GECs
Discovery Travel & Living focuses on weekday prime time
MUMBAI: Discovery Travel & Living India is bringing about some strategic changes in its prime time programming. According to the channel’s quarterly plan, the focus is on promoting appointment viewing in the prime time band.
As per the Q1 plan, the channel has launched its Theme Week series in the Monday to Friday 9 pm time slot. During the last six-week period, the programme has already covered themes such as hotels, beaches, food, adventure, wellbeing and lifestyle.
According to Discovery Networks India vice president- Lifestyle Networks Aditya Tripathi, the series will cover topics such as fashion, romance, cooking and incredible India in the coming weeks. Speaking on the response from advertisers, Tripathi said the series had got an encouraging response.
“We have signed advertisers such as L’Oreal, Motorola, Diet Pepsi, Nokia, Nestle Kit Kat and Wrigley’s for various theme weeks coming as part of the Theme Series. More deals are being negotiated. We are promoting the initiative through print advertising and on-air promotions,” says Tripathi.
Discovery Travel & Living has also commissioned two series of Indian programming. “We hope to air our first commission in the second or third quarter of 2006,” comments Tripathi.
The next in the Theme Week series line up, Project Runway, deals with the fashion industry. Slotted for 6 to10 February, the show is hosted by supermodel Heidi Klum. The reality series gives twelve talented fashion designers the opportunity to have their line shown in front of the global fashion community at New York’s Fall Fashion Week.
The winner will also receive $100,000 to launch his or her own line, as well as an esteemed mentorship with Banana Republic. They will also have the chance to have their designs photographed for Elle by the magazine’s world-renowned publication director, Gilles Bensimon.
“Amongst the first three weeks, Beach Week and Planet Food Week have performed the best. Besides the ongoing advertising deals for the 9 pm slot, L’Oreal, Motorola and Diet Pepsi have been exclusively signed for Project Runway Week,” adds Tripathi.
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.
