Nothing in life is certain. The same holds true for the media industry. Even apparently profitable media outlets with promising business models can collapse. This week, we witnessed two such examples that shook the local media landscape.
The first was Nukta, the media company owned by Kamran Khan. Launched with great fanfare at the Museum of the Future in Dubai in November 2024, Nukta had ambitious plans. Its striking billboards across Karachi carried the bold tagline, “Change the way you news.” Yet, within a year, on November 5, 2025, the company shared a somber announcement on social media:
“In light of recent restructuring at Nukta, we have taken the difficult decision to reduce our Pakistan workforce, impacting 37 colleagues.”
A day later came another blow. Dawn News announced it would be shutting down its Urdu website, laying off the entire team. Both incidents highlight a troubling reality that digital platforms are not immune to failure, even in the age of the Internet and social media. Perhaps the core issue is in leadership mindsets that are still rooted in the traditions of print and electronic media. Many executives fail to understand, implement and pursue the distinctive strategies, pace, and audience behaviors that define the digital era.
Job losses are always heartbreaking. But in these cases, they seem to stem from a disconnect between upper management and digital operations. Modern media companies require leaders who are digitally fluent, those who comprehend the intricate details and the unique connection of online engagement, analytics, and audience behavior.
A digital media leader must possess strategic thinking and leadership skills to design and execute integrated digital strategies that enhance a brand’s online presence. Unlike traditional media, where creating content alone could bring success, the digital ecosystem demands more. It is a combination of right content targeted at the right audience.
Attention span is now the new currency. Short-form videos under three minutes often outperform longer ones, but if a longer video (8–12 minutes) is built around a strong hook, compelling facts, and valuable insights, it can still achieve high engagement.
Even if a company’s leadership lacks digital expertise, they must hire and empower those who have it. Success in digital media depends on collaboration, trust, and a unified mission. Abrupt layoffs, on the other hand, usually signal deeper issues: flawed strategies, poor hiring, or ineffective audience engagement.
A digital media outlet might create quality content, but that’s just one piece of the business model. Promotion, audience targeting, posting schedules, and community engagement are equally of a paramount significance. Without mastering these, even the best content will struggle to make an impact.
The lesson here is clear: Digital success is not just about content. It is about understanding the digital culture.
Muhammad Omar Iftikhar is an author, columnist, and fiction writer with over 20 years of writing experience. He has published over 1,000 articles in Pakistan’s print media and is the author of four books. His debut novel, Divided Species (2020), is a science fiction story set in Karachi. His other books include 20 Steps to Writing Articles (2022), Recreate Your Tomorrow! (2023), and Player AI (2024). He has been a public speaker for over a decade, conducting more than thirty sessions for various brands and organizations.