GECs
Delhi High Court issues injunction to cable operators on unauthorised telecast of India-South Africa cricket series
MUMBAI: The Delhi High Court has ruled in favour of ESPN Star Sports, the official broadcaster of the India-South Africa Series, in its suit for permanent injunction filed against 66 cable operators across the country against unauthorised broadcast of the India-South Africa Series, restraining all the cable operators from unauthorisedly showing India-South Africa Series through their cable networks.
The channel has the exclusive right to broadcast the feeds of the international cricket matches being played by India against South Africa in South Africa by terrestrial television, cable television and / or satellite television in the countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, asserts an official release.
After this order anyone still showing India-South Africa series through any unauthorised means or any other channel will be held in contempt of court and liable for prosecution. The Delhi High Court has also permitted ESPN to take action against all other cable operators not parties to the suit who are found to be unauthorisedly utilising the feed of ESPN and Star Sport without license.
Elaborating on this, ESPN Software India Pvt Ltd chief operating officer Vijay Rajput said, “Carriage, reception or distribution of the India-South Africa series by any MSO, cable operator, sub-operator without written authorisation from ESPN Star Sports is a violation of Copyright Act, 1957 and hence an illegal activity.”
“Also, no other channel, whether pay, free to air or terrestrial is authorised to provide, show or distribute the India-South Africa series in the territory of India. Also strict and legal action will be taken against the operators who violate the court orders. Post the order; police raids have already been started,” he added.
The 66 cable operators restrained from the unauthorised telecast are from Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkand, Bihar, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Assam, Karnataka, Kerala, Chattisgarh, West Bengal, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab.
ESPN Star Sports will be broadcasting the ODI series in both English as well as Hindi feed. ESPN will telecast the series in English with ESPN’s a Few Good Men, Sunil Gavaskar, Harsha Bhogle, Allan Wilkins, Ravi Shastri and Wasim Akram joined in by South African Pat Symcox.
The Hindi programming for the series on Star Sports will be spearheaded by Indian TV artist, Shekhar Suman and supported by Syed Kirmani, Wasim Akram, Arun Lal, Maninder Singh and Zaheer Abbas. The sports broadcaster has introduced special production and programming initiatives Planet Cricket, Cricket Crazy and Full Toss for the Indian audiences for the telecast of the series, adds the release.
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.
