GECs
Zee launches Tamil channel Bharathi Friday
MUMBAI: Zee Telefilms, in continuance of its efforts to have a presence in south India, is launching on Friday a 24-hour Tamil television channel, Bharathi.
To be uplinked from Singapore on the Asiasat 3s satellite, the new channel hopes to capture the number two slot in the state. Sun TV is at present the numero uno channel in Tamil Nadu by a long ways with a host of others trailing far behind in terms of viewership and revenue.
Bharati is the second south Indian channel that Zee is launching after the Kannada language channel Kaveri, which was launched in June 2000. Zee Telefilms and Malayalam language channel Asianet each have a 50 per cent stake in Kaveri. Kaveri is still struggling to get recognition and efforts are on to try and revive it. So with another new channel to be nurtured it looks like the Zee team will have a plateful on its hands.
Dakshin Media Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Zee Telefilms, is launching this channel in “strategic alliance” with Asianet, Arvind Kumar, senior vice-president and business head (southern channels), told reporters in Chennai on Wednesday night, the Press Trust of India reported.
A Telugu channel will be launched very soon, PTI quoted Kumar as saying. By middle of next month, one news bulletin would be introduced and gradually the number of news bulletins would be increased, he added.
Named after the Tamil poet, Bharathi, the channel will offer a mix of mega serials, weekly serials, films, film-based programmes, game shows, talk shows, health, and many more to cater to all segments of society.
Leading content developers like Tamizhmani and Citadel Video are producing various programmes to be aired on the channel, Financial Express quoted Kumar as saying. News and news-based programmes would be aired from next month on a phased manner, he added.
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.
