GECs
Zee Muzic on revamp mode with best of Bollywood
NEW DELH: Zee Muzic channel is once again in a revamp mode. This time its glossier and positioning itself as an aspirational channel, riding the Hindi film bandwagon in a big way, according to a TV executive.
The Zee management has taken a decision to position Zee Muzic as an aspirational channel showcasing the best of Bollywood, along with some zany veejays, said Irshwin N Balvani, the music channels business head.
According to Balvani, SEC A audiences too are being targeted now along with those in SEC B and C in tune with the channels repositioning. The music channel has access to a huge number of Hindi film songs owing to the networks big movie library.
Speaking to journalists at an event here on Wednesday, organised to unveil an all-new programming line-up, Balvani said that the distribution problem is being addressed very aggressively keeping the ground realities in mind.
If the all-India market share of Zee Muzic is to be seen, then it would be in the region of 65 per cent, but easy visibility is an issue because of lack of adequate bandwidth with cable operators everywhere.In some pockets of the country the channel is very strong, while in some others its not on tunable bandwidth at all, he explained, adding that in Chennai, for example, because of conditional access the music channel has almost 100 per cent presence in cable homes.
According to information available with Indiantelevision.com, the Zee management has given the music channel managers approximately nine months to turn around the channel into a decent competition for the likes of MTV and Channel V, both of which have big groups backing it.
Of course, there is competition and we must strategise accordingly, but to say Zee Muzic is a forgotten product would be wrong, said Balvani, whos been brought in from Zoom TV after Pradeep Guha (a Times of India group strongman) took over as the CEO of Zee Telefilms some time back.
So, what does the new line-up at Zee Muzic look like? Its certainly packaged well with lots of gloss, loads of Bollywood and increased interactivity.
Model-turned-TV anchor Nina Manuel, model Aparna Kumar, Roshni Chopra , Mayank Anand and actor-singer Vikas Bhalla form the hip anchors of Zee Muzic.
Nina, who could also be seen on some other channels like NDTV 24×7, hosts Midnite Manual, Aparna is the presenter for Bollywood Tonight, while self confessed movie buff Roshni anchors Cinemascope. Vikas hosts Bollywood This Week and Mayank will be the anchor for the soon-to-be-launched Cine Song.
Zee Muzic is a 24-hour free-to-air music channel from the Zee stable. The channel is available in places like Australia, New Zealand, Bangladesh, Fiji, Hong King, Indonesia, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Japan, Maldives, Thailand and the Middle East. A separate beam of Zee Muzic is also available in the UK and the US.
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.
