GECs
Sahara One asserts impressive response for ‘Dial One Aur Jeeto’
MUMBAI: Sahara One has claimed that its popular live phone-in show Dial One Aur Jeeto, received 15-lakh-plus phone calls and 40,000-plus SMS-es on a single day.
Starting 20 June, the show has become a one-hour show, airing from 8 pm to 9 pm, Mondays to Thursdays. And on the very first day of its new format, it more than doubled the number of calls it received earlier, pegging a phenomenal 15 lakh calls from all over the country, states an official release.
The channel has also started giving the show a big screen touch. The show has featured Bollywood stars including Diana Hayden, Neha Dhupia, Aftab Shivadasani and Priyanka Chopra, the release adds.
Sahara One television COO Purnendu Bose says, “We decided on the longer format packed with bigger prizes and featuring top stars as special guests because of the show’s increasing popularity. The longer format not only allows more viewers to win; even the prizes have got much bigger.”
Says anchor Mandira Bedi, “It is indeed overwhelming to know how excited the audiences are to get on to the show. There are families waiting for their member to win, and with every correct answer, there are screams of delight in the background. I love it when someone wins and feel awful when they don’t.”
Dial One Aur Jeeto allows viewers from all over the country to call in to the studio to answer questions posed by anchors Mandira Bedi and Aman Verma and win prizes including 29-inch television sets, double-door refrigerators, washing machines and the bumper prize of a Maruti car each day.
GECs
Sebi sends show-cause notice to Zee over fund diversion, company responds
Regulator questions 2018 letter of comfort and governance lapses; company vows robust legal response
MUMBAI: India’s markets watchdog has reignited its long-running scrutiny of Zee Entertainment Enterprises, issuing a sweeping show-cause notice that drags the broadcaster and 84 others into a widening governance storm.
The notice, dated February 12, has been served by the Securities and Exchange Board of India to Zee, chairman emeritus Subhash Chandra and managing director and chief executive Punit Goenka, among others. At its heart: allegations that company funds were indirectly routed to settle liabilities of entities linked to the Essel Group.
The regulator’s probe traces its roots to November 2019, when two independent directors resigned from Zee’s board, flagging concerns over the alleged appropriation of fixed deposits by Yes Bank. The deposits were reportedly adjusted against loans extended to Essel Group entities, triggering questions about related-party dealings and board oversight.
A key flashpoint is a letter of comfort dated September 4, 2018, issued by Subhash Chandra in his dual capacity as chairman of Zee and the Essel Group. The document, linked to credit facilities availed by certain group companies from Yes Bank, was allegedly known only to select members of management and not disclosed to the full board—an omission SEBI believes raises red flags over transparency and governance controls.
Zee has pushed back hard. In a statement, the company said it “strongly refutes” the allegations against it and its board members and will file a detailed response. It expressed confidence that SEBI would conduct a fair review and signalled readiness to pursue all legal remedies to protect shareholder interests.
The notice marks the latest twist in a saga that has shadowed the broadcaster since 2019. What began as boardroom unease has morphed into a full-blown regulatory confrontation. The final reckoning now rests with SEBI—but the reputational stakes for Zee, and the message for India Inc on governance discipline, could scarcely be higher.
