GECs
Sony to bring second season of Shark Tank India on 2 January
Mumbai: Sony Entertainment Television and Sony LIV are all set to bring in the second season of Shark Tank for the viewers. Produced by StudioNEXT, the show will begin airing on 2 January at 10 p.m. every Monday to Friday.
This season promises viewers fresh and new business terminologies, as well as opportunities for aspiring entrepreneurs to pursue their dreams.
The show showcases a plethora of unique and never-before-seen ideas as well as gives a glimpse into the booming start-up ecosystem of India. LetsVenture has come onboard as a talent sourcing advisor for the show.
For the second season, Sony LIV has partnered with ACKO, which serves as the co-presenting partner. The show is co-powered by Pokerbaazi and CarDekho. Dwelling into the special categories, they have onboarded Cashfree Payments as the payment partner, smallcase as the ideas partner, and Fi Money as the money partner, while other brands like EatFit, Seqrite, Lenskart, Chaudhry Nummero, and Apollo 24|7 have been roped in as well.
This year, representing the ground-breaking start-up ecosystem in the country, are: boAt co-founder and CMO Aman Gupta, CarDekho Group, InsuranceDekho.com CEO and co-founder Amit Jain, Shaadi.com – People Group founder and CEO Anupam Mittal, Emcure Pharmaceuticals executive director Namita Thapar, Lenskart.com founder & CEO Peyush Bansal and Sugar Cosmetics co-founder and CEO Vineeta Singh. Their dynamic personalities and camaraderie have made them, as well as the show, household names. While the sharks anchor the show with their offers and deals and, in many ways, pearls of wisdom as well, host and ace stand-up comedian Rahul Dua will act as a guide to the pitchers this season.
Smallcase CEO & founder Vasanth Kamath commented, “We are delighted to be the idea partner on Shark Tank India’s highly anticipated second season. Associating with a show that supports and celebrates innovation aligns with smallcase’s mission of empowering Indians with simple investment ideas. The show has a diverse and savvy audience, and we aim to reach a large base of investors and contribute to the growth of entrepreneurial spirit and equity culture across the country.”
Fi Money CEO Sujith Narayanan said, “Over the last season of Shark Tank, we have seen how it has influenced Indian youth to look at money much more smartly. Now everyone is talking about growth, valuations, portfolios, and so on. We are excited for the second season, and to be part of this emerging conversation around wealth creation. And there is no better time than now, given this newfound awareness of money that our audiences have.”
“We are excited to further our partnership with Shark Tank India for the second year in a row. The first season proved to be quite impactful, providing impetus to entrepreneurship and innovation. At Cashfree Payments, we value the entrepreneurial spirit and understand the importance of enabling the start-up ecosystem. India’s digital payments growth story is fuelled by a surge in the number of start-ups, not just in metros but across tier 2 & 3 cities. These innovative businesses rely on cashfree payments’ safe and trusted payment stack to scale their businesses. We believe this association goes a long way towards our philosophy of fostering innovation in the Indian start-up ecosystem, which deserves to be encouraged and celebrated,” added Cashfree Payments CEO and co-founder Akash Sinha.
CarDekho Group EVP marketing & content Charu Kishnani said, “We are elated to be associated with Shark Tank India 2.0. As a house of brands, CarDekho Group has been a proponent of entrepreneurship in India and strongly resonates with the focus Shark Tank brings on promoting ingenious business ideas. Shark Tank India season one took the country by storm. The show not only made entrepreneurship mainstream but also provided a platform for aspiring businessmen, especially from tier 2 and tier 3 cities, to realise their dreams. The second season of the show will be even more impactful as an increased number of entrepreneurs will get a chance to showcase their ideas. Through association with the show, CarDekho will offer support to these upcoming professionals, helping them fulfil their aspirations and build sustainable businesses.
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.
