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Amazon Prime has announced that from June 17 onwards, the streaming service will include limited advertisements. 

While there will be no change to the current price for Prime membership, the Over-the-top (OTT) platform is offering an ad-free option for users. 

In an email sent to subscribers, Amazon Prime mentioned, "Starting June 17th, 2025, Prime Video movies and TV shows will include limited advertisements. This will allow us to continue investing in compelling content and keep increasing the investment over a long period of time".

The streaming platform also said that the frequency of the ads will be lower than TV channels and other streaming services.

On the ad-free plan, Amazon Prime informed its customers can opt for Rs 699 per year or Rs 129 per month. Prime users can sign up for these plans from June 17 onwards.

Amazon Prime's ad plan is already applicable in countries like the US, the UK, and Canada. In these countries, the users pay $2.99 per month for an ad-free subscription.

In India, Amazon has introduced the Prime Lite plan under which the OTT content is limited to mobile devices at 720p resolution, priced at Rs 799 annually.

Notably, their users of the Prime Lite Plan, which includes a supported plan, will also not experience any changes.

Amazon Prime introduces ad-supported plan, offers ad-free option for Rs 699 per year

Food and grocery delivery Swiggy Ltd has reported significant losses amid a rise in advertisement and sales promotion expenses in the fourth quarter for the fiscal year 2025.

The Bengaluru-based company registered consolidated losses of Rs 1081 crore in Q4 FY25. Last fiscal, in the same quarter, Swiggy's losses were at Rs 554.7 crore--an increase of 94.8% year-on-year. Swiggy's rival Zomato also posted losses in Q4 FY25. Zomato reported a 78% year-on-year decline in its consolidated net profit to Rs 39 crore in Q4 FY25.

Meanwhile, the ad and promotional expenses of the company have soared to Rs 977.7 crore in the quarter ended on March 31, 2025, up 135.4% YoY. In Q4 F24, Swiggy's marketing and promotional expenditure was Rs 415.2 crore. 

Overall, Swiggy's losses have widened from Rs 2350.2 crore in FY24 to Rs 3116.7 crore in FY25. On the other hand, its ad expenses surged to Rs 2711.7 crore in fiscal 2025 from Rs 1850.7 crore in FY24. 

The revenue from operations of Swiggy in Q4 FY25 stood at Rs 4410 crore. 

The supply chain and distribution segment accounted for the majority of its revenue at Rs 2,004  crore in the Q4 FY25, followed by the food delivery segment at Rs 1629.3 crore. Swiggy's quick commerce vertical, Instamart, registered a revenue of Rs 689 crore in the March quarter FY2025.

The revenue of operations for Swiggy Instamart has witnessed a 117.6% YoY rise in fiscal 2025.

According to the filings, Instamart's revenue from operations stood at Rs 2129.5 crore compared to Rs 978.5 crore in FY24. Whereas, Zomato's quick commerce vertical, Blinklit's revenue from operations stood at Rs 2,301 crore in FY25 versus Rs 806 crore in FY24.

"Our Food delivery engine delivered best-ever results across innovation and execution, driving category-leading growth and rising profitability in lockstep. Quick-commerce is in a phase of rapid expansion and heightened competitive intensity, for which we have ramped-up investments aimed at market expansion (Megapods), reach (1000+ stores across 124 cities) and differentiation (Maxxsaver)," Sriharsha Majety, MD & Group CEO, Swiggy said.

Swiggy's advertising spend rises to Rs 977.7 crore in Q4 FY25; losses mount to Rs 1081 crore

Tata Group's Titan Company registered a 13% rise in consolidated profit in the Quarter 4 (January-March) in fiscal year 2025 amid the rise in advertisement spending. According to the eyewear-to-jewellery business, the Q4 profit surged to Rs 871 crore in FY25 compared to Rs 771 crore in Q4 FY24. 

The consolidated advertising expenses stood at Rs 330 crore in Q4 FY25--an increase of 23%. In the March quarter FY24, Titan Company spent Rs 268 crore on ads and publicity. Overall, the ad spending in FY25 stood at Rs 1,308 crore, while profit dropped to Rs 3337 crore. In FY24, Titan clocked a profit of Rs 3,496 crore.

Titan's total income in Q4 increased to Rs 15,032 crore compared to Rs 12,653 crore in the corresponding quarter last fiscal (FY24).

<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-makers/ajoy-chawla-named-next-md-of-titan-to-c-k-venkataraman-65044.htm">Ajoy Chawla named next MD of Titan Company Ltd; to succeed C. K. Venkataraman</a>

For the full year FY25, the total income of Rs 57,818 crores grew 22% over FY24. 

According to the stock exchange filing, Titan's jewellery business, comprising brands like Tanishq, Mia, and Zoya, witnessed a 25% growth in total income in Q4FY25 to Rs 11,232 crore. The domestic India business grew 23% to Rs 10,845 crore during the same period, driven by a strong 30% growth in gold jewellery and coins (together) and 12% growth in studded jewellery. 

In the watches and wearables segments, Titan recorded a total income of Rs 1,126 crore, up 20% over Q4FY24. Fastrack brand topped the growth charts, clocking 44% growth, followed by Sonata recording 25% growth compared to Q4FY24.

The eyecare division recorded a total income growth of 16% to Rs 192 crore in Q4 FY25. And, for the full year of FY25, EyeCare Division recorded a Total Income growth of 10% to Rs 796 crore.

Indian Dress Wear ('Taneira’), fragrances, fashion accessories recorded a total income of Rs 102 crores for Q4FY25, growing 5% over Q4FY24.

CaratLane's total income stood at Rs 883 crore, up 23% YoY, and for the full fiscal 2025, the income grew 24% to Rs 3,583 crore.

"As we look forward to FY26, all businesses of Titan Company are focusing on market share expansion in their respective categories and catering to the changing needs of our consumers," C K Venkataraman, Managing Director of Titan Company Ltd, said. 

Titan boosts ad spend by 23% to Rs 330 crore in Q4 FY25

Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL) registered a significant rise in net profit in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2025, driven by cost management, health balance sheet and cash generation. The media company's profit surged to Rs 188.4 crore in the March quarter FY2025 compared to Rs 13.4 crore in FY24--a 1,306% rise.

Overall, ZEEL's FY2025 profit jumped to Rs 679 crore--an increase of 381% YoY. The company had registered Rs 141 crore of profit in FY24. ZEEL's EBITDA margin stood at Rs 1,196 crore, up 14.4% in FY25. 

However, the consolidated advertisement revenue of Zee Entertainment witnessed a 32.6% decline in Q4 fiscal year 2025. The company's ad revenue stood at Rs 837 crore in Q4 FY25 versus Rs 1,110 crore in the corresponding quarter in FY2024. In full fiscal year 2025, ZEEL's ad revenue declined to Rs 3,591 crore--a drop of 11.4% YoY. Prior to this, ZEEL's ad revenue was Rs 4,057 crore in FY24.

On standalone basis, the domestic advertising revenue declined by 27% YoY for the quarter due to slowdown in macro advertising environment , postponement of Zee Cine Award, busy sports calendar and higher base in Q4 FY24.

The company earned an ad revenue of Rs 58 crore from the international market in Q4 FY25, while the subscription revenue stood at Rs 101 crore.

On the other hand, the subscription revenue witnessed a marginal jump in the March quarter by 3.8% to Rs 986 crore in FY25.

The advertisement and publicity expenses of the media conglomerate stood at Rs 300 crore in Q4 FY25 compared to Rs 264 crore in Q4 FY2024.

Overall, ZEEL's publicity spending soared to Rs 1,146 crore in FY2025. The company's ad spending in FY2024 was recorded at Rs 1,067 crore.

ZEEL's consolidated ad revenue drops to Rs 837 crore in Q4 FY25

Media company DB Corp Ltd, also known as Dainik Bhaskar Group, registered a 13.8% decline in its consolidated advertisement revenue in the fourth quarter (Q4) of fiscal year 2025. The newspaper company clocked Rs 384 crore of ad revenue in Q4 FY25 compared to Rs 445.7 crore in the corresponding quarter last fiscal due to a high base of last year.


The advertising revenue from the radio business dwindled by 8.7% to Rs 37.6 crore in the January-March quarter FY25 versus Rs 41.2 crore in Q4 FY24.

Overall, DB Corp's ad revenue in FY25 stood at Rs 1,690 crore compared to Rs 1,752 crore in FY24. Notably, the ad revenue from the radio business in FY25 increased by 4.4% to Rs 166 crore in FY25.


DB Corp has expressed optimism regarding company's ad revenue. The print media corporation said, "While advertising revenues faced headwinds in Q4FY25, we are observing encouraging signs of recovery. We anticipate returning to our growth trajectory in the upcoming quarters".

The media company said that it delivered an advertisement revenue CAGR growth of 13% in the last 3-year period from Rs 1,182.7 crore in FY22 to Rs 1,690 crore in FY25.

DB Corp's standalone profit also plunged by 57.3% to Rs 52.3 crore in Q4 FY25. In the previous fiscal, the company clocked a profit of Rs 122.5 crore in Q4 due to the challenging geopolitical situation and Indian market conditions.

Revenue from operations also took a nosedive in the fourth quarter. The company's revenue from operations fell from Rs 617 crore in Q4 FY24 to Rs 547.6 crore in Q4 FY25. 

On a consolidated basis, Dainik Bhaskar's net profit crumbled to Rs 52.3 crore in Q4 FY25 from Rs 122.5 crore in the corresponding quarter last fiscal.


According to the official statement by DB Corp, "While we maintained strong performance through the first nine months, the challenging global and resultant Indian market conditions in Q4 tempered our overall growth trajectory for FY25. The previous year's election-driven high base also affected YOY comparisons".


The newspaper company's circulation revenue stood at Rs 473.4 crore in FY25 as against Rs 479 crore in FY24. In Q4 FY25, the circulation revenue of the Noida-based firm was Rs 117.2 crore. 

On the digital business of the company, DB Corp said the mobile application registered a growth from 20 lakh in January 2020  to approximately 2 crore in March 2025. The company attributed the digital growth to Hindi and Gujarati news apps.

"While global economic uncertainties linger, we expect India's robust consumption-driven growth to continue in the near to medium term on the back of certain positive triggers like the Income Tax benefit, implementation of the 8th Pay Commission, and the likelihood of a Normal Monsoon. We continue to remain focused on strengthening our market position and pursuing meaningful opportunities for expansion and innovation," Sudhir Agarwal, Managing Director, DB Corp Ltd, said.

DB Corp's ad revenue declines by 13.8% to Rs 384 crore, profit plunges by 57% in Q4 FY25

The Walt Disney Company, which announced its second quarter for 2025, is bullish on its advertising revenue. 

According to Hugh Johnston, Chief Financial Officer at Walt Disney Company, "Right now the advertising market is quite healthy for us. Live sports, as you know, is doing extremely well. And you see that in the ESPN numbers where advertising for the quarter was up over 20%".

During the Q2 earnings, ESPN witnessed growth in advertising, driven by CFP and NFL games.

Johnston anticipated robust demand for advertising, registering a 3% growth in the current calendar year.

"Overall, advertisers are certainly demanding what we can offer," he added.

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Disney CEO Bob Iger has announced the launch of ESPN's new direct-to-consumer product offering. However, the name and the pricing strategies will be announced soon. 

"The plan would be to basically be somewhat agnostic from a subscriber perspective," to preserve the multichannel ecosystem, Iger said.

Further, the CEO said that the media company will continue to give consumers of both Disney+ and Hulu the taste of live sports on those service.

Iger also announced the seventh Disney Theme park, which will open in Abu Dhabi this year.

"As part of our new strategic partnership with the Morale Group of Abu Dhabi, Disney will oversee design, license our IP, and provide operational expertise while Morale will provide the capital, construction resources, and operational oversight," Iger said.

Talking about the schedules of upcoming theatrical releases, Iger said, "Lilo & Stitch, Pixar’s Elio will be released in June, Marvel’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps in July, Freakier Friday in August, Zootopia 2 in November, and Avatar: Fire and Ash in December".

Disney exceeded analyst expectations, reporting an adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $1.45 compared to the forecasted $1.21.

Iger has revised full-year EPS guidance upward to $5.75.

'Advertising market is quite healthy for us': Disney CFO Hugh Johnston

The Walt Disney Company has announced second-quarter and six-month earnings for fiscal year 2025 on Wednesday. The media & entertainment company exceeded analyst expectations, reporting an adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $1.45 compared to the forecasted $1.21.

However, the Burbank, California-based company posted a decline in advertising revenue in the US market due to lower rates and fewer impressions attributable to lower average viewership. In the international market, the ad revenue witnessed growth because of growth in impressions. 

According to the filings, domestic Disney+'s average monthly revenue per paid subscriber increased from $7.99 to $8.06 due to increases in pricing, partially offset by lower advertising revenue.

ESPN saw a growth in advertising, driven by CFP and NFL games. "Sports operating income was adversely impacted by a write-off due to exiting the Venu joint venture," the company said.

The entertainment segment registered an operating income of $1.3 billion, a $0.5 billion increase versus Q2 fiscal 2024. The company's operating income from sports declined by $91 million to $687 million compared to Q2 fiscal 2024.

"Following an excellent first half of the fiscal year, we have a lot more to look forward to, including our upcoming theatrical slate, the launch of ESPN’s new DTC offering, and an unprecedented number of expansion projects underway in our Experiences segment. Overall, we remain optimistic about the direction of the company and our outlook for the remainder of the fiscal year," Robert A. Iger, Chief Executive Officer, The Walt Disney Company, said.

Iger has revised full-year EPS guidance upward to $5.75. 

Disney's ad revenue faces headwinds in US, but international market shines

Dabur India on Wednesday announced its quarter 4 earnings for the fiscal year 2024. The Fast Moving Consumer Goods company's profit plunged, along with cuts in advertising and promotional expenses in the March quarter FY2025.

Dabur posted a consolidated profit of Rs 312.73 crore Q4 FY25 compared to Rs 341.22 crore in Q4 FY24--a decrease of 8.3%

Overall, in the fiscal year 2025, the profits plunged to Rs 1,740.42 crore--a decline of 4% year-on-year.

Dabur's advertisement and publicity expenses stood at Rs 176.40 crore in Q4 FY25 versus Rs 183.6 crore in the corresponding quarter in FY2024.

The maker of chyawanprash and ayurvedic products spent Rs 864.64 crore on advertising in the full fiscal 2025.

The consolidated total income of Dabur soared to Rs 2,971.29 crore in Q4 FY25.

The revenue from the consumer care business stood at Rs 2,254.98 crore, the food business at Rs 50.48 crore, and the retail business at Rs 24.56 crore in Q4 FY25.

Dabur clocked a profit of Rs 250.54 crore on a standalone basis in Q4 FY25-- a drop of 11.51% YoY.

The standalone ad and publicity expenses stood at Rs 131.09 crore in the same period.

High food inflation and surge in cost of living remained challenging factors for the FMCG major. However, "Dabur delivered 2.1% constant currency revenue growth at Rs 2,830 crore. Revenue for the full year 2024-25 stood at Rs 12,563 crore, up from Rs 12,404 crore a year earlier," the  company mentioned in a stock exchange filing.

Chairman Mohit Malhotra said that despite facing pressure in the Indian business, the international operations enabled them to successfully navigate the complex external environment.

"International business achieved 19% constant currency growth in the fourth quarter and 17% during the full year," Malhotra said.

He anticipated that consumer demand in India would recover progressively in the coming quarters, both in urban and rural markets.

"We are focusing on strengthening our competitive edge in the marketplace by investing in scaling up our rural footprint and rolling out consumer-centric innovations," he added. 

Dabur slashes ad and publicity expenses, sees 8.3% decline in Q4 FY25 profits

KFC India and Pizza Hut operator Sapphire Foods witnessed a marginal decline in its Quarter 4 profit for the fiscal year 2025. The operator of fast food restaurants registered a profit of Rs 2.02 crore in Q4 FY25 compared to Rs 2.03 crore in the corresponding quarter last fiscal. 

Its FY25 consolidated profit plunged by 67.8% in FY25 to Rs 16.7 crore. In the previous fiscal, the company clocked a profit of Rs 52 crore.

The revenue from operations of the company of Sapphire Foods stood at Rs 711.3 crore in Q4 FY25 compared to Rs 631.6 crore in Q4 FY24. 

On a standalone basis, Sapphire Foods posted a loss of Rs 3.66 crore in the January-March quarter FY25. In contrast, the company posted a profit of Rs 2.14 crore in the same period last fiscal.

The operators of US chains McDonald's and Burger King registered Rs 6.32 crore of standalone losses in fiscal year 2025, compared to clocking a profit of Rs 50.7 crore in FY24.

The company's adjusted EBITDA stood at 9.1% in Q4 FY25--a 4% decline year-on-year. 

According to the Q4 earnings release by the company, Sapphire said that KFC delivered a growth of 11%. "We achieved a significant milestone of 500 KFC restaurants during the year and thereby doubled the count over the last 3 years," Sapphire Foods mentioned.

However, Pizza Hut grew by 5%, registering a revenue of Rs 5,450 with a restaurant EBITDA of 2.4%, down (250 bps). To drive consumer awareness and consideration, Sapphire said that it will focus on mass media advertising.

"Starting January-March quarter, we have not invested in mass media advertising, and this has impacted transactions in Q4," it added.

KFC India operator Sapphire Foods consolidated profit plunges by 67.8% to Rs 16.7 crore in FY25

Watchmaker Timex Group increased its advertising expenses by 14% in the March quarter of fiscal year 2025, the company announced in a stock exchange filing. 

Timex Group companies produce watches under brands, including Timex, Nautica, Guess, GC, Salvatore Ferragamo, Versace, Ted Baker, Missoni, Furla, Adidas, Philipp Plein, and Plein Sport. 

The company's advertising and sales promotion expenses stood at Rs 10.26 crore in the Q4 FY25 compared to Rs 9 crore last year in the same quarter. 

Timex Group clocked a profit of Rs 9.24 crore in the fourth quarter of FY25 compared to Rs 7.08 crore in the corresponding quarter last fiscal.

In the full fiscal year 2025, Timex India generated a profit of Rs 31.42 crore--an increase of 50.76% year-on-year. In fiscal year 2024, Timex India made a profit of Rs 20.84 crore. 

The company, which is part of the US-headquartered iconic Timex Group, generated revenue from operations of Rs 135.41 crore in Q4 FY25 and for the full fiscal Rs 538.10 crore. 

The EBITDA grew at a strong double-digit rate of 35% in the March quarter. 

Among the key brands, the watchmaker said Guess sustained steady growth of 25% over the quarter. GC recorded higher double-digit growth of 66% while Philipp Plein registered triple-digit growth of 156% in Q4.

According to the company, e-commerce contributed 29% to the growth of the company.

"This has been a truly outstanding quarter and year for Timex Group India Ltd, with record-breaking growth. We are committed to building on this momentum and amplifying brand presence across the length and breadth of the country, and touchpoints right from quick commerce to retail outlets," Deepak Chhabra, Managing Director of Timex India said.

In the full fiscal year 2024-25, Guess watches witnessed a 28% growth and Versace registered 29% growth, respectively.

Further, Timex Group has announced its plan to venture into Quick Commerce with key partners such as Flipkart Minutes, Myntra Now, and Swiggy Instamart, and progressing toward other potential partnerships with Blinkit and Zepto. Currently, the platforms are dominated by Titan watches and smartwatches brands like Boult, boAt, etc.

Currently, Timex Group India retails via over 5,000 offline trade stores and key online marketplaces. It also operates over 40 exclusive franchise stores under the umbrella of Just Watches and Timex World.

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