GECs
Prasar Bharati to net Rs 1.5 billion from SL, SA ODIs
NEW DELHI / MUMBAI: An optimistic Prasar Bharati says that it would end up netting revenues to the tune of Rs. 1.5 billion from the one-day series against Sri Lanka and South Africa.
“We are optimistic on the revenue front, which should cross the Rs. 1.5 billion mark for the one-day cricket series,” according to Prasar Bharati CEO KS Sarma. Prasar Bharati manages Doordarshan and All India Radio.
DD has the telecast rights for the ongoing one-day cricket series against Lanka and the forthcoming one against South Africa as an interim measure due to court cases that bar the Indian cricket board from handing out rights to other broadcasters till the case is settled. The latest case pending in Delhi High Court has been initiated by Zee Telefilms.
“Sarma, however, added that the pubcaster has not received any communication from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on the Test matches to be played against Lanka and South Africa.
“We had asked BCCI to give us the Test rights too so they can be packaged for ad sales, but we haven’t heard anything from the other side yet,” Sarma added.
With Team India starting to rise from its moribund status and putting out some sterling performances against the Lankans on the cricket field, the sponsorship and advertising market has started looking up again.
An indicator of this is the sponsorship deals being mulled by corporate houses involving wicketkeeper-cum-blaster batsman MS Dhoni and other youngsters over the past one week.
The pubcaster, however, hedged on the fact whether DD proposes to hike up its ad rates for the remaining one-dayers against the Lankans and for the Test series. “We’ll have to study the issue before doing anything very drastic on the ad sales front,” another senior official of DD said.
Though Prasar Bharati is jubilant that proposed government legislation would give it access to all major sports events irrespective of the fact who bags the telecast rights, it cannot force BCCI or private broadcasters’ hands till the time new media norms are notified formally.
Prasar Bharati is charging Rs 2,50,000 for a ten-second slot on DD Sports while the DD1 slot carries a price tag of Rs 2,00,000. It has netted Rs 130 million from presenting sponsorship deals and Rs 80 million from associate sponsorship. The pubcaster had roped in Hero Honda, Hindustan Lever Limited (HLL) and BSNL as the presenting sponsors while the associate sponsors are ICICI Bank, Coco Cola, Maruti and Castrol.
According to government sources, the new media norms, termed stringent by the industry, are likely to be formalized anytime now.
A senior I&B ministry official said today, which is a public holiday because of Eid, “Mandatory sharing of sports events with DD is likely to be made effective very soon and would be notified certainly before the Parliament reconvenes for the Winter session on 23 November.”
Industry observers feel that the way things are moving on the legal and government front, in all likelihood DD would end up getting the rights for the full home series against Sri Lanka and South Africa.
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.
