OpenAI in talks with two more Indian publishers for partnerships

What happened: Exchange4Media reported (~September 29, 2026, citing industry sources) that OpenAI's publisher partnership pipeline in India is expanding beyond its two publicly announced September deals — with Bennett, Coleman & Co Ltd (Times of India/Economic Times) and the Indian Express Group. Two more partnerships are understood to be in the works: one with a television-and-digital media house, one with a legacy print-and-digital publisher. Industry estimates put the earlier deals at roughly $5 million/year (BCCL) and $3 million/year (Indian Express); neither the publishers nor OpenAI confirmed the figures, and OpenAI declined to comment on the new talks.

Why it matters to creators: These deals set the compensation benchmark for news content flowing into ChatGPT in a major market — 100+ million weekly ChatGPT users in India. The terms (attribution with links vs. traffic displacement) and the fee levels shape what other publishers and creators can expect from AI licensing, and whether licensing becomes a durable revenue stream alongside referral traffic.

What is not yet known: The two new publishers are unnamed, the figures are industry estimates that were not confirmed, and the talks are reported via sources rather than announced. Whether OpenAI builds a broad, repeatable publisher model in India or stays selective is the open question the article raises.