News Broadcasting
aMAP claims to offer myriad ways to track audience groups
MUMBAI: Ratings data the next day. That is the advantage that Audience Measurement and Analytics (AMA), which in June announced the launch in India of aMap, Asia’s first online television ratings system, is promising to provide broadcasters and advertisers.
The technology for aMap, a system its promoters state is being used in eight countries across Europe, has been sourced from Telecontrol AG a Swiss company. People meter inventor and founder of Telecontrol Professor Matthias Steinmann was in the city today to explain the “revolutionary new ratings system”.
Steinmann asserted that a solution using different methods was needed in these days of changing technologies and viewer lifestyles. “We can measure all television including video games in any environment whether it is CAS, DTH or broadband. We are also able to deal with a common problem being faced of audience fragmentation. We offer a 360 degree solution,” Steinmann said.
AMA officials claim that through this system you can automatically measure what even Indians in New Jersey watch for instance. All you need to do is define the sample base, instal the peoplemeters and then make the calls accordingly. Actual physical presence is not needed.
Till date a total of 1,000 people meters have been installed in the three cities of Mumbai (400), Delhi (400) and Ahmedabad (200). The plan is to increase that number across the country to 20,000 over the next couple of years. It uses the GSM network to collect data. Every morning between 2 am and 4 am a cellular call is placed to the GSM modem that has been installed in the meters. The central server collects the data. It is then available online for the clients that same day. For instance yesterday c&s4+ while Star Plus was ahead of Sony from 6:30 pm – 11pm the two of them were close in the 7-9 pm slot.
AMA managing director Ravirathan Arora explained that this was possible as there were over 20 audience metrics available. “We can build up the viewer profile for a client. We can tell someone the viewing habits of a house with three children or a home where the housewife is aged 25-35 and speaks English fluently. We can tell the client the viewing pattern of someone with a car and a washing machine.
Since live data is continuously being fed into the box. We can even tell the advertisers how many viewers were still tuning in to Sunday’s cricket match after Sachin got out. In fact doing this in real time is one of the
possibilities we would look at going forward.
“It is a researcher’s delight as audience groups can be sliced and diced in myriad ways. Every year Rs 4500 crores (Rs 45 billion) is spent advertising on television. Very often spends are made on blind faith. The risks are too high. Therefore we are confident that due to the greater accountability we bring, in we will be able to eliminate at least some of the risk. We are offering the broadcasters our services at an introductory price of Rs 200,000 per month. We can collect data on an individual basis and on a home basis.”
AMA CEO Tapan Pal claimed that there were several checks in place. “For instance if a home has been tuned to Zee TV for five straight hours then something is wrong. In all likelihood nobody but the dog is watching. The people are probably doing something else. Similarly if a house has small children and Aastha is switched on at 6 in the morning then that could again be an anomaly. We can also measure how many people in a household view a programme. We will also be able to tell the client as to how many people viewed a show for the ten minutes at a stretch.”
Pal expressed confidence that aMap would find favour within the industry and there would a two branding systems in place. “When DD ruled the airwaves how many people felt that Zee would be able to make a major
impact? Similarly new technology, if it is good enough, can make people switch over. We will also be coming out with a prediction model in the near future. This will help the agencies have more confidence when spending their clients money.”
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.
