GECs
Endemol Intl inks deal with Zone Vision in Japan
MUMBAI: Endemol International BV, part of Endemol NV, has signed a deal with Zone Vision Networks to license two classic reality shows for transmission in Japan, one of which will also air in Korea.
Zone Vision has licensed finished versions of There’s Something About Miriam, originally aired on UK channel Sky One, and Fool Around With…, originally aired on UK Channel Four, for its Reality Channel in Japan. Fool Around With…. will also air on the Club Channel in Korea.
Endemol International licensing manager Julian Curtis said, “We are delighted with this deal, which brings some of our edgiest and most compelling shows to Japan and Korea.”
Zone Vision Networks senior vice president channels Steve Cole said, “The success of our Reality Channel in Japan is outstanding. Our Japanese audience continues to grow and we are delighted to offer them new and original reality programming and these two shows really fit the bill.”
Both series explore dilemmas of the heart. In There’s Something About Miriam, a group of lads attempt to woo Miriam, a beautiful Mexican girl. The twist is that she’s not technically a girl at all. The final reveal is one of the most famous in 21st century television.
Fool Around With…. puts three attached guys and one single guy against one another for the attentions of a single girl. If the girl picks the single guy, then she wins both him and a pile of cash. But, if she picks one of the others, then she goes home with nothing, and the guy and his girlfriend get the cash. Every night, the girl takes one of the boys to bed. Just how far will the boyfriends go for money while their girlfriends look on? Will the girlfriends ever talk to their boyfriends again, even if they win?
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.
