GECs
Star India bolsters content slate for festive season
Mumbai: Star India network is bringing specially curated shows and films across Hindi, English, and regional channels this festive season. The content slate includes new seasons of marquee shows such as “Dance+,” “Bigg Boss” – Telugu and Tamil, “Super Singer,” “Start Music,” and many more.
“Viewers are at the front and centre of everything we do; as a network, we understand their pulse and are committed to offering content that resonates with the entire family,” said Star and Disney India head – network entertainment channels Kevin Vaz. “We are thrilled to present power-packed shows with the biggest celebrities including Kamal Haasan, Akkineni Nagarjuna, Sonu Nigam, Remo D’Souza to entertain our viewers this festive season. This is a terrific opportunity for advertisers to reach and engage with viewers across demographics and make most of the festive period.”
The upcoming weeks will bring in a plethora of new shows and films on the network including the comeback of “Dance+” on Star Plus after two years. Season six of the popular show will have Raghav Juyal as the host and the famed choreographer-director Remo D’Souza return as Super Judge along with Shakti Mohan, Punit J Pathak, and Salman Yusuf Khan as the judges, “Haathi Ghoda Paal Ki Jai Kanhaiya Lal Ki,” a mythological drama series on Star Bharat, “It Happens Only In India” on National Geographic, Bollywood blockbuster films such as “The Big Bull,” “Mimi,” “Hungama 2,” and “Bhuj: The Pride of India” on Star Gold and Hollywood super hits “Frozen 2,” “The New Mutants,” “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil,” “The Empty Man,” and “A Welcome Home Christmas” on Star Movies.
The network’s regional entertainment offering will include a special talent show “Me Honar Superstar Chote Ustaad” on Star Pravah, “Cook with Comali Season 3” on Star Vijay, “Bigg Boss Diwali Special” on Star Maa, and more. In addition to this, multiple new fiction shows will be launched across the television network.
Star India network currently has some of its biggest properties running on-air including “Bigg Boss Tamil” and “Start Music” on Star Vijay, “Bigg Boss Telugu” on Star Maa, “Super Singer Season 3” on Star Jalsha, “Me Honar Superstar Jallosh Dancecha” on Star Pravah and “Comedy Stars” on Asianet which continue to entertain viewers season after season and add to the festive cheer, said the broadcast network in a statement.
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.
