GECs
ZEE highlights every child’s first storyteller
Mumbai: On Mother’s Day, there are a few campaigns that stood out on the back of an incisive insight and sheer simplicity in their approach of landing the message in an evocative manner. One such creative that speaks straight to the soul is that of ZEE, who by virtue of having first introduced satellite television in India and opened up a whole new spectrum of storytelling for every Indian home, is a leading storyteller of our country. ZEE’s unique campaign beautifully captures the often unacknowledged role of a mother as every child’s first storyteller!
ZEE’s #MyFirstStoryteller campaign is a touching tribute that shines a spotlight on this pivotal role countless mothers play in getting their child to experience their first range of emotions through storytelling.
Speaking about the campaign, ZEE content SBU chief marketing officer Kartik Mahadev said, “This campaign celebrates the storytellers that our mothers are, an innate quality that is an essential nature to the role that mothers play in shaping lives and cultures. As the storyteller of many Bharats, we believe that mothers in their role as primary caregivers, set their children off on a trail of discovering life by sparking their curiosity. It is, after all, our mother’s very first stories that lay the foundation of our core value system, shape us and in turn shape society.”
Reacting to the film, influential personalities like fashion designer Masaba Gupta and Marathi television and theatre actor Sakhee Gokhale have shared personal anecdotes about their first storyteller, their respective mothers – actors Neena Gupta and Shubhangi Gokhale, where they talk about how their mother’s initial stories have built their core value systems and stayed with them even today!
Several other TV personalities including Shraddha Arya, Krishna Kaul, Ashi Singhh, Karanvir Sharma, Mohit Malhotra, Abhishek Malik, Varun Kasturia, Aman Gandhi, Anisha Hinduja, Dhwani Gorii, Anushka Merchande, Rose Sardana, Munira Kudrati have shared the endearing film on their social feeds with special messages for their own mothers and mothers at large.
The tonality of the campaign is in beautiful sync with the category of broadcast entertainment that ZEE belongs to as it showcases the power of the medium in bringing families together and creating in-home shared moments and bonds of trust between a mother and her child through storytelling.
With a legacy spanning over three decades, ZEE’s commitment to entertaining audiences in India through storytelling and promoting core values of Indian society, has consistently been reflected in the content portfolio offered by the network. The campaign film has been released and promoted across the ZEE network as well as social media pages of the company across platforms. The campaign’s positive reception is a testament to ZEE’s understanding of the Indian audiences and culture as well as the company’s constant endeavour of entertaining families with the power of storytelling.
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.
