GECs
MTV Aids Summit zooms in on ‘Women’s Empowerment’
MUMBAI:Come 1 December and MTV will focus on HIV/Aids both from a domestic and global perspective to help inform viewers about the epidemic and ways that they can actively engage in the issue and protect themselves.
At 8:30 pm tomorrow MTV will air the MTV Music Summit for Aids 2005.The objective of this is not only to increase the awareness of Aids amongst the youth but also educate them on safeguarding themselves against this deadly disease. The theme for this years MTV Music Summit for AIDS is Womens Empowerment.
Yana Gupta, Bombay Vikings, Shaan, Strings, Kunal Ganjawala, Himesh Reshamiya, Abhijeet Sawant, Amit Sana, Rahul Vaidya, the Sa Re Ga Ma Pa finalists, the new kids on the block Pratichee and Raghav Sachar- all participate in the event.
On 1 December 2005 MTV will also air special interstitial programming, including testimonials from young people and celebrities sharing their thoughts about the impact of HIV/AIDS on their lives, as well as their involvement in the fight against the epidemic. In addition to being aired on MTV throughout the day, these and other think MTV PSAs on HIV/AIDS will run on Times Squares MTV 44 ½ — the largest HDTV screen in the world.
MTV wil also air an interview between MTV News correspondent John Norris and UN secretary-general Kofi Annan on the challenges of this global pandemic. MTV News will broadcast a special News segment excerpted from the interview, which will also be available on demand on MTV Overdrive, MTV’s new broadband network. MTV Radio will make the 30 minute interview available to all MTV Radio Network Affiliates nationwide, reaching more than 200 radio stations.
mtvU will also feature World Aids Day programming on-air, as well as online at mtvU.com and mtvU Über the networks broadband channel. mtvU will present a number of new HIV/Aids related PSAs and VJs will discuss testing and the college audience.
In a special partnership with Global Nomads Group, mtvU will present original short form programming profiling college students from the US and India discussing HIV prevention issues and visiting a local hospital in India treating HIV patients. All of the programming will run on mtvU and mtvU Über. Additionally, users will be able to log on to mtvU.com to learn about testing, facts on sexually transmitted diseases, contraception, condom use and hotlines.
Meanwhile in the US, MTV and the Kaiser Family Foundation, as part of the think: Sexual Health campaign, have announced a multiplatform programming line-up of specials, public service announcements (PSAs), free interactive resources and broadband services. The collaboration builds on MTVs nine-year public education partnership with Kaiser.
MTV and MTVs college network in the US mtvU will air Think Again: Sex Myths Revealed. The aim is to help inform and empower young people to protect themselves from HIV/Aids and other sexually transmitted diseases by dispelling popular misconceptions.
MTV News will also feature news segments examining the state of the HIV/Aids epidemic in the US and abroad, focusing on young people who represent half of all new HIV infections globally. A new series of PSAs called Perspectives produced by Kaiser and MTV, will aim to inform viewers about HIV/Aids and direct them to the campaigns toll-free hotline and website for more information, including where and how to get tested.
Online, through think.mtv.com, viewers will be able to access It’s Your (Sex) Life: Your Guide to Safe & Responsible Sex. This is a free interactive guide created by Kaiser and MTV, which provides information on STDs and HIV. The website will also help users find local HIV testing facilities and highlights opportunities to get involved on a local community level. MTV Overdrive, the broadband network, will also air all World Aids Day programming on-demand.
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.
