GECs
BES Expo booming and globally accepted
NEW DELHI: All the stalls at the BES Expo 2007, to be inaugurated on 1 February, are packed. BES estimates it would need to add 20 per cent more space in the coming year, a significant rise in global visibility for the lone Indian broadcast engineering show, says AS Guin, President, BES at a press conference here today.
Three hundred participants are here this year, among them 16 which are coming here for the first time, Guin, who is also All India Radio’s engineer-in-chief, states.
In fact, two major participants, Joseline Josiah of Unesco’s adviser in communication and information in Asia and Ed Homan, director of operations, Ideal Systems Asia Pacific, specifically mentioned that it is the phenomenal growth of BES as an organisation, just one among the three broadcast engineering institutes in the world, that made them participate in this year’s Expo.
Homan made a brief but sharp point in stating that there were earlier only two major such Expos, IBC and NAB. “The fact that people like us have decided to come here is because BES has earned tremendous respect as an institution and is seen globally for the tremendous work they have done in the field.
Though Josiah’s project on community radio is the socially most exciting among the ones to be showcased here during the three-day exposition, Nokia stole the show, as a partner of Doordarshan’s project on mobile television project that is under trials at the moment.
In fact, Pawan Gandhi, Nokia’s Singapore based head of mobile TV and Video Experience division, was practically mobbed by the media for a dekko at the mobile set he was carrying to demonstrate the ongoing project under trial. The crystal clear image and the easy channel surfing system surprised many.
Gandhi said that the system could carry ten channels per band and in its dialogue with DD, they have felt it necessary to run at least 30 channels. The sets are at the moment not available in India, and the ones launched in Vietnam costs $700 to 800, and is a high-end product.
Guin added that, as in the case of DD’s DTH, DD Direct Plus, which initially cost a packet per household, so in the case of DD’s mobile TV project, “prices are bound to come down as the demand rises,” hence, those who want will be able to afford this equipment in the coming days.
Ashish Bhatnagar, honourary secretary of BES, said: “The government has silently ushered in a revolution in the form of community radio to be operated by NGOs.” He said that this is among the most promising projects in hand and will see thousands of radio centres coming up across the country.
The government’s programme with Unesco is to make people aware and empower and train them to handle radio stations on their way, Adhikary added.
Josiah, asked to address the media, spoke of an amazing range of products, especially those with multiple facilities, including what she described as “more than a radio”, rather a community multimedia centre with provisions for radio, Internet and other forms of communication.
Josiah said that Unesco has been working for the past 30 years in the field of community radio and developed models relevant to various countries and cultures. These will be on show at the pavilion and there will be presentations and demonstrations.
Another advancement BES is seeking to make is to help launch broadcast engineering courses in universities, under affiliation to the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union, the apex body in the region.
Dialogue is going on this, Guin said, and the BES hopes to see this happen very soon. Guin also said that though the BEShas been holding these Expos for the past 12 years, from this 13th year, they would send reports to the government about participation and developments and results achieved at the fairs.
The expo will be inaugurated by information and broadcasting minister Priya Ranjan Das Munshi tomorrow, at Hall No. 7D, Pragati Maidan, Delhi.
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.
