GECs
Viacom18 partners with Peanuts Worldwide in India
MUMBAI: Viacom18 has announced its partnership with Peanuts Worldwide to represent the rights to Charles Schulz’s popular Peanuts characters in India as master licensee.The deal marks Viacom18’s foray into representing brands outside the Viacom portfolio. Viacom18 plans to roll out products by early next year.
Peanuts has been one of the most popular and influential entertainment brands for over six decades, and the classic property is now set to launch in India in multiple categories that include plush toys, apparel and accessories inspired by Snoopy,Charlie Brown and the gang. Nick Jr., the popular kids’ channel by Viacom18, will also air the Peanuts series on television in the territory in the coming months.
Speaking about the partnership, Viacom 18 Media Sr VP – consumer products, Saugato Bhowmik said, “We are delighted to have acquired representation rights to some of the most widely popular entertainment brands across the world. The partnership with the iconic ‘Peanuts’ brand adds another milestone to our portfolio of products that we will take beyond television. We’re confident that the brand’s worldwide popularity will be replicated in India.”
Peanuts Worldwide and Iconix Entertainment MD Leigh Anne Brodsky said, “Peanuts has immense fan following across the globe. We are thrilled to enter the Indian market with new media and content on the horizon and with a promising partner like Viacom18 that boasts of the best entertainment channel across genres and an expansive range of consumer products.”
Viacom18 Media is a significant player in the ever growing consumer products space with its diverse portfolio. Through various associations, Viacom18 has cut beyond the conventional categories giving consumers a slice of its brands such as MTV, Vh1, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and also non Viacom18 brands, spanning across 50 categories with over 60 licensees. Nickelodeon consumer products, has launched more than 5,000 SKU’s touching 10,000 plus retail points since its commencement in 2006. It boasts of a diverse range of products with some iconic properties like Dora the Explorer, SpongeBob SquarePants, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Ninja Hattori amongst others.
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.
