GECs
Sahara One on lay off binge, more to follow
MUMBAI: The axe is being wielded at Sahara One Media and Entertainment. The loss-making entertainment vehicle of the Sahara Group has already issued pink slips to 17 senior employees in February and the head chopping is expected to continue in March with another 18 employees being laid off. Sahara One Media employs around 150 employees with most of them being concentrated in Mumbai.
Among those who have been asked to resign include: Delna Deshpande (operations head), Sharad Raj (programming head and creative), Rajeev Berry (head of revenue), Bakulish Baggade part of the distribution team), Piyush Ratnu (head of IT & digital), Kailashnath Koppikar (programming and international syndication), Ashish Mathur and Saroj Jha (ad sales), and Baludutt Papne (commercial executive)
Says a senior executive who has been asked to put in his papers. “We have been told that executives who were earning in excess of Rs 3 lakh a month were targeted first; followed by those in the Rs 1 lakh a month range. I was told ‘put in your resignation. 28 February is your last date.’ When I asked them to let me continue for a couple of months or at least till March end so that I could find another job, I was told February layoffs cannot be extended to March as more blood is going to flow next month.”
Sahara’s television business operates three television channels – Sahara One Television, a Hindi general entertainment channel; Filmy, a Hindi movie channel and Firangi, a world television channel in Hindi.
According to sources, the Sahara management is resorting to downsizing as it is readying to hand over the running of the GEC to Entertainment Hub, which produces shows for it. Just a little less than a month ago indiantelevision.com had reported that Entertainment Hub – which is part of Bombay stock exchange listed Trilogic Digital Media (the producer of Mickey Virus) – will be looking after Filmy’s content scheduling, distribution and also revenue generation in a joint venture.
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.
