MAM
Fiction helps Colors to shrink gap with Star Plus
MUMBAI: After a long time, Star Plus and Colors, the top two channels of the Hindi general entertainment genre, are in close fight.
As per Tam data for the week ended 26 March, the gap between the two is just 19 GRPs (gross rating points). And this time it‘s not movies or special events but fiction shows that have taken Colors nearer to the genre leader.
During the week under review, Colors gained 15 GRPs to close the week at 272 GRPs, while Star Plus lost 13 GRPs to take its tally to 291 GRPs.
Colors’ 10 pm show Uttaran (5.9 TVR) and 8.30 pm show Laagi Tujhse Lagan (5.6 TVR) became the top rated shows for the week, occupying first and second space in the charts; they displaced Zee TV’s Pavitra Rishta (5.2 TVR) and Star Plus’ Saathiya Saath Nibhana (5 TVR).
Meanwhile, Zee TV and Sony Entertainment Television lost maximum GRPs during the week (21 and 24 respectively), but continued to retain their third and fourth positions with 186 and 159 GRPs respectively.
Sab saw no change and remained with 136 GRPs on fifth place, while Imagine TV did add eight GRPs to close the week with 81 points.
Star One closed the week with 30 GRPs, down six points from last week, while Sahara One lost two points to end with 25 GRPs.
Brands
Trent posts Rs 19,701 crore FY26 revenue, profit rises to Rs 1,968 crore
Q4 profit at Rs 455 crore; margins improve, net worth climbs to Rs 7,703 crore
MUMBAI: Retail therapy seems to be working for Trent Limited as much as for its shoppers. The Tata Group retail arm reported a steady performance for FY26, with revenue from operations rising to Rs 19,701.41 crore, up from Rs 16,668.11 crore in FY25. Total income for the year stood at Rs 20,075.87 crore, reflecting continued momentum across its retail formats.
Profit before tax came in at Rs 2,511.54 crore for the year, compared to Rs 2,076.62 crore a year earlier. After accounting for taxes of Rs 543.72 crore, net profit rose to Rs 1,967.82 crore, marking a clear improvement from Rs 1,584.84 crore in FY25.
For the March quarter, the company reported revenue of Rs 4,936.64 crore and total income of Rs 4,997.71 crore. Profit before tax stood at Rs 576.46 crore, while net profit came in at Rs 454.75 crore, up from Rs 349.92 crore in the same quarter last year.
On the cost front, total expenses for FY26 rose to Rs 17,538.54 crore, driven by higher stock purchases of Rs 11,170.44 crore and increased occupancy costs at Rs 1,652.69 crore. Employee benefit expenses also edged up to Rs 1,222.04 crore, reflecting continued expansion.
Operationally, the company maintained stable efficiency metrics. Operating margin improved to 11.88 per cent from 11.29 per cent, while net profit margin rose to 9.99 per cent from 9.51 per cent. The interest service coverage ratio stood strong at 16.76, indicating comfortable debt servicing capacity.
Trent’s balance sheet also strengthened during the year. Net worth increased to Rs 7,702.80 crore from Rs 5,914.40 crore, while total assets expanded to Rs 12,225.71 crore. The debt-to-equity ratio improved to 0.33 from 0.38, signalling a more balanced capital structure.
Cash flow from operations rose to Rs 2,630.19 crore, compared to Rs 1,668.26 crore in the previous year, even as the company continued to invest in expansion, with capital expenditure and investments weighing on investing cash flows.
With consistent growth across revenue, profitability, and margins, Trent’s FY26 performance suggests a retailer scaling steadily ringing up gains not just at the checkout, but across the balance sheet.
