GECs
Discovery to bring local lingo in dubbed fare
NEW DELHI: As programming focus continues shifts, Discovery Communications has decided to review the use of language in its fare dubbed in Hindi.
Reason: to bring it closer to levels of comprehension of the common man in India.
A senior executive of Discovery India told indiantelevision.com, “We do undertake periodically an exercise to evaluate whether the usage of phrases and words in dubbed feeds is contemporary and understandable to our viewers. In Hind’s case too, we are doing the same.”
Infotainment channels like Discovery, Animal Planet, Discovery Travel and Lifestyle and NGC have seen substantial upsurge in their viewership from the time they started making available a separate feed of their respective channels in Indian languages like Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.
This route of broadcasting the viewership through Hindi language feeds where the content is dubbed (as in the case of infotainment channels and kids channels ) or created has also been taken by sports channels like ESPN, which has several Hindi versions of its popular programmes in English.
The present Discovery initiative has been necessitated as it was felt that those translating voice-overs and programming material into Hindi from mostly English — or the `language creators’, as Discovery would like to dub them — need to be made aware of the changing priorities and attitude of the company.
For example, the Discovery programming executive said an exact translation of the English word `tectonic’ into Hindi may end up confusing the viewer further. In such cases, it has been decided in principle to retain the original English word.
Similarly, in another instance the reference to historical events like `crusade’ has created problems while trying to find an appropriate Hindi equivalent.
Pointing out that two workshops of the language creators have been lined up in the second half of March, the Discovery executive explained, “The effort is to make Hindi appropriate to the requirements and needs of the Hindi speaking audience instead of using high-flown language.”
Another reason behind this move is that programming on various Discovery channels are undergoing a change and newer fare in the categories of history and wildlife are being introduced where literal translation of English phrases are not possible.
The English-to-Hindi dictionaries available in the market have not been of much help either. For example, a particular such book, which sells like hot cakes in smaller towns of India, translates guitar into sitar.
According to Discovery India, there are about six levels before a dubbed programming is cleared for airing on the channels and with the Hindi evolving, it’s necessary that newer people are taken on for such assignments.
At the moment, Discovery India employs the services of about three outside companies where people are engaged in translating English programming into Hindi. Recently, Discovery took on another company to expand its base of `language creators.’ This new company is headed by Sailesh, a former print medium journalist-turned-TV professional who has worked in Hindi newspaper like Navbharat Times and TV channels like Zee News and most recently Total TV, a Delhi-specific channel.
Discovery Communications, Inc. is a leading global real-world media and entertainment company operating in more than 160 countries and territories reaching one billion cumulative subscribers. Worldwide, the company operates 19 television brands, including Discovery Channel and TLC.
Outside of the US, the company serves 450 million cumulative subscribers and operates 10 television brands. DCI ownership consists of four shareholders: Liberty Media Corporation, Cox Communications, Inc., Advance/Newhouse Communications and John S. Hendricks, the company’s founder and chairman.
India has been successfully used by DCI to incubate its new portfolio of channels dedicated to lifestyle programming in markets outside the United States.
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.
