iWorld
Plot Twists and Popcorn Make This Diwali a Blockbuster on Zee5
MUMBAI: This Diwali, forget lighting diyas light up your screens instead. Zee5 is turning the festive season into a cinematic celebration with its new campaign “Iss Diwali, sirf Zee5 par plot badlega… ho jao ready!” and the Bharat Binge Festival, where every twist, turn, and tale promises a reason to binge.
Breaking away from the typical feel-good festive narratives, Zee5’s latest campaign adds a thrilling spin to Diwali viewing. Drawing from deep audience insights, the platform found that while family dramas and romances remain festival staples, Indian viewers are increasingly leaning towards edge-of-the-seat thrillers, mysteries, and crime dramas. And this festival, Zee5 is giving them exactly that stories that surprise, shock, and stay with you long after the credits roll.
The Bharat Binge Festival celebrates India’s love for storytelling with a curated line-up of premieres across seven languages Hindi, Marathi, Bangla, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, and Kannada. Think Bhagwat Chapter One – Raakshas, Mrs Dasgupta, Sthal, Veduvan, and Sumathi Valuvu all under one digital roof, uniting diverse regions with one shared festive emotion: great stories.
Adding more sparkle, Zee5 has rolled out special festive offers between 13 and 20 October. Viewers can grab the Hindi content pack for Rs 149 (down from Rs 199), regional packs for Rs 59 (down from Rs 99), and the all access pack for Rs 249 (regularly Rs 299). The festival gets even bigger with partner perks guaranteed cashback via Paytm UPI Autopay and Cred UPI Autopay, plus a three-month JioSaavn Pro trial bundled with Zee5 subscriptions.
“Every Diwali tells a story of tradition and togetherness. With the Bharat Binge Festival, we’ve curated bold, genre-led stories that resonate across every language and mood,” said Zee5 chief business officer Siju Prabhakaran.
ZEEL chief marketing officer Kartik Mahadev added, “The campaign captures India’s growing appetite for stories that blend curiosity, emotion, and surprise. Much like Diwali itself, every twist on Zee5 lights up with excitement.”
From high-octane thrillers to heartwarming romances, this Diwali is less about sweets and more about story treats. With out-of-home, digital, and social promotions rolling out nationwide, Zee5 is set to make the festival of lights shine brighter, one binge at a time.
Because this year, the real firecrackers are the plot twists.
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.
