GECs
MTV ‘Unplugged’ season 3: A raw and acoustic musical experience
MUMBAI: MTV is all set to take their fans on a new musical high. Come November, the channel will premiere the season 3 of its popular music series Unplugged, which promises to be exclusive, intimate and personal through a live gig format experience to audience.
Standing true to its theme of ‘Mega Artists, Mega Hits’ the last season of Unplugged brought prodigious possibilities like Rahman for the first time on world television; Sunidhi Chauhan’s performance which was another stellar one backed up the sentiment; the ever-charismatic Lucky Ali also made his comeback on the show.
Boasting of an impressive line-up of artists, fans are in for a treat as each episode will feature one renowned artist who is all set to regale the audience with his vocals – Bollywood director, actor and singer Farhan Akhtar with Farhan LIVE, Bollywood singing superstars Sonu Niigaam, Mika and KK, Indie rockstars Pentagram and The Raghu Dixit Project and the next gen superstars Arijit Singh and Benny Dayal; all in all, a great mix.
With the who’s who on the 3rd season of Unplugged, the list is sure to get the music buffs jumping with joy… but the excitement doesn’t end here.
So what’s happening on the promotions front? To engage the fans in this musical revelry, MTV is having fans picked up in an official Unplugged gig bus from prime locations across the city to give them a front row view of some of the biggest music acts. All that fans need to do is put on their dancing shoes and hop on the bus to catch their favourite artists live in concert and the passes will be free.
Speaking about going back to the roots, MTV India, EVP and business head Aditya Swamy, exults: “MTV Unplugged is a property that both artists and music lovers look forward to. Across three seasons, we have featured legends across every genre and their unplugged compositions have become instant hits. This year we have integrated real music fans into the show and this energy will really lift the experience for viewers and performers. Brand new versions of your favourite hits are coming at you.”
There are activities planned on the digital front as well; in the third season of Unplugged, giving fans a special treat; MTV will run a contest across its social media platforms to give 10 lucky fans a chance of being part of the MTV Unplugged experience. Each fan participating in this experience will get a wrist band which will not only serve as a memory of the experience but also as an entry badge. The band will also have a QR Code on it that leads to a personalised profile of all his activities at MTV Unplugged.
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.
