Network18 reported a year-on-year revenue dip for the June quarter, largely due to a high base from last year’s election-linked advertising and a muted ad market. The company cited persistent weak consumer demand and a sports-heavy quarter as further pressures on ad revenue. Despite these headwinds, the news business declined only 4.9 per cent, while overall revenue rose 9 per cent compared to the same quarter in FY24--a period that also lacked election-related boosts. Chairman Adil Zainulbhai noted that Network18 continues to deliver strong operating performance, with recent product launches underscoring its focus on diversification and future growth.

Tata Play Binge has added Prasar Bharati’s OTT platform WAVES to its content lineup. Viewers can now access over 20,000 hours of shows in 12 Indian languages, including Doordarshan classics like Byomkesh Bakshi, Fauji, and Hum Log, as well as newer shows like Sarpanch Sahab and Jaiye Aap Kahan Jayenge.  WAVES also offers live content such as Mann Ki Baat, Aarti from Ayodhya, and sports like the Kabbadi World Cup and German Football Cup, along with 35+ live TV channels.  Prasar Bharati CEO Gaurav Dwivedi said the aim is to make public service content more accessible in the digital era. The partnership brings together Doordarshan’s legacy and Tata Play Binge’s modern streaming experience under one platform.

Image source: The Federal, Civils Daily, Shutterstock and NASA; Edited by Dinesh Raj M   Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla (Shux) ended his space mission with spacecraft Dragon Grace’s gentle splash into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego at 3.02 pm (IST) Tuesday, wrapping up months of training, experiments in orbit, and India’s latest stride in human spaceflight participation. Hot Off the Press Grace had undocked from ISS at 4.45 pm on Monday, carrying, besides Shux, mission commander Peggy Whitson and mission specialists Tibor Kapu and Slawosz Uznanski. As part of the re-entry and splashdown operations, Grace began the 18-minute de-orbit burn around 2.07 pm (IST) on Tuesday. By 2.27 pm, Grace jettisoned the trunk, and the nose cone was closed by 2.33 pm. Shux’s Axiom-4 mission comes at a time India is making a deeper entry into human spaceflight, expanding ambitions beyond satellites & rockets, reported Chethan Kumar for The Times of India. And this ha

Well-respected New Zealand-based tech journalist, Rob O’Neill, has confirmed he’ll be retiring this September, after a journalism career spanning over three decades.  O’Neill told Influencing, "I turn 66 in September, so I feel it is time to slow down a bit. I have a small yacht that needs some TLC and some use, neither of which it has received in recent years.” In a statement to Influencing, Reseller News Editor Julia Talevski said, "Rob’s exceptional reporting, deep industry knowledge, and unwavering professionalism have left a lasting mark on Reseller News and the broader IT community. Over the decades, he has built an extraordinary network across New Zealand, earning the admiration and respect of peers who regard him as a true industry legend. “His presence on the Reseller News beat will be deeply missed. We extend our warmest wishes to Rob as he embarks on a well-deserved retirement." Journalism was, in fact, not O’Neill’s first professional career; he ini

THE BRIEF - 'MARK OF DEPRAVITY' The coverage of Mark Latham’s latest albeit very serious scandal is already threatening to be a masterclass in pearl-clutching moral outrage laced with titillation. The Daily Telegraph screams MARK OF DEPRAVITY, recounting a sordid tale of alleged emotional abuse, intimidation, and yes, sexts sent from the floor of NSW Parliament. Former partner Nathalie Matthews alleges that Latham manipulated and abused her during a chaotic relationship that saw them break up five times in a year. The allegations include coercive behaviour, financial control, and public humiliation. Latham, for his part, admits to some “salty” messages and insists her claims are “complete rubbish.” The SMH manages to keep its palms dry with a cooler take from Alexandra Smith Perry Duffin, and Jessica McSweeney noting the disturbing pattern of control Matthews describes—but staying well clear of panting headlines Meanwhile, The Australian’s Liam Mendes, who br

  Sharada Balasubramanian didn’t walk into journalism through a media school or newsroom placement. She stepped into it from the ground, driven by instinct, shaped by urgency.  Back in 2003 or 2004, journalism wasn’t a degree you collected. It was something you did. And that’s exactly what she began doing after a brief stint at Greenpeace, where she first saw how climate issues were ignored in mainstream media. That early exposure would shape her life’s work: telling stories that connect people to the ecological emergencies unfolding around them. Her first newsroom job was at The Asian Age in Mumbai, not as a reporter but as a sub-editor on the business desk. It wasn’t the dream beat. But it gave her something just as valuable, an understanding of how newsrooms work. Sharada tells young journalists to start here: “Find your niche, yes, but learn the craft first. Understand how the machine runs before you try to change its course.” It would be years before she

Behind the news bulletins, headlines, and breaking alerts, a quieter story is playing out, one of journalist mothers balancing deadlines and diapers, live reports and lullabies. While the profession demands speed, stamina and stoicism, it rarely pauses to consider what it means for those producing the news while carrying new life, literally and emotionally. "Motherhood didn’t dull my passion" Laasya Shekhar, an independent journalist, laid it bare. During her first trimester at south-based digital publication, she struggled with relentless nausea and fatigue. There were no naps, no concessions, and certainly no slowing down. “In my sixth month, I was on the ground covering the 2023 Chennai floods,” she said. “Soon after, I was fired for ‘underperformance’, despite informing the organisation about my pregnancy.” After childbirth, Laasya pushed through sleepless nights and two-hour feeding cycles while continuing to write stories as an independent reporter. The passion