Cable TV
Sahara One firms up Hindi music channel launch timeline
MUMBAI: Sahara One Media and Entertainment Limited is all set to launch its Hindi music channel. “We are launching the channel in the next few weeks,” said Sahara One Media and Entertainment CEO Shantonu Aditya.
Indiantelevision.com had earlier reported that Sahara would be launching a music channel to expand its bouquet of entertainment businesses.
The music channel will be encrypted but free-to-air. “We are big in Bollywood. A music is a natural extension for us. It will be a free-to-air channel at this stage,” Aditya said.
The name of the channel has yet to be finalised. The company launched its movie channel Filmy in February.
Sahara One head Shailendra Singh said, “I am delighted to inform that we will soon be launching our next channel, which will be a Hindi music channel. It will cater to millions of music lovers across India and worldwide. Along with Sahara One Television and Filmy, our music channel will complete the genres of mass Hindi entertainment from Sahara One, and will strengthen our bouquet immensely.”
According to a statement issued by the company, Sahara One’s forthcoming Hindi music channel will showcase the best of Hindi music from Bollywood films and non-film albums, along with music events and original programming.
Aditya said, “As a genre, music channels have tremendous potential for mass acceptance and popularity, and we will try to give the same kind of innovativeness to our music channel’s programming that is seen on Filmy and Sahara One Television.”
He further added, “The new channel will also provide excellent synergy to the motion pictures business, which produces several films each year, thereby creating a lot of fresh content for our television businesses. In fact, Sahara One Motion Pictures, Sahara One Television, Filmy and our music channel will all be mutually supportive of one another and will enable us to deliver tremendous value to viewers and advertisers alike.”
MUMBAI: When margins wobble, liquidity talks and in Q3 FY25-26, cash did most of the talking. Den Networks Limited closed the December quarter with consolidated revenue of Rs.251 crore, marginally higher than the previous quarter but down 4 per cent year-on-year, even as profitability stayed resilient on the back of strong cash reserves and disciplined cost control.
Subscription income softened to Rs.98 crore, slipping 3 per cent sequentially and 14 per cent from last year, while placement and marketing income offered some cheer, rising 15 per cent quarter-on-quarter to Rs.148 crore. Total costs climbed faster than revenue, up 7 per cent QoQ to Rs.238 crore, driven largely by higher content costs and operating expenses. As a result, EBITDA dropped sharply to Rs.13 crore from Rs.19 crore in Q2 and Rs.28 crore a year ago, pulling margins down to 5 per cent.
Yet, the bottom line refused to blink. Profit after tax stood at Rs.40 crore, up 15 per cent sequentially and only marginally lower than last year’s Rs.42 crore. A healthy Rs.57 crore in other income helped cushion operating pressure, keeping profit before tax at Rs.48 crore, broadly stable quarter-on-quarter despite the tougher cost environment.
The real headline-grabber, however, sits on the balance sheet. The company remains debt-free, with cash and cash equivalents swelling to Rs.3,279 crore as of December 31, 2025. Net worth rose to Rs.3,748 crore, while online collections accounted for 97 per cent of total receipts, underscoring strong cash discipline across operations, including subsidiaries.
In short, while Q3 showed signs of operating strain, the financial backbone remains solid. With zero gross debt, steady profits and a formidable cash war chest, the company enters the next quarter with flexibility firmly on its side proving that in uncertain markets, balance sheet strength can be the best growth strategy.
