GECs
Colors sister channel Rishtey hikes ad rates
MUMBAI: Just over a year old and Rishtey – Viacom18’s free-to-air (FTA) channel in the UK – has taken the bold step of hiking its ad rates. Since Diwali, the channel that airs re-runs of Colors’ shows, a Pakistani series called Humsafar and some amount of original programming, has upped ad rates to double what they were at the beginning of the year, courtesy high demand and increased ratings.
According to BARB ratings, Rishtey, which turned one this September, stood fifth in the Asian channels’ chart with 696000 while Colors came a close sixth with 624000.
Indiacast business head (UK and Europe) Govind Shahi, says, “In the last 12 months, Rishtey has been constantly growing in term of eyeballs and is currently in demand by all brands that want to be seen by an ethnic audience. We are facing a situation where the demand is far outpacing the supply. Given the performance of the channel, which has more than doubled in terms of ratings and the demand supply chain, we thought it was the right time to go for a price hike.”
While this is Rishtey’s first ad rate hike, the new rates will be applicable only to new customers with existing contracts remaining unaffected.
Shahi is confident of the channel remaining on the upper side of the highest ad revenues for the year and says: “We are by far the number one South Asian FTA channel in the UK. Even at an overall level (FTA +Pay), we will end the year among the top two in terms of ad revenues. In fact, just in the last week, it has challenged the market leader in prime time slots a couple of times, which is a testimony of the success.”
When it comes to the shows, Rishtey claims Parichay and Laagi Tujhse Lagan have been high performers in the past two weeks.
According to industry sources, a prime time 30 second slot on Rishtey could go up to ?600 (Rs 61,105) for a mainstream advertiser depending on the ratings, while it could go up to ?100 (Rs 10,165) for an ethnic advertiser. As it is, a 30 second slot on the Bigg Boss finale is seeing heights of ?250 (Rs 25,460) from ethnic advertisers.
With mainstream advertisers including Diagio, Cadbury, BT, Boots and Asda and ethnic ones such as Tilda Rice, Southall Travel, East End foods, Lycamobile, DBS Law and Westmill foods, Shahi exults: “We have the entire gamut- from FMCG to supermarkets to finance/banks to charities.”
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.
