GECs
Discovery buys cookery show from SBS for India, Asia
MUMBAI: Discovery has bought the show Feast India from Australian television firm SBS International. The show has been bought for Discovery India as well as Discovery Travel & Living in the UK, Italy and Asia and Discovery Real Time in France
The show follows a chef’s culinary tour of India. Feast India is a lush, colourful glimpse into Indian culture, food and customs, presented by English-born chef, Barry Vera. Vera savours the surprising delights of simple street food and the amazing variety of tantalizing regional cuisine.
He immerses himself in the diverse cultural influences that make each area of India so distinct. From a Sikh temple kitchen in Delhi, where up to 70,000 meals are served each day, to life in a tribal desert village in Rajasthan, from vibrant markets and spice bazaars, to a traditional village wedding, a heady cardamom auction, to the chaotic buzz of Mumbai’s beach carnivals and the eerie silence of a salt mine.
As Vera says, ” India for me is a vast, brilliantly colourful, incredibly diverse, and intensely beautiful country. When it was initially discussed that the first series of ‘Feast’ was to be filmed in India, I knew it was going to be a big challenge, but with an open mind I felt ready for the challenge.
“Feast India perhaps will give you a small glimpse of India . You could spend years filming there and still not capture all of what India is truly about. I was amazed at how generous and welcoming the people were, and I made many new friends along the way.
“Everyday I would stand on a street corner and have my morning cup of fresh chai, maybe flavoured with ginger or cardamom and contemplate what new discoveries the day ahead would bring. What ingredients I had found and how I would use them in new recipes when I returned home.
“Chai was one of those discoveries; that beautiful sweet flavour was so refreshing, especially sometimes in the intense and humid heat. I have since made a chai ice cream with ginger cookies, which is currently on my menu in the restaurant and has proved to be very popular, along with a fabulous South Indian fish curry and coconut rice. The great thing is that these recipes are simple to prepare but taste wonderful.
“I now have India in my blood, from the lush green of the South to the aromatic spice plantations of the Western Ghats, to the organised chaos of Mumbai, the mystical and enchanting desert villages of Rajasthan and the history of Delhi.”
Discovery Home & Health UK has also licensed SBSI’s Everyone Loves a Wedding. Everyone Loves a Wedding explores what weddings are really like in Australia today – where wedding customs are as mixed as our cultural makeup.
At no other time are cultural traditions celebrated with such passion as at a wedding. While a wedding is a milestone for the bride and groom, it also provides a context in which their families and communities can share in the celebrations. Red-brick houses in Aussie suburbia provide the backdrop for a rich mix of multicultural rituals and colourful tradition.
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.
