GECs
Hathway Cable & Datacom drops set-top box prices, offers easy instalment
MUMBAI: Cable TV networks are slashing prices and working out consumer friendly schemes to push their digital set-top boxes (STBs), ahead of the launch of Tata Sky’s direct-to-home (DTH) service next year.
Hathway Cable & Datacom has dropped the price of its STBs by about Rs 600 while also offering an easy instalment scheme to entice its subscribers to migrate from the analogue to the digital service. Subscribers can pay in equal instalments of Rs 100 spread over 24 months. They will, however, have to make an upfront payment of Rs 1,000. The total cost of the digital STB, thus, works out to Rs 3,400, lower than the earlier price.
“We are not only dropping prices but are also offering longish instalment periods to make it attractive for consumers to move to our digital service,” says Hathway Cable & Datacom CEO K Jayaraman. In Hathway’s earlier scheme, consumers had to pay in four instalments.
“We have introduce this first in our primary points. We are also willing to stretch this scheme to our last mile operator areas provided there is an assurance of collection,” says Jayaraman.
Hathway has sold 30,000 digital boxes, an uptake which has been slow. The multi system operator (MSO) believes it can push its STBs faster with more attractive pricing and packaging to the consumers. “We were not very aggressive in our marketing this year. We will correct that in 2006. Cross selling, promotion, better marketing and pricing will have to be used to make digital cable acceptable,” says Jayaraman.
InCablenet is also planning to launch new schemes. “We are working on a new plan which we will launch in January. We will also focus in marketing our digital product,” says Incablenet head Ravi Mansukhani.
Cable networks will face competition from DTH operators as issues over interconnect and sharing of content get sorted out.
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.
