GECs
SaharaOne strengthens 8:30-10:30 pm band with new shows
MUMBAI: With the dawn of the New Year, SaharaOne has got into an aggressive mode as far as new programming initiatives are concerned. The channel will be launching three new shows through January and February, thus buttressing their 8:30 pm to 10:30 pm time band.
Come 17 January and the channel will launch two new dailies. The first being an interactive show called Dial and Win at 8:30 pm followed by A.D.A (Acting and Dance Academy) at 9 pm, both of which will be aired from Monday to Thursday.
Dial and Win will be a live interactive half hour show where viewers can call in and answer some generic questions asked to them and win great prizes. Also interesting is the fact that in case the caller does not know the answer to the question, he or she can take help from family members and yet win if they answer correctly. With the strategic time placement of this show, SaharaOne hopes to drain in viewers from here into their other new offering – A.D.A.
In effect, with A.D.A coming in, the comedy band has been wiped out from the channel. The new show will be replacing Sridevi starrer Malini Iyer, which aired on Mondays and Tuesdays at 9 pm and Bhagwan Bachaye Inko that aired on Wednesdays and Thursdays in the same time band.
On Valentine’s Day – 14 February, SaharaOne will be launching a reality show titled Dil Chahta Hai produced by Miditech in the 9:30 pm time band. Also a point in note here is that Star One has a similarly titled weekly show called Dil Kya Chahta Hai, which airs on Thursdays at 9:30 pm and reflects life in a big city and what it means to be a man, with all its faults, failures and successes.
The recently launched Hema Malini starrer Kamini Damini on SaharaOne is already airing on the channel from 27 December in the 10 pm slot. With the coming of Kamini Damini, SaharaOne’s fairly new show Kuch Love Kuch Masti, which hasn’t been doing too well was pushed to the 11:30 pm slot and is slated to go off air very soon.
Speaking on the launch of A.D.A, which has been conceptualised by Ken Ghosh and produced by Percept Production Company, SaharaOne Television COO Karuna Samtani says, “A.D.A. is a very realistic story and at the same time is light hearted, fast paced and glamorous. The premise is that of a dance and acting school for the aspiring youth in the country.”
Ghosh on the other hand says, “When you throw in 12 young people in the same serial, you are bound to get something that is fresh and vibrant. We have also included songs in the serial as they are a way of expressing joy and happiness, which is not really seen on television.”
A notable innovation in A.D.A is that a monthly contest called ‘Kaun Banega Soap Star?’ will be woven into the show, which will give viewers a chance to participate and grab a role in the serial. Speaking to indiantelevision.com on the same, Samtani says, “There are a lot of talent hunts going on but at the end of the day not many give tangible returns to the winners. Our effort will be to give one person a chance each month to realise their dream through our contest.”
SaharaOne apart from strengthening its programming has also strengthened its programming team with Kumud Chowdhary taking over as the head of programming from 11 January.
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.
