News Broadcasting
Podcasting growing in the US: Nielsen survey
MUMBAI: Nielsen//NetRatings, which works in the field of Internet media and market research has announced that 6.6 per cent of America’s adult online population, or 9.2 million Web users, have recently downloaded an audio podcast
Four per cent, or 5.6 million Web users, have recently downloaded a video podcast. These figures put the podcasting population on a par with those who publish blogs, 4.8 per cent, and online daters, 3.9 per cent. However, podcasting is not yet nearly as popular as viewing and paying bills online, 51.6 per cent, or online job hunting, 24.6 per cent.
For the uninitiated podcasting is a relatively new technology that enables users to quickly and easily download multimedia files, including audio and video, for playback on mobile devices including iPods and other MP3 players, as well as cell phones.
Nielsen//NetRatings analyst Michael Lanz says, “The portability of podcasts makes them especially appealing to young on-the-go audiences. We can expect to see podcasting become increasingly popular as portable content media players proliferate”.
As is often typical with new technologies, young people are more likely than their older counterparts to engage in audio or video podcasting. Web users between the ages 18 and 24 are nearly twice as likely as the average Web user to download audio podcasts, followed by users in the 25-34 and 35-44 age groups, who were also more likely than the average Web user to do audio podcasting.
Video podcasters showed 25-34 year olds indexing the highest. Web users above the age of 45 were less likely than average to engage in podcasting of either sort. Since the popularity of Apple’s iPod is largely responsible for the spread of podcasting, not surprisingly podcasters enjoy using Apple products and visiting Apple Web sites. For example, audio and video podcasters are over three times as likely as the average Web user to use Apple’s Safari as their primary Internet browser.
Among audio podcasters, Macworld is the most-visited content site, with a composition index of 606 (see Table 4). Apple and iTunes are the No. 2 and 3 e-commerce sites visited by audio podcasters, with composition indexes of 455 and 396, respectively. The Apple connection is not as clear for video podcasters, who flock to Startrek.com among content sites, with an index of 864. Live365.com and eMusic are the two most popular e-commerce sites for video podcasters, with indexes of 730 and 656, respectively.
Lanz adds, “Competitors to the iPod are now in the marketplace, but Apple got a big head start. It will take time before other portable media players make significant in-roads with the early-adopters who are currently podcasting”.
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.
