GECs
MTV, Yahoo! team up for Quincy Jones extravaganza
MUMBAI: This looks like a not to be missed musical extravaganza. Nearly two decades ago one of the most famous music concerts in history We Are The World took place. The brains behind that event, music legend Quincy Jones has announced the follow up We Are The Future.
MTV and portal Yahoo will serve as the international broadcast partners for the all-star benefit concert which will take place in Rome on 16 May 2004.
The concert marks the launch of a worldwide humanitarian effort to help children in war-ravaged cities. The concert will see performances from Norah Jones, Alicia Keys, Josh Groban, Juanes, Andrea Bocelli, Herbie Hancock, Zucchero, Youssou N Dour, the casts of Stomp and Cirque du Soleil among others.
Celebrity presenters will include talk show queen Oprah Winfrey, Oscar winner Angelina Jolie, boxing great Muhammad Ali, football icon Pele and tennis Grand Slam champion Serena Williams.The concert will be made available to all 42 MTV channels globally, which collectively reach 402 million households in 166 countries.
The concert will air as a live four hour broadcast on MTV Italy and as a two hour tape delayed version in various other MTV markets. In addition, MTV will provide promotional support on its various localised web sites around the world. Local premiere dates and times will be listed on www.wearethefuture.com as they are confirmed.
Yahoo! will webcast the concert live via its music destination, Launch to its global network of sites. Yahoo! claims to reach over 274 million unique individuals worldwide each month.
MTV Networks International senior VP editorial director Bill Flanagan added, “MTV has a long history of supporting important social causes from Live Aid in 1985 to our work today on building HIV/Aids awareness. With participation from some of the worlds biggest and most well-respected artists, this one-of-a-kind event is sure to draw attention to the plight of children in war-torn countries.”
The event is free. Proceeds from the concerts broadcast and related merchandise sales will benefit We Are the Future programmes, including the creation of child centers in six cities worldwide. At the centers, children will not only receive the much-needed humanitarian services and care, but also have access to resources and training in health, nutrition, technology, sports and the arts.
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.
