GECs
Star readying plans for interactive televiewing
NEW DELHI: The Rupert Murdoch-controlled Star India appears to be reviving its plans of getting into interactive televiewing. As a small step towards this, it has tied up with various cellular service providers across the country to use the medium of SMS (short messaging system) for various programmes and contests across the Star bouquet of channels. .
Confirming the development, telecom industry sources said that Star has finalised agreements in this regard with cell service providers like Hutch, RPG, BPL and Spice Telecom. Negotiations are on with the likes of Bharti Cellular Ltd, which operates cellular services in various cities under the Airtel brand.
“The revenue that is generated out of sending SMSs by cell phone users for participating in contests and programmes on Star channels or accessing any other info will be shared between the service provider, which will keep the majority of the revenue, and Star,” a senior executive of a telecom company said.
Star India’s parent company, the Hong- Kong-based Star Group Ltd, will launch a full-fledged interactive TV service in Taiwan later this year. (See related report: Star-backed network launching interactive service in Taiwan)
Though this step towards involving the viewer with the on-air programme has been started in a small way by Star India through a programme on Channel V where jokes can be sent via SMS, a full-fledged business plan is still being worked out. Even last Friday, when Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) made its re-appearance on Star Plus (the best of series), Star India had tried out the mechanism of involving viewers through SMS, but the system had developed a technical snag.
Star India’s future plans involving interactive TV, to be unfolded over a period of time, includes providing TV guides across channels, participation (registration and voting) in contests through SMS, getting entertainment-related news, jokes and trivia. As per the broad business game plan, forecasts on zodiac, birthdays and “panchang” (Hindu calendar) and downloads of ring tones and logos too, will form part of interactive televiewing at a later stage.
The telecom industry sources said that the phased rollout of interactive televiewing involving mobile phone users was supposed to have started in July through Star’s universal access number STAR-7827. The marketing of these services is to be done by Star on a revenue sharing basis with the cell service provider.
What is the mega opportunity? To provoke instant interaction between Star and the viewer through mobile telecommunication, which will span across all the Star channels and platforms, including Radio City (the FM radio brand name) in various cities and its website indya.com.
The idea is to cover the entire country through SMS and intelligent voice recording (IVR) and provide high entertainment value of the content.
Cellnext, which is the technical partner of Star, in this venture, according to sources also feels that network traffic over SMS can graduate to other such related technologies and will be driven by mass market/entertainment content.
The plan is also to use applications, which will be user friendly and during the next phase of this venture usage of Roman Hindi and other regional languages is also being looked into to broadbase participation.
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.
