GECs
DistroTV partners with Raj Nayak’s House of Cheer
Mumbai: Advertising video on demand platform DistroTV has partnered with House of Cheer to onboard South Asian channels. The platform will cater to USA, UK, and Canadian audiences making it easier to distribute, market, and monetise content at no cost.
The company is also in advanced discussion with a further 15 to 20 channels that include regional languages like Tamil, Telugu & Malayalam. DistroTV plans to scale this operation over the next 12 to 18 months in other international markets.
“The DistroTV Desi Bundle is an easy pathway to reach the 20-million, strong South East Asian diaspora across North America and the EU, representing a large revenue opportunity,” said the company in a statement.
DistroTV is a division of California-based media technology company DistroScale and has partnered with Indian TV broadcasters such as Times Network, Republic Media, News24, Mastii TV, E24 to distribute their content globally. It offers Indian channel content through a free service called DistroTV Desi focusing on entertainment, lifestyle and news geared toward the South Asian population abroad and airs in native languages including Hindi, Gujarati and Punjabi among others.
“Today’s broadcasters and content creators face a few critical challenges, They struggle with the cost of content delivery, with understanding how to best drive viewership, and with how to effectively market and monetise their content,” said DistroScale, co-founder and chief executive officer, Navdeep Saini, adding that, “At DistroTV, we aim to address all of these issues so that content creators can focus solely on their craft: producing meaningful content that will resonate with viewers.”
“DistroTV makes it easier than ever for Indian content creators and channels to distribute and monetise their content globally, without worrying about the setup, infrastructural, and ad costs, which is a huge saving on their bottom line,” said House of Cheer, managing director and advisor to DistroTV, Raj Nayak.
“The channel owners can simply focus on producing engaging content, and we will host and monetise their content, as well as syndicate their channels to other large streamers to widen their international distribution, income, and revenue opportunities,” DistroScale, vice president of business development and content acquisition, Rajesh Nair.
“DistroTV ensures that all content is aggregated into one OTT platform, with the flexibility of having both linear TV and VOD. The platform absorbs all associated costs for content delivery, streaming, and marketing so that broadcasters and content creators do not pay any upfront investment or infrastructure costs. Leveraging its vast network and deep relationships with advertisers, DistroTV also monetises content for all clients,” said a statement.
“Unlike other streaming providers, DistroTV also offers transparency to content owners through its LIVE dashboard, which allows for direct, real-time access to key viewership and revenue metrics at any given time. Metrics in the LIVE dashboard include viewer location, time of day shows were watched, the frequency of watching a show, and even how many ads a particular viewer saw during episode breaks. With access to key viewership metrics, broadcasters and content owners are able to make informed decisions and tweak strategy in real-time to drive maximum viewership and increase monetisation,” it added.
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.
