News Broadcasting
TiVo introduces TV audience measurement tool
CALIFORNIA: TiVo which creates television services for digital video recorders (DVRs) has announced a new audience measurement tool. The tool will give broadcasters and advertisers the first opportunity to analyse second-by-second specific viewing patterns within television programmes.
An official release informs that the company will for the first time, offer a subscription quarterly report that uses this new measurement capability to report on viewing patterns within primetime programmes. This quarterly report was developed with assistance from global brand communications company Starcom MediaVest Group.
TiVo’s new measurement capabilities mark an expanded effort by the company to leverage features of its electronic service to collect data that will offer the television and advertising industry tools never before available for analysing specific viewing behaviour.
The data used to produce this highly detailed analysis is derived from anonymous and aggregate data collected when TiVo DVRs make a daily phone call to the company’s broadcast centre each day to retrieve and download programming information. This aggregate viewer data can be culled into large samples that can be analysed on a near real-time basis.
TiVo president TiVo Martin J. Yudkovitz said: “Our audience measurement capabilities will offer broadcasters and advertisers an unprecedented, detailed look at how viewers consume programming and advertising. As the leader and pioneer of the DVR experience, we want to embrace the opportunity to help advertisers and broadcasters better understand the current and future impact of DVR so they can adapt content and advertising strategies to this new medium.”
“These new analysis tools can allow TiVo to play a role in assisting broadcasters and advertisers in developing compelling and interesting content for tomorrow’s television audience,” Yudkovitz added.
TiVo can provide data on programmes in any day part, allowing clients to analyse specific viewing patterns during key programmes. These customised reports can be prepared for any programme airing on television, and can pinpoint specific incidents in programming where viewers responded strongly.
As far as the quarterly report is concerned an analysis of the report’s overall findings indicates that programming that created the greatest sense of urgency and immediate desire to watch was most successful at retaining viewers from start to finish and through commercial breaks.
The report also showed “stickiness” of the programmes varied greatly depending on genre. Sitcoms and dramas tended to have the lowest retention and commercial viewing rate. Reality TV, news and event based shows often scored significantly better in their ability to retain viewers in programming and during commercials because more viewers tended to watch these programmes live.
This is a snapshot of key programmes measured and their TiVo commercial viewing.
Programme TCVI
45th Annual Grammy Awards 75
Fear Factor 58
20/20 57
CSI: Miami 46
American Idol 45
Friends 39
Starcom MediaVest group VP and director of emerging contacts Tim Hanlon said:” This report points to two really great challenges for broadcasters and those of us in the advertising industry. We need to help broadcasters develop programming that has a sense of urgency and immediacy so that viewers feel they can’t wait to watch. And we need to develop more compelling content that viewers feel adds to the experience of enjoying these programmes.”
The primetime programming will be sold to industry partners on a subscription basis with updates to data provided quarterly. TiVo is also developing additional audience measurement reports for other day parts. The penetration of DVR technology in US households is growing rapidly.
TiVo is projecting that over one million households will be using its DVR by the end of this year. The company has stated that its time-shifting and commercial avoidance capabilities will challenge programmers and advertisers alike to approach the medium in new, inventive ways.
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.
