iWorld
Sony LIV celebrates its 1st Anniversary with an open love letter to its viewers
MUMBAI: Sony LIV, Multi Screen Media (MSM)’s premium video-on-demand service has launched a unique campaign to thank its viewers for the successful completion of its first year. The brand has written an open letter to viewers personifying Sony LIV as the doting partner of the viewer and describing the relationship between the two. The thought was derived from all the gestures couples indulge in when they complete their first year of togetherness like sending each other flowers, chocolates, putting up testimonials on social media, etc. The letter highlights all the high points of the year gone by for Sony LIV and its viewers.
The beautifully-designed letter that put Sony LIV’s gratitude in words was sent to viewers through Facebook and emails. Overwhelmed viewers wrote back expressing their joy at such a warm way to involve them in the celebrations. Messages ranged from thank you notes to congratulatory messages on social media. Some of them read like this: “The letter made be blush, such a sweet gesture from Sony LIV” and “I have been watching shows on Sony LIV right from the start and I can totally relate to the sentiment of the letter.”
While the first few months passed akin to the honeymoon phase of a relationship, soon Sony LIV began innovating and experimenting to keep its partner interested and engaged. The idea was to give LIV’s viewers breaks that were worthwhile and fun. After all, modern life is all about those little escapes from the mundane. It successfully stayed at the forefront in terms of product development and technological advancements by introducing the iOS, Android, Windows and Blackberry applications so that viewers could truly enjoy the brand proposition: “Mazey Ke Break Lo, Kahin Bhi Dekh Lo”.
Sony LIV also ran various interactive campaigns to create a buzz around its 1st Anniversary. A special logo was created for this occasion, the Sony LIV website held a contest which allowed fans to wish the brand Happy 1st Anniversary in the style of their favourite Sony character. Fans went all out to express their wishes. Some did it in the signature ACP Pradyuman (of the CID fame) way: “Daya Darvaza Todo, Andar Anniversary ka Cake Band Hai, Happy Anniversary!” or in the style of Dr. Hansraj Hathi from Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah: “Arey Komal! Badi Zorose Bhook Lagi Hai, Chalo Jaldi, Sony LIV ka Anniversary Cake Khane! Badhai Ho!”
Also on Facebook and Twitter Sony LIV ran a contest called ‘Gift a Maze ka break’ where people could gift their friends Sony LIV merchandise and movie tickets by tagging them and stating why their friends deserved to win a maze ka break.
The brand came up with promotional videos to drive traffic on the website. Encouraging viewers to participate in the Sony LIVanniversary party from 24th to 31stJanuary where movie tickets, autographed merchandise and gift vouchers were up for grabs.
Over the past one year, Sony LIV has consistently brought marquee shows from the Sony Network to its viewers on a device that they could access anywhere, anytime. Indian Idol Junior, KBC, Boogie Woogie, Top Gear and other popular shows were brought to the viewers on their preferred device, so that they never had to worry about missing a single episode. The content repertoire expanded over the year to include English shows from AXN and Sports – LIVE streaming of the New Zealand vs India cricket series; thereby catering to different audience groups, both male and female.
Extensive data analysis helped keeping engagement levels high. Innovations such as driving Indian Idol Junior auditions via the online medium and the app, offering the option to vote across all platforms including social media was offered. Also, introducing the play-along gaming application for KBC viewers enabled audiences to become active and facilitated a two-way communication via LIV.
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.
