GECs
IPTV to drive revenues for mobile carriers: UK Study
MUMBAI: The UK-based Northern Sky Research (NSR) has released its newest survey and forecast report on mobile TV. The study, titled Mobile TV 2006- Enabling Rich Video on the Go, examines the potential for mobile TV over both broadcast and unicast networks.
The report also probes into the business aspects of mobile TV, the various technologies planned to support it and the plans of mobile carriers and vendors to target this emerging mass market opportunity.
The report concludes that mobile TV will represent an increasingly compelling content offering to mobile subscribers and will enable new methods to deliver video programming and advertisements to consumers. Several factors will contribute to the growth of mobile TV, including the increasing rollout of high speed wireless networks, increasing availability of mobile content and decreasing prices of mobile TV enabled handsets.
New broadcast networks are also expected to complement existing unicast networks and enable new business models for both live and on-demand video content. Based on current and projected trends in this market, NSR expects mobile TV to reach 107 million subscribers by 2010.
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However, NSR cautions that excessive hype dominates the mobile TV discussion today. “This market is still in its infancy, and no company has developed a business case that is both commercially available and overwhelmingly profitable,” says NSR president and author of the report, Christopher Baugh. “NSR does believe that mobile TV will be a significant revenue generator over the long run, as users increasingly demand mobile services such as video. Several business and technical issues are still not resolved, however, and resolution of these critical issues is vital to ultimate market success,” he adds.
Because of the difficulties and nascent nature of this market, NSR believes that 3G-enabled mobile TV will dominate the market for at least the next two-three years. It will take time for broadcast networks to be deployed and handsets made available, therefore many 3G carriers are now searching for ways to make their existing networks more efficient for carrying video. This utilization of existing assets is vital to the business case for first generation mobile TV, as long as it does not infringe on mobile telephony carried over 3G networks.
NSR believes new technologies such as the Multimedia Broadcast and Multicast Standard (MBMS) and HSDPA will be critical to the growth and projected rollout of mobile TV over 3G networks, the study points out.
The report warns that, wars are likely to be waged over the next several years, especially between MediaFLO, DVB-H and DMB backers, but no technology is yet in a leadership position.
NSR does not expect a clear winner in this space to be identified for many years, as it will take some time for operators to trial and deploy technology, in addition to ensuring widespread availability of handsets.
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.
