GECs
CNBC-TV18 to telecast ABLA awards 2004 winner special
MUMBAI: CNBC-TV18 will present a two-part special featuring interviews and highlights from the Asia Business Leader Awards 2004, which were held recently at Shanghai on 25 May 2004 . The theme for the awards was “Defining Success through Leadership”.
Amongst the Asia awardees is Infosys CEO and MD Nandan Nilekani who bagged the prestigious Corporate Citizen of the Year award.
The business channel will be airing the awards ceremony in a two-part special. While the part one will air on Saturday, 5 June 2004 at 10:00 am and 8:30pm, part two will feature on Saturday, 12 June 2004 at 10:00am and 8:30pm.
Besides Nilekani, other winners to be featured on the programme include Philippiness Globe Telecom Inc CEO Gerardo Ablaza Jr for Asia Business leader of the year and CEOs’ Choice of the year, Steve Chang of Trend Micro Incorporated, which was founded in California, headquartered in Japan for the Innovator of the Year award andDatang International Power Generation Co. Ltd CEO Zhai Ruo Yu for China CEO of the Year, says a company release.
The two-part special will provide viewers with important insights and strategic philosophies from the ABLA 2004 winners, who were selected following an intensive three-phase judging process.
The first half-hour special starts off with a look at some of the challenges in doing business in China, and how companies like Hopewell Highways and Noble Group have benefited from the boom.
Financial experts Marc Faber, Enzio von Pfeil and Puru Saxena will be sharing their insights on their definitions of leadership and a well-led company. The winners special will also explain the judging process in picking this year’s winners, says the release.
The concluding episode will offer insights into business in China, from companies like Flextronics and consultants, Accenture. CNBC will also speak with TPG NV’s worldwide chairman and CEO, Peter Bakker.
CNBC Asia Pacific, vice president, news programming, and member of the Awards’ judging panel Cynthia Owens said: “As a business news and information channel, organising the Asia Business Leader Awards has given us unprecedented access to some very interesting stories on corporate leadership and success. I am confident that our viewers who themselves play influential roles in their companies’ businesses will gain valuable insights and philosophies from this line-up of special programmes.”
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.
