iWorld
Digital media dominates consumers’ choice in India but growth in consumption appears to be slowing: YouGov
Mumbai: YouGov’s Global Media Whitepaper 2022 across 18 international markets shows that in India, two-thirds of urban Indian consumers (67 per cent) reported having visited websites/apps in the last 12 months, and six in ten (59 per cent) intend to continue this activity in the next 12 months.
The whitepaper sought to understand how media behaviour has changed over the last year and what the future media landscape might look like in the coming year.
When comparing global future media behaviour to the previous 12 months, YouGov research shows that media penetrations remain high and stable across various types of media. Digital media continues to dominate consumer choice, with websites or apps registering the highest penetration.
More than half have streamed video and music (53 per cent and 51 per cent respectively) in the previous 12 months, and a similar proportion (48 per cent and 50 per cent) are likely to do so in the coming 12 months.
Watching TV (both live and non-live) appears to be more popular than watching movies in a theatre, but engagement with cinema may increase in the future.
Listening to the radio and attending live events were the least consumed forms of media in the past twelve months, and consumption is likely to remain similar in the future as well.
Exploring consumption of different media channels by age, annual penetration of websites/apps remains high across all age groups, whereas engagement with social media starts to drop off among adults aged 45+.
Traditional media activities such as watching live TV and reading newspapers/magazines have lower engagement among those under 24. Younger audiences are significantly more likely to stream music and videos, play video games, listen to podcasts, and attend live in-person events or watch movies at the cinema than watch TV or read newspapers/magazines.
If one looks at the ‘net growth scores’ for each media activity (calculated by subtracting lower consumption from higher consumption percentages) in the last 12 months, we see polarisation between digital media activities and outdoor in-person activities.
At the top end of the scale, websites and apps registered the highest ‘net growth’ score in the last 12 months (+57 per cent), followed by social media (+45 per cent), streaming music (+36 per cent) and streaming video (+35 per cent). On the other hand, traditional media like radio registered a negative ‘net growth score’ of 10 per cent, along with in-person mediums such as live in-person events (five per cent) and watching a movie in a theatre (three per cent).
Looking ahead to the next 12 months, growth in consumption of digital media types appears to be slowing, but penetration of traditional media (such as newspaper/magazine, and radio) is expected to grow in the next twelve months.
In-person media activities are likely to pick up in the future as well. Watching a movie in a theatre shifts the ‘net growth’ score from a negative (three per cent) ‘net growth’ score in the last 12 months, to a positive (five per cent) score in the next 12 months.
The gap between those expecting to increase their number of outings at live events (rather than decrease) is also closing, with a one per cent ‘net growth’ score in the next 12 months (compared to five per cent in the previous 12 months).
As media behaviour continues to evolve, it is key for marketers and advertisers to understand which media consumption habits are most likely to stick and which are set to grow among current consumers.
Gaming
Bluestone FY26 revenue rises to Rs 2,436 crore, turns profitable
Q4 profit at Rs 31 crore, full-year profit at Rs 13 crore vs loss last year.
MUMBAI: From sparkle to numbers, Bluestone seems to be polishing more than just jewellery this year. Bluestone Jewellery and Lifestyle Limited reported a sharp turnaround in FY26, with revenue from operations rising to Rs 2,436 crore (Rs 24,364 million), up from Rs 1,770 crore (Rs 17,700 million) in FY25. The company posted a full-year profit of Rs 13 crore (Rs 131.79 million), a significant recovery from a loss of Rs 222 crore (Rs 2,218 million) a year ago.
Total income for the year stood at Rs 2,486 crore (Rs 24,860 million), compared to Rs 1,830 crore (Rs 18,300 million) in the previous year, reflecting both topline growth and improved operational momentum.
The March quarter, however, told a more nuanced story. Revenue from operations came in at Rs 681 crore (Rs 6,814 million), down from Rs 748 crore (Rs 7,486 million) in the year-ago period, though higher than Rs 461 crore (Rs 4,613 million) in the preceding December quarter. Net profit for Q4 stood at Rs 31 crore (Rs 311.81 million), compared to Rs 68 crore (Rs 688 million) a year earlier, but a clear reversal from a loss of Rs 51 crore (Rs 512 million) in Q3.
Margins were shaped by higher input costs, with raw material consumption rising to Rs 2,204 crore (Rs 22,043 million) for the full year, alongside employee benefit expenses of Rs 282 crore (Rs 2,824 million) and finance costs of Rs 210 crore (Rs 2,104 million). Other expenses came in at Rs 371 crore (Rs 3,715 million), slightly lower than Rs 393 crore (Rs 3,938 million) in FY25.
On the balance sheet front, total assets expanded to Rs 4,961 crore (Rs 49,610 million) as of March 31, 2026, from Rs 3,532 crore (Rs 35,322 million) a year earlier, driven largely by a surge in inventories to Rs 2,672 crore (Rs 26,718 million). Equity also strengthened to Rs 1,803 crore (Rs 18,030 million), nearly doubling from Rs 911 crore (Rs 9,107 million).
Cash flows reflected the cost of growth. Net cash used in operating activities stood at Rs 199 crore (Rs 1,990 million), while investing activities saw an outflow of Rs 239 crore (Rs 2,392 million). Financing activities, however, generated Rs 497 crore (Rs 4,971 million), helping the company end the year with cash and cash equivalents of Rs 108 crore (Rs 1,075 million), up from Rs 49 crore (Rs 487 million).
Earnings per share for FY26 came in at Rs 1.10, a sharp improvement from a negative Rs 79.74 in FY25, underlining the shift from losses to profitability.
With revenue scaling up, costs still glittering on the higher side, and profitability finally back in the black, BlueStone’s FY26 performance suggests a business mid-transition less about shine alone, and more about sustaining it.
