GECs
MipCom, MipTV workshop planned for Hyderabad this evening
MUMBAI: In the words of many a TV sales and acquisition executive. Paris-based Reed Midem’s MipTV, MipCom, Mip Junior, MipFormats, MipCube are absolutely unmissable (if a word like that can be created specially for this purpose).
Close to 12,000 executives from more than 100 countries, 4000 buyers, 2000 plus exhibitors, hundreds of conferences and keynote speeches and interviews featuring industry global TV broadcast, production, creative, distribution, regulatory leaders are what make all of these a must-attend for the TV ecosystem for decades. A delegation of close to 120 TV professionals from India have been attending each of these markets for the past five-six years.
An estimate is that close to three billion euros in transactions emanate from these markets annually as executives buy and sell animation shows, drama series, films, documentaries, non-fiction formats, digital content, explore emerging formats such as ultra HD (these days), paper formats, do co-production deals, and so on.
And to propagate this message further and to connect with India’s vibrant content creation industry, indiantelevision.com CEO and MipTV, MipCom and Midem representative Anil Wanvari has been going on a whistle stop tour covering three of the major broadcast and content ecosystem cities of Delhi, Hyderabad and Mumbai, along with Reed Midem director marketing development Ted Baracos and Asia sales manager Paul Barbaro.
The Delhi-leg of the road show culminated on 22 July and was extremely well attended by a clutch of animation entrepreneurs, documentary producers, broadcasters, digital content creators, distributors, film producers.
Says long time Mipmarkets attendee TigerBells Animation founder Vivek Kalyan: “It was fabulous to have an interaction with Ted, Paul, and Anil and learn how we as content creators can further our prospects globally.”
Adds independent documentary producer Pankaj Saxena: “It’s great that we had such a stimulating workshop. We are looking forward to such future interactions so we can create the right strategy to allow our content to leave a stamp on the world.”
An interaction with close to 100 content creators and distributors is planned for Hyderabad later this evening. And another one for Saturday 27 July at 7 p.m. in Mumbai.
GECs
Sahara One reports financial results, notes director exit and business realignment
Muted revenues, steady expenses and strategic adjustments shape company’s current phase
MUMBAI: In a tale where the sands seem to be slipping faster than they can be gathered, Sahara One Media and Entertainment Limited has reported another quarter of wafer-thin income and widening losses, even as a boardroom exit adds to the unease.
The company informed the Bombay Stock Exchange that its board, in a meeting held on April 4, approved its unaudited financial results for the quarter ended September 30, 2025. The numbers paint a stark picture. Total income for the quarter stood at just Rs 0.13 lakh, unchanged sequentially and sharply down from Rs 0.26 lakh a year earlier.
Losses, meanwhile, deepened. The company posted a net loss of Rs 24.16 lakh for the quarter, compared to Rs 18.81 lakh in the June quarter and Rs 39.69 lakh in the same period last year. For the six months ended September 2025, the cumulative loss stood at Rs 39.69 lakh, while the full-year loss for FY25 was reported at Rs 60.72 lakh.
Expenses continued to outweigh income by a wide margin. Total expenses for the quarter came in at Rs 24.30 lakh, led by employee benefit costs of Rs 6.51 lakh and other expenses of Rs 17.78 lakh. Earnings per share remained in the red at Rs (0.11) for the quarter.
The balance sheet reflects a company with significant assets on paper but limited operational momentum. Total assets stood at Rs 23,065.57 lakh as of September 30, 2025, broadly unchanged from March 2025. Equity share capital remained steady at Rs 2,152.50 lakh, while total equity was reported at Rs 18,004.85 lakh.
Cash and cash equivalents saw a modest uptick to Rs 6.75 lakh from Rs 4.68 lakh earlier, supported by a positive operating cash flow of Rs 180.01 lakh for the period.
Yet, beneath these numbers lies a more complex narrative. The company’s auditors flagged their inability to obtain sufficient evidence to form a conclusion on the financial statements, citing lack of access to records. They also raised concerns over the company’s ability to continue as a going concern, pointing to insufficient funds, delayed recoveries, and stalled content investments.
Adding to the governance overhang, the company disclosed that Rana Zia has resigned as whole-time director, effective October 16, 2025, citing other professional commitments. The resignation, noted and accepted by the board, also brings an end to her role across company committees.
Regulatory pressures continue to loom large. The Securities and Exchange Board of India has already initiated penal actions for non-compliance with listing norms, with trading in the company’s shares remaining suspended. There is also a risk of promoter demat accounts being frozen.
Legacy legal issues remain unresolved. A substantial deposit of Rs 694,027.88 thousand linked to the long-running OFCD dispute involving Sahara group entities is still under the purview of the Supreme Court of India. Restrictions on asset disposal continue to weigh on the company’s financial flexibility.
Operationally, challenges persist across multiple fronts. Advances worth Rs 1,92,916 thousand given for film content remain stuck, with delays in project completion and uncertain recoverability. The company’s YouTube channel, despite being operational, has generated no revenue for over three years due to compliance lapses. In a further twist, management has indicated that revenues may have been fraudulently diverted through unauthorised changes to its AdSense account, with a police complaint in the works.
There are also missed revenue opportunities. Television content rights continue to be used by a related party despite the expiry of the licence agreement, with fresh negotiations still underway.
For now, Sahara One Media and Entertainment Limited appears caught between legacy disputes and present-day operational hurdles. As losses linger and governance questions mount, the road to recovery looks less like a sprint and more like a slow trudge through shifting sands.
