News Broadcasting
AOL extends open AIM initiative
MUMBAI: American Online Limited (AOL) has extended its Open AIM initiative (http://developer.aim.com) to include support for AIM Bots, location-based services and PC-to-PC voice calling. The update also includes support for developers working on the Mac OS X, Linux, and Pocket PC platforms or with the Java language.
Launched in March of this year, the Open AIM initiative empowers companies, communities and independent developers to build customized plugins, communications clients and mash-ups that access AOL’s global instant messaging network, states an official release.
“Already, more than 45,000 developers are working with the AIM Software Development Kit (SDK) to bring their creativity and ingenuity to the 43 million Americans in the AIM community,” says AOL’s vice president for Instant Messaging Marcien Jenckes. “Today, we are extremely pleased to add AIM Bots as well as voice and location services to the Open AIM toolkit, and to invite developers on the Mac, Linux and Pocket PC platforms to get involved.”
The latest update include:
— AOL has added support for AIM(r) Bots to the Open AIM initiative. With the new Open AIM Bots program, one click can turn any AIM screen name into a bot. AIM Bot sample code has been added to the updated Open AIM SDK in both C++ and Java.
AIM Bots are dedicated, opt-in Screen Names that help developers, marketers and individuals create new connections and establish strong bonds with contacts in the AIM community. In addition, AIM Bots can support audio calls, file transfers and picture sharing. For example, an AIM Bot could be created to let users send pictures or podcasts to their blogs.
AIM Bots respond automatically to instant messages they receive and can maintain IM conversations with multiple users – reaching up to 10,000 people per day – before encountering limits. To prevent IM spam, AIM Bots cannot initiate IMs without permission.
— AOL’s new AIM Location services are now part of the Open AIM SDK. The new application program interfaces (APIs) – with sample code – have been added to the SDK to let developers build location services into clients, plugins and, in the coming weeks, web sites.
— AOL is also giving developers the ability to add AIM Talk’s PC-to-PC voice functionality and multi-party voice chat into their custom AIM clients. For the first time, developers can integrate robust audio features based on the open source sipXtapi SIP stack, from sipfoundry.org, into their applications with a single turnkey solution.
— Finally, AOL has also added Open AIM support for developers working on the Mac OS X, Linux, and Pocket PC platforms, as well as support for the Java language. For complete documentation and to learn more about these Open AIM initiatives, visit http://developer.aim.com/.
The recent open AIM projects include:
— Bandalong Entertainment Inc., an interactive media company, formed an agreement with AOL to release an AIM(r) enabled version of their imstar service, which is now built on the Open AIM platform. imstar is the only lifelike, 3-D avatar-based instant messaging program for teens.
— Doppelganger, designer of the world’s first virtual nightclub, introduced a virtual lounge for music audiences that seamlessly integrates the AIM service. AIM users can log on to a customised version of the AIM client and experience real time communications in Doppelganger’s The Lounge featuring the Pussycat Dolls (http://www.pcdmusiclounge.com).
— Super Computer International, Inc., (http://www.supercomputerinc.com) announced an agreement with AOL to create a customized version of the AIM service called PlayLinc that will optimize the instant messaging (IM) experience for online gamers.
— WebEx Communications, Inc., (http://www.webex.com) the leading provider of on-demand collaborative business applications, teamed with AOL in February of this year to announce the creation of a secure, feature-rich version of the popular AIM service for businesses and at-work instant messaging users.
News Broadcasting
Network18 Q4 revenue grows 9.7 per cent, EBITDA at Rs 30 crore
PAT improves to Rs 306.6 crore, margins steady amid cost pressures.
MUMBAI: Not all news is breaking, some of it is quietly improving. Network18 Media & Investments Limited appears to be doing just that, tightening losses and stabilising margins even as costs continue to weigh on the business. For FY26, the company reported revenue from operations of Rs 1,955.1 crore, up from Rs 1,896.2 crore in FY25, signalling modest top-line growth in a challenging media environment. Total income stood at Rs 1,978.2 crore, compared to Rs 1,913 crore a year earlier.
Profit after tax came in at Rs 306.6 crore for the year, a sharp turnaround from Rs 3,225.4 crore in FY25, largely reflecting the absence of large exceptional items that had inflated the previous year’s numbers. On a more comparable basis, the company’s operating performance showed signs of gradual stabilisation.
However, the quarterly picture remained under pressure. For the March quarter, Network18 reported a loss of Rs 53.1 crore, narrower than the Rs 98.1 crore loss in the same period last year, but still indicative of ongoing cost challenges.
Expenses continued to track high. Total expenses for FY26 stood at Rs 2,235.7 crore, up from Rs 2,197.8 crore in FY25. Key cost heads included operational expenses of Rs 765.9 crore, employee benefits of Rs 475.9 crore, and marketing, distribution and promotional spends of Rs 427.1 crore, underlining the continued investment required to sustain reach and engagement.
At an operating level, margins remained under strain. Operating margin stood at 2.33 per cent for FY26, marginally higher than 1.77 per cent in FY25, while net profit margin remained negative at -13.02 per cent, though improved from -14.89 per cent.
On the balance sheet, total assets rose to Rs 8,957.6 crore as of 31 March 2026, from Rs 8,317.5 crore a year earlier. Equity strengthened to Rs 4,958.7 crore, while borrowings increased to Rs 3,112.8 crore, reflecting a higher reliance on debt to support operations.
Cash flows told a mixed story. While financing activities generated Rs 83.9 crore, operating cash flow remained negative at Rs -24 crore, highlighting ongoing pressure on core cash generation. Cash and cash equivalents, however, improved to Rs 33.9 crore from Rs 1.8 crore.
The numbers point to a company in transition growing revenues, trimming losses, but still grappling with structural cost pressures. In a sector where scale often comes at a price, Network18 seems to be inching towards balance, one quarter at a time.
