GECs
Korean mobile TV technology T-DMB set to enter India
MUMBAI: Korea has agreed to help expedite the launch of Terrestrial Multimedia Broadcasting technology (T-DMB) commercial services in India.
The Korean and Indian governments have also agreed to launch trial T-DMB services in Mumbai by mid-February.
The Korean information and communication ministry has scheduled the Delhi trial run for T-DMB services also for this month. Reportedly, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), the Tata Group, Star TV India, Zee TV, Bharati Tele Ventures (Airtel) and Mumbai Police will be associating with the trail run.
T-DMB technology was initiated by the Korean government to allow broadcasters to transmit digital TV programming to mobile phones, lap tops or personal digital assistants while on the move, via conventional terrestrial transmitters. India & Korea uses the same bandwidth, Band-III, for digital audio broadcasting. This would make immediate commercial services possible in India once the government extends permission.
“The two sides also agreed to soon begin working-level discussions to sign a memorandum of understanding,” a ministry official has been quoted in media reports as saying.
In association with the World DAB Forum — a London-based international organization for promoting digital broadcasting — the ministry will be holding a conference and demonstration event at the broadcasting event Broadcast Engineering Society (BES). The event will be held from 9 February to 11 February in New Delhi. The ministry will also hold a demonstration of T-DMB services for government officials and business people in Bangalore.
Update: After the publication of this report, the Korean Broadcasting Commission (KBC) got in touch with us to point out that incorrect communication had been sent out to the media and that it is the KBC which would be demonstrating T-DMB at the BES Expo in New Delhi and not the Korea Ministry of Communication & Information. The KBC says that the Ministry is only involved with the Bangalore event.
Click here to get details of what KBC is doing at the BES Expo in New Delhi.
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.
