GECs
Broadcast design studio Belief creates Zoom channel promo
MUMBAI: The opening up of a world of vibrant charm is virtually portrayed in the poem-like promo that Belief has created for the Zoom channel. The lightings, the colour shades, the special effects all come together to give the viewer a surrealistic enchantment.
Belief, an Emmy award winning broadcast design and production studio has unveiled its latest work, a TV commercial airing in India that promoted the recent launch of Times India’s Zoom Channel.
Glamour, glitz and a surreal discoth?que nightclub are the trademark look Belief developed for the new channel commercial. The flow-like treatment being given to the visual presentation conveys certain awe. A brilliant post-production work is cunningly employed to convey the theme of the channel without losing the total mood of the promo.
Belief founder, executive creative director Mike Goedecke made the formal announcement of the work through an official release.
“It was imperative that the look and feel of this new channel be glossy and exclusive, yet mysterious,” said creative director Richard Gledhill. “By shooting the talent in a dark environment with lots of hard edge lighting, we were able to achieve that effect. We then composited all of the live action into the CG nightclub that is built around the Zoom logo. The exotic car and limousine really helped to pull off the exclusive, VIP nature of this new channel.”
Zoom’s creative team from India was flown to Los Angeles to observe the shoot of the film.
“The amount of time we had from shooting to final delivery was about a month and a half, an incredible crunch,” said Belief executive producer Gregory Stacy, who worked closely with the client and supervised the entire project.”
“The design for the Zoom TV spot will take the booming Indian television and entertainment industry by storm. No TV channel in the land of the Kama Sutra has seen a spot like this ever before. The overall look is an amazing amalgamation of glamour and slick design,” said Zoom on-air promotions head Shailindra Kaul.
To download stills or a of the QuickTime Zoom promo, visit the Belief website. To reach the Zoom promo page, click on Enter, Click on Client Site and then enter Username: Press, Password: Press.
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.
