GECs
Viacom18 teams up with Seagram’s Imperial Blue & Wavemaker India to celebrate Diwali
Mumbai : Viacom18 Network’s branded content team has once again collaborated with Pernod Ricard – Seagram’s Imperial Blue Packaged Drinking Water and Wavemaker India to celebrate Diwali, the festival of lights.
This association is an extension of their collaboration following the huge success of their Holi campaign earlier this year.
Viacom18 and Wavemaker collaborated to create the lighthearted campaign videos, which are being widely promoted across platforms.
Ex-Bigg Boss contestants Rubina Dilaik, Karan Kundrra, Pratik Sehajpal, Nishant Bhat, and ex-Bigg Boss Marathi contestants Jay Dhudhane, Meenal Shah, Vikas Patil, and Vishal Nikam appear in the campaign.
The campaign features these celebrities, who are also friends, as they celebrate the festival of lights. The campaign video celebrates the oddities associated with the exchange of sweets and gifts during Diwali.
The lighthearted and entertaining video capitalises on a common and very popular emotion that every Indian probably feels when they receive a box of soan papdi as the rotational gift every year. What happens when this group of friends is faced with the same dilemma, and it is presented by someone you cannot refuse? The film concludes on a lighthearted note that will make viewers smile.
Commenting on the association, Viacom18 branded content head Vivek Mohan Sharma said, “We are thrilled to be to partnering with Imperial Blue packaged drinking water again and celebrate the festival of lights. The campaign is a beautiful rendition of friends coming together and celebrating Diwali with loved ones. Though the spirits are visibly low at the beginning, the mood lights up when a loved one comes in to share the joy. We are sure this fun filled campaign will strike a chord and help the brand message be more conspicuous, leaving an impact on the audience.”
Pernod Ricard India Marketing general manager Ishwindar Singh commented, “The festival of lights, Diwali, is the symbol of joy and prosperity bringing loved ones together for celebrations. The brand Imperial Blue inspires its consumers to embrace life with a smile and with this campaign we bring forth a light-hearted take on the festivities and the art of ‘gifting’ around Diwali.”
Wavemaker India chief content officer and GroupM India branded content head Karthik Nagarajan commented, “It is a great collaboration on Wavemaker’s part with Pernod Ricard India
and Viacom18 of putting together this creative and innovative campaign. We are sure this campaign will connect well with the audience and elevate their festive spirits through brand messaging of celebratory times of the year.”
The campaign is aimed at the Hindi and Marathi markets and is intended to convey the message of unconditional love and celebration with loved ones. The video is available on the COLORS and Colors Marathi television channels, as well as VOOT and the networks’ and artists’ social media accounts.
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.
