MAM
Nielsen tunes in as Podscribe maps podcast ads with DMA precision
MUMBAI: When it comes to podcasts, location isn’t just about where you hit play, it’s about where the ads land. In a move set to fine-tune the fast-growing digital audio space, Nielsen has struck a deal with Podscribe, an independent measurement and verification platform for podcast and audio advertising, to integrate its proprietary Designated Market Area (DMA) data into Podscribe’s reporting suite.
The partnership gives Podscribe access to Nielsen’s standardised DMA® information spanning 210 media markets across the US, arming advertisers and publishers with sharper geographical audience insights. For buyers, it means laser-focused geo-targeted ads; for sellers, it translates into proving the true reach and value of their inventory with trusted, industry-wide benchmarks.
Long considered the gold standard for audience geography, Nielsen’s DMA data is already widely embedded in media planning and buying. Its application in podcasting promises to bring the same consistency and comparability enjoyed in television and radio to the digital audio frontier.
With the integration, Podscribe users will be able to:
● Access localized ad targeting and reporting at the media market level.
● Segment data internally or with third-party partners by geographic market.
● Standardize audience mapping across campaigns for more transparency.
Calling it “a significant step forward,” Podscribe CEO/founder Pete Birsinger said the move would strengthen trust and accuracy: “This partnership ensures that our buyers and sellers have access to standardized and trusted geographic market definitions, enabling more effective localized ad targeting and streamlined reporting across the board.”
Nielsen managing audio director Rich Tunkel stressed the importance of a common language for measurement: “Podscribe’s collaboration with Nielsen emphasizes the importance of industry-wide standardization across all digital audio impressions. Using the most up-to-date Nielsen local market data will allow for consistent evaluation and comparability across all media platforms, with effective and efficient results.”
Podcast advertising is booming but without consistent definitions of who’s listening and where, the industry has risked fragmentation. By baking in Nielsen’s DMA insights, Podscribe positions itself at the intersection of innovation and standardisation, offering buyers confidence in reach and sellers a stronger pitch for their ad slots.
In other words, in the battle for ears and ad dollars, geography just found its groove.
Brands
Coca-Cola logs $102m India bottling gain as Q4 revenue edges up
Global revenue up 2 per cent to $11.8bn as India refranchising shapes bottling volumes
ATLANTA: If the year had a flavour, Coca-Cola’s 2025 would be classic cola with a splash of India. The beverage giant ended the year with steady global growth, a jump in profits and a tidy nine-figure gain from refranchising parts of its bottling business in the Indian market.
For the fourth quarter, Coca-Cola reported net revenues of $11.8 billion, up 2 per cent year on year, while organic revenues grew 5 per cent, powered by a 4 per cent rise in concentrate sales and a modest 1 per cent increase in price and mix.
For the full year, net revenues reached $47.9 billion, also up 2 per cent, with organic revenues climbing 5 per cent on the back of a 4 per cent improvement in price and mix and a 1 per cent increase in concentrate sales.
Profitability told a more dramatic story. Full-year operating income rose 38 per cent to $13.8 billion, while net income attributable to shareowners jumped 23 per cent to $13.1 billion. Diluted earnings per share for the year came in at $3.04, up 23 per cent.
The December quarter was more uneven. Operating income fell 32 per cent to $1.84 billion, largely due to one-off items including a $960 million non-cash impairment linked to the BODYARMOR trademark. Even so, comparable earnings per share for the quarter rose 6 per cent to $0.58.
Cash generation remained strong. The company reported $7.4 billion in operating cash flow for the year and $5.3 billion in free cash flow, or $11.4 billion excluding a one-time fairlife payment.
India adds a financial fizz
India figured not just in the growth narrative but also in the transaction line. During the year, Coca-Cola recorded a $102 million gain from the refranchising of bottling operations in certain Indian territories.
The company had already been reshaping its bottling footprint across markets, including multiple refranchising moves in India across 2024 and 2025 as part of a broader asset-light strategy.
The impact of those structural shifts showed up in the bottling investments segment, where unit case volume declined 6 per cent in the fourth quarter, largely due to a fall in India and the effect of refranchising activity.
Asia Pacific holds steady
Across the Asia Pacific region, unit case volume was flat in the quarter. Growth in water, sports drinks, coffee, tea and the core Coca-Cola trademark was offset by declines in sparkling flavours.
Operating income in the region dropped 36 per cent for the quarter, reflecting higher input costs and currency headwinds, even as the company said it gained value share in several markets during the year.
Dividend discipline and a cautious outlook
Coca-Cola continued to lean on its dependable dividend story, paying $8.8 billion in dividends during 2025 and extending its streak of annual increases to 63 years. Capital expenditure for the year stood at $2.1 billion, up 2 per cent.
For 2026, the company expects organic revenue growth of 4 to 5 per cent and comparable earnings per share growth of 7 to 8 per cent, suggesting another year of steady, if unspectacular, expansion.
For now, though, the takeaway from 2025 is simple: global growth may have been modest, but with profits up sharply and India contributing a $102 million refranchising gain, Coca-Cola’s financial year still had plenty of fizz.
