MAM
Stiff competition from TV & digital has little impact on print, 2.4 cr copies added in 10 yrs
MUMBAI: Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC) has been continuously certifying circulation figures of member publications every six months. The trend of certified circulation figures by ABC show that the print medium (member publications of ABC) is thriving, growing and expanding in India inspite of stiff competition from all other mediums namely, Television, Radio and Digital.
Publishers voluntarily enroll themselves as members of ABC to get their circulation figures audited. Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) certifies circulation figures after a stringent audit process through more than 90 empanelled Chartered Accountants, audit firms. ABC also has a provision for surprise press and market visits by empanelled firms of Chartered Accountants which further strengthens the audit process.
As on date, ABC certifies:-
– Daily & Weekly Newspapers 910
– Magazines & Annuals 57
Other members of ABC:-
• Media and Ad Agencies
• Print medium Advertisers
• Govt. Organisations & DAVP
ABC certified circulation figures are of immense value to advertisers, marketers and government departments (DAVP) whilst preparing their media plans since they are available across geographies for any town/district/state spread all over India.
A few reasons why print publications are growing in circulation:-
Impact of education – Growth in literacy and education have created substantial -headroom for growth of newspapers.
Advantage of India’s Economic growth – It is believed that the growth of-
newspapers in India is directly related to urbanization leading to higher aspirations, heightened interest in buying assets etc.
Reading newspaper a part of daily routine combines well with ease of reading at -your own time.
Easily accessible and available at home – newspapers are home delivered in -India, unlike in the West
Competitive pricing – newspapers are the cheapest source of news.-
Customized sections and pull outs cater to various segments of readers together -with localised content.
Power of the written word – Newspapers have continued their strong traditions -over the years to provide accurate and reliable news to their readers.
As compared to the world print market, India is one of the brightest spots in the print media:
• India one of the few countries where print advertising revenue is growing
• India’s paid-for daily circulation is growing whilst most other countries are declining
• No. of paid-for titles in India highest in the world & growing while no. of titles in other countries declining More details of certified circulation figures of member publications are available on Bureau’s website:
www.auditbureau.org
INDIAN PERSPECTIVE
Print is growing at an incredible 4.87% increase in CAGR over a 10 year period. 2.37 crore copies added in the last 10 years accompanied by
an increase of 251 publishing centres.
TOP 10 PUBLICATIONS AS CERTIFIED BY ABC FOR THE AUDIT
PERIOD JULY-DECEMBER 2016
1 Dainik Jagran Hindi 3,921,267
2 Dainik Bhaskar Hindi 3,813,271
3 The Times of India English 3,184,727
4 Amar Ujala Hindi 2,961,833
5 Hindustan Hindi 2,611,261
6 Malayala Manorama Malayalam 2,441,417
7 Eenadu Telugu 1,866,661
8 Rajasthan Patrika Hindi 1,840,917
9 Daily Thanthi Tamil 1,710,621
10 Mathrubhumi Malayalam 1,473,053
MAM
Netflix Q1 2026 earnings ad growth and content spending in focus
Streaming giant set to report results on Thursday after walking away from Warner Bros Discovery takeover.
MUMBAI: Netflix is about to hit play on its latest quarterly numbers and investors are hoping the plot thickens in all the right ways. The streaming leader reports its first-quarter 2026 earnings on Thursday, marking its first set of results since it walked away from a proposed takeover of Warner Bros Discovery. That failed bid would have handed Netflix prized franchises such as Game of Thrones and Friends on a silver platter, sparing the costly effort of building its own library. Instead, the company now faces tougher competition from a potential $110 billion Warner Bros-Paramount Skydance combination, should that deal close.
Analysts polled by LSEG expect Netflix to post a 15.5 per cent rise in revenue to $12.18 billion, with advertising contributing $634 million. The company raised US prices in March, a move some believe could prompt an upward revision to its full-year revenue forecast and nudge more subscribers towards the faster-growing ad-supported tier.
Netflix shares have climbed 13 per cent so far this year and are up roughly 26 per cent since the company stepped back from the $72 billion Warner Bros deal. With the merger drama behind it, the spotlight now shifts to how aggressively Netflix can expand its advertising business and live programming.
“We’re kind of entering another phase for the ad business, where they are becoming one of the largest scaled global advertising platforms,” said Gabelli Funds portfolio manager John Belton, which holds Netflix shares.
During the quarter, Netflix beefed up its live slate with a BTS concert streamed from Seoul that drew 18.4 million viewers worldwide and the 2026 World Baseball Classic, which became the most-streamed baseball game globally. Investors are watching for signals that the company will lean further into sports and other live events to fuel ad revenue growth.
The results come at a pivotal moment. Having dodged what could have been a debt-heavy acquisition, Netflix has the freedom and the cash to double down on its core strengths: original content spending and building a robust, scaled advertising platform. Whether the numbers deliver a binge-worthy performance or leave viewers wanting more, one thing is clear: the streaming wars are far from over, and Netflix is determined to keep its crown.
Expect plenty of drama when the figures drop after all, in the world of streaming, every quarter is its own cliffhanger.
