GECs
Zee TV launches dedicated Singapore feed
NEW DELHI: Singapore seems to be flavour of season for Indian channels and those operating here. The Subhash Chandra-promoted Zee Network has launched a dedicated beam of Zee TV for Singapore as of 1 June.
Additionally, Zee Telefilms is also negotiating with the local cable service provider in Singapore to carry more Zee family channels, including Zee Cinema.
Speaking about the launch of the service, Zee Telefilms president Abhijit Saxena told indiantelevision.com, “This dedicated feed would help us tap local advertisers more effectively as too those from India and elsewhere who have business interests in Singapore like Indian retailers.”
Pointing out that Zee was happy to announce the launch of a separate encrypted beam for Singapore viewers, Saxena added, “The viewers of Singapore will be able to watch Zee TV at their local time and not (two and a half hours) ahead of India as Singapore (currently) receives the India feed.”
According to Saxena, the content on the new schedule will be tailored to the needs of the Singapore viewers. The effort would be also to create a more viewer- friendly programming schedule necessitating some changes in the fixed-point chart.
The Zee TV feed is on the StarHub network that services cable homes in Singapore and at the moment, Zee TV has 25,000 paid subscribers at the rate of Singapore $8. However, Saxena did not divulge other financial details like the revenue sharing arrangement.
Naturally, it also opens up avenues for Zee Telefilms to augment its advertising revenue by booking Singaporean ads at local prime time. “It (having a dedicated feed) opens up opportunities for advertisers who currently face extremely high advertising rates on the India feed,” Saxena said, but added that at the moment he would not be able to dwell on the new rate card as it was still being worked out.
Pointing out that the new rate card would “substantially reduce the effective rates” paid by advertisers now, Saxena said that the new rates should come into force “within a month or two.”
Zee TV launched a separate beam for the Middle East and Bangladesh markets in September 2002. The Singapore feed will further be extended to the rest of South East Asia, thus coinciding with prime time in different markets and concurrently valuating airtime inventory at locally relevant and competitively attractive rates.
The new beam is uplinked out of Singapore and is available on the Asiasat 3S satellite.
Asked whether more Zee channels are expected to have a dedicated feed/beam into the Singapore market in future, Saxena said, “We are currently negotiating with StarHub for Zee Cinema and expect that once it (the service provider) launches its digital service, more channels would be accommodated on the platform.”
Interestingly, the Rupert Murdoch-controlled Star Group, has just announced that it would be launching Star Plus in the Singapore market on StarHub on 2 August. This, however, is not a dedicated feed like that of Zee TV but the same feed as that which beams over India.
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.
