Stocks to Watch: Reliance Industries, JSW Steel, Zee, Trent, Vodafone Idea

The consolidation of Walt Disney's and Reliance's media assets in India, valued at $8.5 billion, could trigger rigorous antitrust examination due to their combined market influence. Legal experts are raising red flags about the merged entity's robust cricket broadcasting rights portfolio and its potential effects on advertisers.

The merger would position Disney-Reliance as India's top television entity with 120 channels, significantly ahead of its nearest competitor, Zee, which has 50 channels. Analysts predict that the majority stakeholder, Mukesh Ambani's Reliance, will command a 35% share of India's television viewership. India's anti-trust watchdog is expected to scrutinize the overall television landscape closely, with particular attention to cricket rights, as they assess the market share and power of the newly formed entity.

The Sajjan Jindal-led steelmaker announced on Friday that it intends to invest €143 million (approximately ₹1,282 crore) to aid the revival of its steel mill in Piombino, Italy. The company announced in a press release that its subsidiary, JSW Steel Italy SRL, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Italian authorities for the site’s relaunch, adding that the investment will be utilized to double its current rail production capacity from 300,000 tonnes to 600,000 tonnes per annum.

Sajjan Jindal, chairman of JSW Group, said, “The €143 million investment will modernize the rail mill at Piombino."Culver Max, the Indian arm of Sony Group, has contested the validity of Zee Entertainment's appeal for merger enforcement at the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) in Mumbai. The NCLT is set to consider Sony's appeal and other related applications in the Sony-Zee merger case on March 12, reported CNBC-TV18.

Following Sony's appeal, the Mumbai division of the NCLT has served a notice to Zee, requesting a reply. This event coincides with reports that the Sony Group has officially retracted its documents submitted to the NCLT for the proposed business merger with Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL).The telecom company’s plan to secure an additional ₹25,000 crore through debt financing is not likely to induce financial strain, as the company has significantly reduced its bank exposure by nearly ₹35,000 crore over the past two-and-a-half years and enhanced its operational performance, senior company sources said.

The comany is relying on this funding to address its 4G coverage shortfalls and curb customer attrition. Vi’s current bank debt has fallen below ₹4,500 crore, which is believed to have prompted lenders to contemplate providing new loans to the telecom company.Tata group company Trent's fashion-focussed department store Westside has plans to inaugurate 20 to 30 new stores in the upcoming fiscal year and enhance its e-commerce operations over the next year, according to a senior executive at the retailer.

“Our store expansion continues at the same pace. We plan to open an equal number of stores next year as we did this year. We aim to expand our footprint in northern and northeastern India," said Shailina Parti, the Chief Operating Officer at Westside, Trent Ltd. By the end of the December quarter of FY24, the retailer had increased its reach to 227 stores across 89 cities.