GECs
Zee TV revamps new season of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa; to air from 26 March
MUMBAI: Zee TV announced the revamp of one of its most popular homegrown talent showsSa Re Ga Ma Pawhich completed 20 years recently. The talent show helped enrich the Indian music fraternity with gems from its homegrown talent pool.
The channels has roped in Amul as the title sponsor, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa is powered by Flipkart’ and driven by Hyundai. Also Zee TV is hoping for another co-powered by sponsor for the show. Starting from 26 March, the show will be aired at 9:30pm.
The channel has relaunched Sa Re Ga Ma Pa with new logo and a new concept. For the first time ever, a panel of 30 jury members who are experts from the music fraternity, will closely assess aspiring singers’ right from the audition stage and help the mentors in the selection process. The jury represents different components of today’s music scene from DJs and music producers to singers, arrangers and lyricists.
Talking with Indiatelevision.com, Zee TV business head Pradeep Hejmadi said, “The format has grown with the aegis and the engagement of the industry and for the mentors. For us Sa Re Ga Ma Pa doesn’t live for three months, it lives for the ages. Singers like Shreya Ghoshal, Divya, KunalGanjawala, ShekharRavjiani, Bela Shende, Sanjivani, Kamal Khan are the brands for us. This year’s there is very conscious participative opportunity in the show based on ability. For example,a music director will look at things very differently. It’s just not the voice that matters it’s the art of putting all things together that is important. Hence we thought that the jury will be the part of the show as the mentors will be sharpening them and then they will be evaluated by the jury. So that’s the balance we want to keep this time.”
The channel has also introduced the 100 sec clock in the show.“It’s very important for a person to understand that time is precious. People needs to value time, talent and need to give their best performance in those 100 secs. Times don’t wait for anybody. There will be no retakes or second chance as they get enough time to rehearse,” adds Hejmadi.
The mentors include the Dabangg duo from BollywoodSajid-Wajid and the affable, endearing and multiple award-winning Pritam Chakraborty who’s known to constantly offer opportunities to young newcomers. Joining them for the very first time on Sa Re Ga Ma Pa is the king of Indi-Pop and Bollywood playback, the performer par excellence – Mika Singh. The young and charming Aditya Narayan groomed in a family with great musical lineage, returns to host the upcoming season.
Sa Re Ga Ma Pa will also be available on its digital platform Ditto TV and OZEE.
At 9.30pm, the show will be pitched against Sony Entertainment Television’s upcoming comedy show with comedy king Kapil Sharma which will go live from 23 April at 9 pm on weekends.
“India’s Best Dramebaaz has done really well for the channel. Once people get attached to a particular show then they will find time to watch the show. So channels will come and go and some new shows will come but certain shows will always stays. Zee has been the pioneer in this format, its first one to start in the industry and we have a very powerful run,”said Hejmadi further.
The channel has aggressive promotion plans for one of its most popular shows. “Digital will remain the important part of promotions. We will be unleashing the brand campaign with the core brand of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa. After that we will go into the components to showcase what goes in the show and what will be different in the it,” informedHejmadi.
Zee TV is also planning to take Sa Re Ga Ma Pa international. “Music is a form of expression. In India we recite different kinds of songs and so in any other country. What we intend to do is to showcase some of the fabulous talent and get out in those market and do the local version of Sa ReGa Mas. Every SaReGaMa has to start at very particular level. There is intent to take Sa Re Ga Ma Pa international with a local version rather then bring international participants here, informed Hejmadi.
Essel Vision Productions Limited business head Akash Chawla, said, “The auditions across 14 cities have given us some spectacular talent spanning varied genres of music and we look forward to a great season. This season marks a strong differentiator for Sa Re Ga Ma as we introduce a new format. We have enlisted the support of 30 music connoisseurs – experts in the music fraternity who will aid the selection process right from the outset. This will be the first time that a singing reality show will have a jury of experts beyond its mentors to arrive at the finest talent. One singer will be evaluated from 30 different perspectives of music. So, the challenge for each aspirant only gets tougher.”
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.
