GECs
Star India CEO Peter Mukerjea meets Raj Nayak whose mind is made up
MUMBAI: Star India CEO Peter Mukerjea met up with Star India executive vice-president sales and marketing Raj Nayak in the afternoon yesterday to review the situation that has arisen out of his reported resignation from the network.
Raj Nayak: will he stay?
According to sources, Nayak’s mind is made up and he is definitely leaving. Even after two meetings with Mukerjea.
And he is expected to stay on at least for another three to four months until he wraps up all the business deals he was working on. Sources indicate that Nayak is extremely keen on leaving Star on an even healthier wicket on his departure, ensuring that his successor finds the going easy so that Star continues to rule the Hindi entertainment channel roast.
One of the oldest veterans in Star TV’s India’s operations, Nayak had, over the past three to four years, built up a very strong ad sales team, building up on something that Mukerjea himself had been instrumental in setting up when he headed the ad sales function at Star India (then News Television India).
Nayak is believed to be interested in setting up his own venture in the area of air time and media consulting.
Sources indicate that Star’s head office in Hong Kong is likely to also try and convince Nayak to stay put today and tomorrow.
Nayak built up a reputation as a professional who dared to lift the bar as far as rates for television air time are concerned at the Star Network with which he was employed for more than nine years. Today TV spots on Star Plus’ top notch shows Kyuunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi and Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki sell at around Rs 1.56 million for 30 seconds.
Nayak is part of the crack core senior Star Network management team which includes Star India CEO Peter Mukerjea and current COO Sameer Nair which took Star Plus to the top of the Indian charts.
Read earlier story on Nayak’s reported resignation
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.
