iWorld
Taboola releases India Readership Insights for March 2023
Mumbai: Taboola, a global open web, helping people discover things they may like, has released the readership insights for March 2023. Taboola Newsroom uses Topic Insights to analyze real-time audience data to identify some of the intriguing and popular themes that engaged Indian readers throughout the month.
The surge in pageview traffic revealed insights into the diverse interests of Indian audiences in content across sports, festivals, and social events. Here are some of the key insights revealed from the readership trends for March 2023:
1. Sports:
The Indian Premier League (IPL) is a highly anticipated T20 cricket league in India that typically starts in March, featuring some of the top cricket players from around the world. However, this year the league will commence in April. Mumbai Indians, one of the IPL franchises, recently unveiled a new jersey for the upcoming IPL 2023 season, which features their traditional blue and gold colors, along with a unique design featuring a gold pinstripe and the “MI” logo on the front. The jersey showcases the team’s sponsors, Samsung, and DHL, on the front and back, respectively. Fans of Mumbai Indians are excited about the new jersey launch and eagerly await the start of the IPL 2023 season. Mumbai Indians have won the IPL title five times, and the new jersey is expected to further elevate their reputation of success. In other sports news, the Taboola Newsroom witnessed an impressive 1059 per cent surge in readership in the past 45 days. Big sports events present an excellent chance for marketers to maximize their campaign’s reach and efficiency by targeting relevant sports audiences, whose traffic is known to increase predictably during such events. A highly effective way to take advantage of this opportunity is by using high-impact packages that combine all sports-related audiences across the Open Web in India.
2. Festival and Social Events:
Holi: Holika Dahan is a significant Hindu festival, also known as Chhoti Holi, that is celebrated every year one day before Holi. According to the Hindu calendar, Holika Dahan falls on the Purnima Tithi (Full Moon Day) of the Phalguna month. This year, on the 15 of March, the Purnima Tithi began at 06:20 PM and ended at 08:59 PM. The auspicious time for Holika Dahan lasted for nearly two hours, from 06:39 PM to 08:33 PM. The festival is celebrated with much enthusiasm and devotion throughout India, with people gathering around a bonfire to perform rituals and seek blessings for happiness and prosperity. According to Hindu mythology, Holika Dahan signifies the victory of good over evil, marking the burning of Holika, the sister of demon king Hiranyakashipu. This cultural celebration is held in high regard and is observed by many across the country, with the Taboola Newsroom seeing a 1156 per cent rise in readership regarding the event. Similar to major sporting events, festivals also offer a golden opportunity for marketers to tap into an audience that is actively seeking out gift ideas for their loved ones. Smart brands can start planning their campaigns well in advance of the festive season in the latter half of the year, as it is sure to be a significant event. By leveraging contextual targeting, brands can effectively reach consumers as they research and browse gift options for their loved ones.
International Women’s Day: To honor women’s contributions to society and to raise awareness about gender equality, International Women’s Day is celebrated every year on 8 March. The day is dedicated to celebrating women’s achievements and recognizing the obstacles they face. To commemorate the occasion, influential women such as politicians, activists, and celebrities have shared inspirational quotes to inspire and empower women. These quotes underscore the importance of women’s rights, gender equality, and the need for women’s voices to be heard. LiveMint has compiled a list of some of the most powerful quotes from influential women worldwide, which individuals can share to promote the message of women’s empowerment. The celebration of International Women’s Day and the inspiring quotes shared on this occasion serve as a reminder of the progress made in women’s rights and the ongoing efforts to achieve gender equality. The event has seen a 189 per cent increase in readership on the Taboola Newsroom.
Learn more about Taboola’s recommendation platform and services here.
iWorld
Meta plans 8,000 layoffs in new AI-led restructuring wave
First phase from May 20 may cut 10 per cent workforce amid AI pivot.
MUMBAI: At Meta, the future may be artificial but the cuts are very real. The social media giant is reportedly preparing a fresh round of layoffs, with an initial wave expected to impact around 8,000 employees as it doubles down on its artificial intelligence ambitions. According to a Reuters report, the first phase of job cuts is slated to begin on May 20, targeting roughly 10 per cent of Meta’s global workforce. With nearly 79,000 employees on its rolls as of December 31, the move marks one of the company’s most significant workforce reductions in recent years.
And this may only be the beginning. Sources indicate that additional layoffs are being planned for the second half of the year, although the scale and timing remain fluid, likely to be shaped by how Meta’s AI capabilities evolve in the coming months. Earlier reports had suggested that total cuts in 2026 could reach 20 per cent or more of its workforce.
The restructuring comes as chief executive Mark Zuckerberg continues to steer the company towards an AI-first operating model, committing hundreds of billions of dollars to the transition. Internally, this shift is already visible: teams within Reality Labs have been reorganised, engineers have been moved into a newly formed Applied AI unit, and a Meta Small Business division has been created to align with broader structural changes.
The trend is hardly isolated. Across the tech sector, companies are trimming headcount while investing aggressively in automation. Amazon, for instance, has reportedly cut around 30,000 corporate roles nearly 10 per cent of its white-collar workforce citing efficiency gains driven by AI. Data from Layoffs.fyi shows over 73,000 tech employees have already lost jobs this year, compared with 153,000 in all of 2024.
For Meta, the move echoes its earlier “year of efficiency” in 2022–23, when about 21,000 roles were eliminated amid slowing growth and market pressures. This time, however, the backdrop is different. The company is financially stronger, generating over $200 billion in revenue and $60 billion in profit last year, with shares up 3.68 per cent year-to-date though still below last summer’s peak.
That contrast underlines the shift underway. These layoffs are less about survival and more about reinvention. As Meta restructures itself around AI from autonomous coding agents to advanced machine learning systems, the question is no longer whether the company will change, but how many roles will be left unchanged when it does.
