GECs
Reliance, Bharti to represent India at IPTV World Forum
MUMBAI: A showcase featuring the latest applications of IPTV from across the globe will be one of the highlights of Europe’s leading dedicated IPTV event, IPTV World Forum. The forum will be held in London, 6 to 8 March, 2006.
Representing the Indian subcontinent will be Reliance Entertainment and Bharati Tele-Ventures. According to an official release from the organisers, Reliance Entertainment chairman Amit Khanna and Bharti Tele-Ventures technical head Sreeram Chakravarthy Gomadam will be speaking at the forum.
The forum is aimed at the industries supporting the market’s rapid growth from telcos and broadband providers to broadcasters. The applications showcase will feature state-of-the-art demonstrations from IPTV providers around the world. Visitors to the show will be able to see, first-hand, the full capabilities and the provision of live and on-demand video over Internet Protocol. There will be a demo lounge dedicated to showcasing live and simulated services from commercially available IPTV packages, states the release.
“This is the largest of our series of dedicated IPTV events around the world,” said organiser Ian Johnson. “IPTV is a big talking point in the telecoms market – at a time when increased ARPU and reduced churn are key to operator success. Triple-Play is to play a major role in the development of the market in the very near future.”
Top level executive speakers from Europe, America, and Asia will be participating in the forum. Some of the key speakers include MTV Networks Europe CEO Simon Guild, Sony Pictures Television International SVP European distribution Stuart Baxter, China Netcom chief technology advisor Hou Ziqiang, Walt Disney Internet Group Europe MD Attila Gazdag, Playboy TV MD Jermey Yates and MITV Malaysia VP Broadband Iman Shah bin Ismail.
Another attraction of the event will be the prestigious industry party, organised by Fashion TV, one of the four most distributed channels worldwide.
The forum’s exhibition zone will feature over 60 companies from around the world, see the latest technologies and developments, meet old friends and make new contacts – it’s the ideal opportunity to speak to exhibitors face-to-face. No time to attend the conference? That’s fine; the organisers are releasing 1000 exhibition-only tickets, the release adds.
Event information: IPTV World Forum, 6th – 8th March, 2006, Olympia, London Web site www.iptv-forum.com
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.
