Times and Journal of Commerce
- 1861
Renamed The Times of India
- 1999
Indiatimes.com launches as a digital portal
- 2006
Times Internet formed to house digital properties
- 2016
Times Now expands into a full multi-platform news network
- 2026
Continues digital-first expansion across mobile and video
Latest news
- Times Internet expands short-video news formatsTimes Internet · 2026
- The Times of India marks continued circulation leadershipTimes Group · 2026
Pros & cons
Pros
- Trusted, long-established news brand
- Broad coverage across national, business and entertainment news
- Strong mobile app with real-time notifications
- Extensive archive and regional editions
Cons
- Heavy advertising load and pop-ups on the website
- Some criticism over sensationalist headlines
- Paywall-free but ad-supported content quality varies
- Occasional slow page loads on the primary domain
Key statistics
Frequently asked questions
Who owns The Times of India?
It is owned by Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd., controlled by the Sahu Jain family.
Is indiatimes.com the same as The Times of India?
Indiatimes.com is a Times Group portal historically linked to and cross-promoting The Times of India's content.
Is the content free to read?
Yes, the site is largely free and supported by advertising.
Popular searches
Data sources & confidence
- Times Internet corporate communicationsTimes Internet
- Similarweb estimatesSimilarweb
- Audit Bureau of Circulations dataABC India
- StatcounterStatcounter
- Data confidence
- High for ownership and history; digital revenue and traffic figures are third-party estimates.
- Last updated
- September 2026
Times Group is privately held; financial figures reflect analyst and industry estimates rather than public filings.
Social media profiles & statistics