GECs
‘All IPL teams should be able to break even by 2011’ : Hiren Pandit – GroupM ESP managing partner
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The Indian Premier League (IPL) promises huge space for revenue growth. The team franchises will have to focus on building the brand consistently, project a healthy personality and take the sponsorship value to a different level.
It is not wise to draw sponsors just on the back of winning and losing. Performance is a factor, but it is not the only thing. 
In an interview with Indiantelevision.com’s Ashwin Pinto, GroupM ESP managing partner Hiren Pandit says there is value in T20, but warns that it should not be at the cost of the other formats.
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How have the franchises fared financially in the second edition of the IPL?
In terms of sponsorship revenues between the team and central revenues, the IPL got Rs 3 billion. Last year it would not have been more than Rs 2.5 billion. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Delhi Daredevils have got the most in terms of local sponsorships, followed by Mumbai Indians, Kings XI Punjab Rajasthan Royals (RR). |
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And what about sponsorships? |
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How about defending champions Rajasthan Royals? RR has broken even because their payout to the BCCI is much less as compared to the others. They only shell out $6.5 million each year. Having said that, I am not so sure that finishing number one necessarily translates into higher sponsorship revenue. |
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Then what matters?
If an IPL team draws sponsors on the back of winning and losing, then you have a problem. Performance is a factor, but it can’t be the only thing.
While KKR did well in terms of getting in sponsors, somewhere down the line they or the brands associated with it made the mistake of going down the performance route. That is a dangerous platform to walk on. The amount of bad press it got did not help the franchisee nor the brands that were associated with it.
On the other side, Idea did an outstanding job with the Mumbai Indians. Their activation platform was brilliant and had nothing to do with winning or losing. It gave fans the opportunity to aspire to talk with their favourite players. Even though Mumbai Indians lost on the field, the aspirational value is still there. |
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What was Group M’s role in this IPL? |
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Do you see yourself playing a bigger role going forward? |
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The IPL is looking at doing another event each year abroad, possibly a smaller one. Is this the best way forward? |
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Where does KKR go from here?
Secondly, they had too many people like Buchanan and Ganguly trying to become high profile. The bigger you are, the harder you fall and that is what has happened.
Kolkata’s sponsorship is on the back of Shah Rukh Khan and not because of the team. They could rejig what their brand stands for – and then sponsors will come in for the team’s values. That is a call that they will have to take. What you will find is that franchisees will move away from performance as a platform for brand activation.
Going forward, the growth of revenues will come from local sponsorships – and not so much from the central pool. If you are heavily relying on the central pool, then the franchise has not built itself properly. Building up local sponsorships and fan base will be key. |
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How would this happen? |
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There is talk that with the IPL the focus is shifting away from individual player sponsors and more towards team sponsorship. Are players like Dhoni going to lose out on lucrative deals going forward?
You could associate with a team to get national reach. If you associate with a player, it would be due to his characteristics. It is not necessary that the characteristics of the franchisees will be the same. |
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When the IPL adds more teams in 2011, what would be the likely cities?
Also keep in mind the fact that after 2010 all player contracts are up for grabs. The whole scenario will be reworked and changed. There should again be a cap on money that can be spent or there will be teams that will be far stronger than the rest. The IPL could then turn into a two or a three horse race which will take away from its appeal. Some deals, though, might be done outside the bidding. We will see more performance-related deals. Player loyalties and disloyalties will also come into the equation. |
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Next year England starts P20. In 2011 South Africa, Australia and New Zealand start a joint league along the lines of the IPL. How do you see this affecting international cricket?
Can the other leagues generate the kind of money that the IPL gets? I don’t know if Kevin Pietersen will get $1.5 million a year in those leagues.
Then you must look at it from a player’s perspective. He plays around 35 ODIs, 15 Tests, 20 T20 games a year. Does he have time to play anything else? Remember also that T20 is successful in India as it is a country sport first. Then it is a club sport. |
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Could we see players bypassing the international grind and just focusing on league cricket which is lucrative?
The players who did well like Kumble, Gilchrist and Hayden are seasoned campaigners who have excelled in the other formats as well. T20 is not a wham bam affair. It is about playing proper cricket. If a cricketer chooses league cricket over his country, then he might be asking for trouble. Most of the IPL players got there as they made a statement by playing for their country. Then there are youngsters who did well in the IPL and are now playing for their country. I do not think that it is a choice of one versus the other. |
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What impact will India’s exit in the T20 World Cup have on ESPN Star Sports?
Ratings will take a hit. Already we are seeing that clients are not getting enough of a return when India does not play. |
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How do you see the Champions T20 League faring?
You need to let it happen once. Some players play for two teams and so will have to decide where their loyalties lie when this event starts. |
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Would playing at night help Test cricket?
This is not a bad idea. What has happened is that T20 has had a positive impact on the other formats. The run scoring in Test matches is quicker which is forcing results. This is desirable. Each format lives off the other in some form or the other. |
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There will be lots of T20 cricket happening. Are you concerned that the overdose might kill the format?
It could lose its flavour. You cannot have too much of one format. There is value in T20, but it should not be at the cost of the other formats. |
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What challenges does the economic downturn pose for Group M ESP?
We need to work harder. We need to give more value to clients. It is a partnership in good times and bad. We need to find better opportunities for clients but it is not as though we need to think differently. |
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What progress has Group M ESP made in the celebrity endorsement and management space?
We have moved away from this. Keeping in mind the Indian mindset towards celebrities, we did not believe that it was a scalable model. We focus, among other areas, on branded content in film and television. The strike affected us but hopefully the films have only been shifted and not cancelled. We have done regional tie ups with brands. |
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.
