iWorld
US internet use eats into TV viewing & socialising: Survey
MUMBAI: According to a recent study by the Stanford Institute for the Quantitative Study of Society (SIQQS), the time spent by the average internet user in the United States of America using the internet cuts into the time he spends for television viewing and family.
The surfing time is mainly drawn from the family time than the television time.
The study found that as much as 75 per cent of the population in the United States now has access to the internet either at home or work.
According to the study, the time an internet user spends online is 3 hours per day, while the time he spends on TV is 1.7 hours. Internet users watch television for one hour and 42 minutes a day in the United States, compared with the national average of two hours, points out the study.
SIQQS director Norman Nie points says it is not the TV viewing more affected by the web phenomenon, but the time spent for family. He has been quoted in media reports as saying, “We were very interested to discover that the increase in Internet use over the last 10 years has eaten into television viewing less than expected. Time online seems to come more out of family discretionary time.”
According to the study, an hour of time spent using the Internet reduces the time spent on social life by 23.5 minutes, lowers the amount of time spent watching television by 10 minutes and shortens sleep by 8.5 minutes.
SIQQS collected the data from a representative sample of 4,839 American respondents between the ages of 18 and 64 in June 2004. Respondents were asked to create detailed diaries of how they spent their time during six randomly selected hours of the previous day.
While breaking up the internet consumption time, 57 per cent of the use was devoted to communications (e-mail, instant messaging and chat rooms) and 43 per cent for other activities including web browsing, shopping and game playing. Users said they spent 8.7 percent of their internet time playing online games. The study also found that users spend a small portion of their online time in contact with family members.
The study states that time spent on spam accounts for five minutes of every hour spent online, which translates into10 8-hour workdays per year. The researchers found that the amount of internet use does not differ by gender. But women on average use e-mail, instant messaging and social networking more than men, while men spend more time browsing, reading discussion groups and participating in chat rooms. About the percentage of respondents who use internet by education, the survey rates people having bachelor’s degree or higher as the top with 43.2 per cent, followed by those attended some college (33.1 per cent).
Gaming
Bluestone FY26 revenue rises to Rs 2,436 crore, turns profitable
Q4 profit at Rs 31 crore, full-year profit at Rs 13 crore vs loss last year.
MUMBAI: From sparkle to numbers, Bluestone seems to be polishing more than just jewellery this year. Bluestone Jewellery and Lifestyle Limited reported a sharp turnaround in FY26, with revenue from operations rising to Rs 2,436 crore (Rs 24,364 million), up from Rs 1,770 crore (Rs 17,700 million) in FY25. The company posted a full-year profit of Rs 13 crore (Rs 131.79 million), a significant recovery from a loss of Rs 222 crore (Rs 2,218 million) a year ago.
Total income for the year stood at Rs 2,486 crore (Rs 24,860 million), compared to Rs 1,830 crore (Rs 18,300 million) in the previous year, reflecting both topline growth and improved operational momentum.
The March quarter, however, told a more nuanced story. Revenue from operations came in at Rs 681 crore (Rs 6,814 million), down from Rs 748 crore (Rs 7,486 million) in the year-ago period, though higher than Rs 461 crore (Rs 4,613 million) in the preceding December quarter. Net profit for Q4 stood at Rs 31 crore (Rs 311.81 million), compared to Rs 68 crore (Rs 688 million) a year earlier, but a clear reversal from a loss of Rs 51 crore (Rs 512 million) in Q3.
Margins were shaped by higher input costs, with raw material consumption rising to Rs 2,204 crore (Rs 22,043 million) for the full year, alongside employee benefit expenses of Rs 282 crore (Rs 2,824 million) and finance costs of Rs 210 crore (Rs 2,104 million). Other expenses came in at Rs 371 crore (Rs 3,715 million), slightly lower than Rs 393 crore (Rs 3,938 million) in FY25.
On the balance sheet front, total assets expanded to Rs 4,961 crore (Rs 49,610 million) as of March 31, 2026, from Rs 3,532 crore (Rs 35,322 million) a year earlier, driven largely by a surge in inventories to Rs 2,672 crore (Rs 26,718 million). Equity also strengthened to Rs 1,803 crore (Rs 18,030 million), nearly doubling from Rs 911 crore (Rs 9,107 million).
Cash flows reflected the cost of growth. Net cash used in operating activities stood at Rs 199 crore (Rs 1,990 million), while investing activities saw an outflow of Rs 239 crore (Rs 2,392 million). Financing activities, however, generated Rs 497 crore (Rs 4,971 million), helping the company end the year with cash and cash equivalents of Rs 108 crore (Rs 1,075 million), up from Rs 49 crore (Rs 487 million).
Earnings per share for FY26 came in at Rs 1.10, a sharp improvement from a negative Rs 79.74 in FY25, underlining the shift from losses to profitability.
With revenue scaling up, costs still glittering on the higher side, and profitability finally back in the black, BlueStone’s FY26 performance suggests a business mid-transition less about shine alone, and more about sustaining it.
