GECs
Walt Disney’s Eisner coming to India
MUMBAI: India seems to be the favourite destination for media czars. After News Corp chairman Rupert Murdoch it’s the turn of Walt Disney Company CEO Michael D Eisner to come for a high-profile visit.
His two-day India tour will start next week; the first halt being Delhi. This is part of the Asian leg of the Disney CEO’s tour. And he is being accompanied by his successor Robert A Iger who is slated to take over the reins at Disney from 30 September 2005.
Eisner arrives at a time when the Walt Disney Company is attempting to widen its business presence in the Indian market.
Though definite information on Eisner’s India agenda is not yet available — as it is still being finetuned — Indiantelevision.com learns that it would entail calling on senior government representatives and interacting with select industry people.
Eisner is likely to call on prime minister Manmohan Sigh, and information and broadcasting minister Jaipal Reddy, apart from some other political and government functionaries, depending upon their availability as Parliament session would be on then.
In Mumbai, Eisner is scheduled to meet up with the CEOs and the senior executives of media companies. The guest list for a bash being planned by Disney India would include representatives of companies like Star India, Sony Entertainment Television India, Zee Telefilms, The India Today Group and The Times of India Group.
During his visit, Eisner would not only get a first hand look of the Rs 250 billion Indian media and entertainment industry, but also get to know how his company is fairing in India.
Disney launched two of its channels; Toon Disney and Disney Channel in December, which have been making steady headway in the complex Indian market that is dominated by a fragmented cable distribution industry.
Indiantelevision.com learns that a big bang marketing push would go into full throttle once distribution initiatives are fully in place.
In India, Disney is looking at consolidating its TV channel business before diversifying into other segments of media and entertainment.
As part of the long term plan, a Disney theme park in India, would not be out of place, for which land, reportedly, has been identified on the outskirts of Delhi.
The importance of the theme park can be gauged from the $3.5 billion Hong Kong Disneyland project, which is a joint venture between Disney and the Hong Kong government. It is expected to open to the public in 2006.
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.
