GECs
Zee Anmol & Zee Anmol Cinema make a comeback on DD Free Dish
MUMBAI: With a view to consolidate its viewer base and reclaim its leadership position in the HSM rural market, Zee is all set to re-enter the FTA (free-to-air) space with its return to DD Free Dish from 10 June.
Zee Anmol was a consistently present in the HSM rural market till last year, the popular GEC channel enjoyed immense popularity in the FTA market with its deep-rooted understanding of the rural viewer, their sensibilities, entertainment needs and preferences. The role of entertainment and in spreading positivity and hope amongst viewers is further pronounced now and Zee Anmol is set to provide that with an exciting content line-up for the Free Dish audiences who had limited choices till now. Zee hopes to reclaim 25 per cent market share with a leadership position in Rural and is gunning for a large share of the FTA revenue space.
Catering to the demand for strong inspirational content amongst rural audiences, especially women in the age range of 15 to 30 years that constitutes the core TG for the segment, Zee Anmol is set to showcase moving stories of strong female archetypes and their real journeys of grit and resilience from the ZEEL library, with shows such as Choti Bahu, Doli Armano Ki and the immensely popular Kumkum Bhagya forming the tent-pole properties of the channel’s initial line-up right after its shift to DD Free Dish.
Zee chief consumer officer Prathyusha Agarwal said, “Over the years, Zee Anmol has shared a special relationship with rural India through its deep-rooted understanding of the rural viewer. In the current scenario, we see a tremendous increase in demand for differentiated content on DD Free Dish, especially as a learning from recent wins in Bhojpuri with Zee Biskope and Punjab markets with Zee Punjabi. Our library at Zee has riveting stories of women with vision and resilience that have the potential of inspiring women in the rural markets who are in search of a role model to look up to. We see this as an opportunity for Zee Anmol to reclaim its leadership position in the HSM Rural market through the channel’s reintroduction on DD Free Dish.”
With Zee Anmol Cinema’s comeback, the channel aims to occupy a distinct position in the Hindi movie space by establishing a personal connect with our viewers. Keeping the consumers sensibilities in mind, the channel is all set to entertain the viewers with family entertainers like Simmba, 2.0, Satyamev Jayate, Commando 3, Race 3, Spyder, Suriya S3, Saamy 2, K3 – Kaali Ka Karishma amongst others. With the robust content line up, the channel aims to offer an entertaining experience to the family-oriented audience.
Staying true to its brand promise, ‘Aapki Family Ka Cinema Hall’, the channel with its exclusively curated content aims to satiate the preferences of rural audiences who are rooted to their family ties and values and aspire the urban lifestyle. With a diverse content repository of 1500+ movies, the channel will air a slew of choicest movies spanning across different genres targeted to a wholesome family viewing experience.
Zee Hindi Movies cluster, business head Ruchir Tiwari, said “Rural markets take the centre stage with more than half of the TV viewership coming from the heartland. With the on-going health concerns, there is an increasing need for entertainment across the country, especially FTA channels considering spending power is decreasing. The recent jump in viewership of movie genre is a testimony to that. With this move, we are hoping to, once again, reach out to a large, content hungry audience base and become their number one choice for wholesome family entertainment.”
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.
