GECs
Rewind Networks’ HITS NOW to launch on Astro
Mumbai: Starting 10 January 2024, the captivating HITS NOW channel will be available to Astro viewers on Channel 702. HITS NOW is the latest addition to Astro’s lineup of Rewind Network’s offerings alongside the existing hits and hit movies channels available on their service.
All Astro customers will be able to enjoy a free preview of HITS NOW from 10th January to 31st March 2024, giving viewers a chance to catch iconic shows like The 75 Primetime Emmy Awards, America’s Got Talent: Fantasy Team and the new season of American Idol. After the free preview, HITS NOW will be available in the Variety and Entertainment packs at no extra cost to customers subscribing to these packs.
The collaboration between Astro and Rewind Networks is the latest endeavour in their longstanding partnership. Both parties are committed to providing high-value entertainment to Malaysian viewers and enriching the Malaysian TV landscape. HITS NOW, celebrated for its award-winning and branded programmes, has garnered a strong following since its launch across multiple territories in Asia in February 2023.
Astro director content Agnes Rozario, said, “We are delighted to enhance our customers’ entertainment options with high-quality shows, coming express from the US to HITS NOW. From reality talent competitions, dramas and comedies, entertaining talk shows and gameshows, and compelling crime and investigation series, HITS NOW offers the most talked about shows from the US that customers will be able to watch anytime and anywhere. We are confident that the addition of HITS NOW on Astro will be a hit with our customers who now have the best of local shows, sports and movies.”
“We are beyond excited with the launch of HITS NOW on Astro,” said Avi Himatsinghani, CEO of Rewind Networks. “We truly value our partnership with Astro, who have carried our channels from the earliest days. From iconic award shows like The Emmys to award-winning drama series, beloved talent shows, popular reality shows and innovative game shows – we are confident that HITS NOW will resonate strongly with Astro’s viewers and become a go-to entertainment destination and channel of choice for their daily viewing.”
HITS NOW, the newest channel service from Rewind Networks, is the one-stop curated destination for top-rated reality, variety, drama, game and entertainment news shows from the US, with titles such as The 75th Primetime Emmy Awards, America’s Got Talent: Fantasy Team, and Celebrity Family Feud airing on the channel from January 2024. Together with its sister channels, HITS and HITS MOVIES, the three channels deliver quality curated content to over 13 countries and 24 million households across Asia.
HITS NOW will broadcast the prestigious 75 Primetime Emmy Awards Live starting at 8 am (GMT+8) on 16 January with an encore performance at 8 pm (GMT+8) that same night.
The HITS NOW lineup will feature the ultimate in breathtaking entertainment with exhilarating, branded reality and talent shows like American Idol 2024, Survivor, America’s Got Talent: Fantasy Team, Shark Tank, Hell’s Kitchen, and Britain’s Got Talent all express from the US. It will also debut brand new reality series like Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test, The Traitor and Race To Survive: Alaska; stunning drama series like the successful Fire Country, Sullivan’s Crossing and So Help Me, Todd as well as Alert: Missing Persons Unit.
Game show junkies can play along with Password, Barmageddon, Supermarket Sweep, Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, and Celebrity Family Feud. Those craving light-hearted fare can kick back with heartwarming comedies Lopez vs Lopez, Young Rock, The Goldbergs and Ghosts. The network has got viewers covered for everything Hollywood with the long-running news show – Entertainment Tonight, and true crime aficionados can follow real-life cases with Fear Thy Neighbor, Fear Thy Roommate, Killer Couples and Murder for Hire.
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.
