GECs
Colors gears up for 2020
MUMBAI: Colors is all set for an action packed 2020. The beginning of the year will witness the finale of its successful nonfiction property Bigg Boss. Post Bigg Boss, the channel will strengthen up its weekend slot by bringing another season of reality show Khatron Ke Khiladi. While in fiction format the channel will also launch two new shows Nati Pinky and Barrister Babu at the beginning of the year.
“As we prepare for a stronger year, Colors will continue presenting bold, disruptive and empowering stories as well as bring alive endearing characters. The strengthening our weekend slot will be the brand-new season of Khatron Ke Khiladi which has been shot in Bulgaria this time. The season will yet again have celebrities from all walks of life, fighting and overcoming their biggest fear while returning as the host would be the taskmaster, Rohit Shetty. On the fiction front, we have two very compelling stories Naati Pinky and Barrister Babu which will be launched in early 2020,” said Viacom18 Hindi mass entertainment and kids TV head Nina Elavia Jaipuria.
“The first half of 2019 saw a lot of changes in terms of policies and norms with the implementation of NTO resulting in a paradigm shift within the industry. Not only policies but also the evolving taste preferences of the viewers created a challenging atmosphere for broadcasters. But it also won’t be wrong to say that the market is large enough to accommodate varied content. This has happened due to the growing audience as well as the diverse tastes amongst them. We had shows that worked well and resonated strongly with the audience while a few of them did not hit the right chord and were pulled off-air,” said Nina Elavia Jaipuria.
She further said, “But we have always believed in breaking out of the monotony and present refreshing storylines and we continued to do so right from the beginning of the year. While we started the year with the power-packed finale of Bigg Boss and launch of a phenomenal season of Khatron Ke Khiladi, we subsequently launched a strong line up of new fiction offerings including Choti Sarrdaarni, Ram Siya Ke Luv Kush, Vidya with the recent being Shubharambh and Naagin further strengthening the prime-time slots. Our focus has been to build character affinity and present stories that connect with people at every level.”
The channel says that with two shows in top 10 fiction and Bigg Boss being number 1 non-fiction in the industry, the channel ended the year on a high note by being no 2 in all day prime time. The year started with the finale of an outstanding season of Khatron Ke Khiladi and ending with the current season of Bigg Boss being one of the top non-fiction properties in the industry. Strong fiction properties like Choti Sarrdaarni, Vidya and Shakti have propelled the channel's growth and strengthened its position by being the slot leaders. Apart from this our newly launched fiction offering Shubharambh has made a promising opening. In 2019, viewers also witnessed and enjoyed two of the biggest Bollywood extravaganzas on COLORS- IIFA and Filmfare. With the end of this year, it also brought back television’s most popular fantasy fiction, Naagin Bhagya Ka Zehreela Khel.
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.
