GECs
MTV’s eyes are on Tony Blair Friday
MUMBAI: The G8 Summit which will deal with the challenges of Africa and climate change kicks off on 6 July in Scotland
As a prelude to the event MTV will organise an exclusive forum All Eyes On Tony Blair. The UK Prime Minister will chair the G8 Summit.
The forum is part of Tony Blairs outreach to young people in advance of the G8 Summit. It will air globally across MTVs international channels from Friday 1 July.
Bob Geldof, the leading force behind Saturdays Live8 concerts, will also participate in the programme alongside the studio audience. Meanwhile artists including Destinys Child and Kanye West will pose questions via videotape.
All Eyes On Tony Blair will take the form of a one hour live question and answer session. It will give young people from the UK and around the world an opportunity to ask the UK Prime Minister searching and provocative questions on Africa and climate change.
Hosted by Trevor Nelson who is one of the UKs most respected youth presenters All Eyes On Tony Blair will also include questions from young Africans filmed by MTV base, MTVs recently launched pan-African channel and MTV Networks flagship 100th channel around the world. All Eyes On Tony Blair will be recorded tomorrow 30 June.
MTV Networks vice chairman Bill Roedy said, MTV has a long history of giving audiences a direct dialogue with some of the worlds most influential leaders. Young people in particular have the power to help change the world, and its critical that they have the opportunity to express their opinions on important issues that affect their future.
The 40-strong audience of young people wil represent 24 different countries from all corners of the globe including India, UK, US, France, Sweden, Russia, China, Korea, Canada, Uganda and South Africa. The participants were selected via MTV Internationals partnerships with Unicef, the Department of Education and Skills and Virgin Unite (Virgins independent charitable organisation). In addition, MTVs global audiences have had input into the key themes of the upcoming forum via a web survey, hosted across MTVs network of fully localised international websites, which asks for their views on issues such as the G8 Summit, Live8, poverty, Africa and climate change.
MTV states that it has a long history of giving young people a platform to express their views on pro social issues, and regularly offers its audiences opportunities for direct dialogue with world leaders. In 2003 Blair took part in An MTV Forum With Tony Blair: Is War The Answer?. During a debate with young people from across the globe, he revealed he would be prepared to wage war on Iraq without a second resolution authorising military action.
In the aftermath of the events of 9/11 in 2001, MTV US had hosted a global discussion with US Secretary of State Colin Powell giving young people from around the world the opportunity to ask questions on the war on terrorism, and other issues affecting them.
In addition, MTVs pro-social activities include MTV Internationals Staying Alive campaign which aims at increasing awareness and prevention of HIV/Aids. Staying Alives next project is Transit.
This is a two- hour television film that uses fiction to deliver HIV/Aids prevention messages to young people. MTV UK also offers school children the opportunity to express their opinions and ideas creatively via the Boom! Music Video Academy, a government-endorsed project that enables students to create music videos as part of the national curriculum.
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.
