GECs
Sab TV revamps 8 – 10 pm band; launches 9 new shows
MUMBAI: Humour and current affairs channel Sab TV has gotten into an over-drive with a launch planned for nine new shows. The first four will hit the tube 24 January onwards and the next five will be unveiled 14 February onwards.
This time round the comedy channel has experimented with themes across all the comedy genres targeting family, kids and male ensuring a piece of comic relief for everybody.
The first of the lot which will be unleashed on 24 January is Sabse Bada Rupaiyya to be aired every Monday and Tuesday at 9 pm and 10 pm. Mondays will also see a show called A Mad House which will air at 8:30 pm. Starting 26 January is a show titled Masti every Wednesday and Thursday at 9 pm.
February will see another slew of fresh programming. Starting 15 February with Platform No 9 to be aired every Tuesday and Wednesday at 8:30 pm. Say na Something will debut on 17 February every Thursday and Friday at 8:30 pm. From 18 February onwards Fridays on Sab TV at 9:30pm will see a show titled Power Man.
Apart from this, the current affair segment will also see the entry of a new programme called Zimedaar Kaun? The slotting of this show is yet in a stage of finalisation.
Sab TV executive producer Anita Varma says, ” The decision to revamp the 8 -10 band firstly is to provide some freshness and give relief to the old as well as to break the perception that Sab TV only airs reruns. Also with these new shows we have experimented with all genres of comedy sticking to our positioning of being a comedy and current affairs channel.”
With the entry of nine new shows, the channel will be taking off Carry on Shekhar and Shree Sifarishilal.
The last time the channel launched a number of shows was five months ago with four new programmes Humse Hain Zamana, Jasoos 005, Chupke Chupke and WahWah.
Coming to the specifics of each show, Masti revolves around an uncle surrounded with four of his mischievous nieces and nephews who make his life miserable. The show is targeted at families and kids.
Sabse Bada Rupaiyya is a story of a family left with lots of wealth but no written will. So, who will get the major share in the property? This show promises doses of laughter with the brothers and wives trying every trick in the book.
Chamcha in Chief – a political satire is a story of a chamcha who gets a chance to come to the rescue when chief minister is jailed and his wife is made the acting CM in a hurry.
A brand extension from the very popular Shrimaan Shrimati is a more contemporary Aaj ke Shrimaan Shrimati. The sitcom will weave in modern characters and brand new situations.
Catering to the youth is A Mad House, a story of relationships between three young girls, three young boys and an old bachelor and their day-to-day stepping on each others toes.
Power Man is a new age programming entailing a mix of animation and gizmos while an idiot fond of experimenting stumbles on super power which acts as a central theme of this comedy.
Say na Something, focussed on kids is being brought back on the channel by popular demand. The difference here is that Tabassum will now be hosting the show replacing Anupam Kher.
Platform No 9 showcases a railway platform which mirrors different cultures, people and their day-to-day life. Rakesh Bedi will play a plethora of characters out of real life with a twist of smile.
The last out of the lot is the current affairs show called Zimedaar Kaun? which will take up issues that are of relevance and will examine the issue further.
Sab TV for sure has decided to get into the aggressive mode in 2005. This new initiative also rides on the hope for the channel’s TVRs being spruced up. It is important to bear in mind here that Sab TV commands a steady viewership with it being the only channel that is male skewed.
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.
