GECs
Zeel channels continue to lead, Star Vijay makes maiden entry
BENGALURU: Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (Zeel) flagship Hindi GEC Zee TV, last week, led Hindi GECs’ in Broadcast Audience Research Council of India (BARC) list of top 10 channels across genre list.
Zee TV was the second most watched channel across genre following the Sun TV Network’s Tamil flagship GEC Sun TV and followed one rank behind by its sister FTA Hindi GEC channel Zee Anmol at third rank in week 30. This week – week 31 – Saturday, 29 July 2017 to Friday, 4 August 2017, it is Zee Anmol that stands second in BARC’s list of top 10 channels across genre list, following Sun TV and followed by Zee TV.
Star India’s Tamil flagship GEC made its maiden entry in 2017 in the top ten channels across genre list. It is also for the first time in 2017 that two Tamil channels have made it to the top 10 across genre list
Three Star India channels, and two channels each from the Zeel, Network 18 (Viacom 18) Network, and Sony Pictures Network (SPN) and one channel from the Sun TV Network made it to BARC’s top 10 channels across genre list in week 31 of 2017. Putting it from the markets point of view – Two Tamil channels, one Hindi movie and Telugu channel each and six Hindi GEC channels formed the list.
Sun TV once again took its fixed pole position with 989.801 million weekly impressions followed by Zee Anmol with 713.472 million weekly impressions at second spot. Zee TV was at third rank with 696.319 million weekly impressions followed by Network 18’s Hindi flagship GEC with 665.958 million weekly impressions. Star India’s Hindi flagship GEC Star Plus was at fifth rank in week 31 with 650.130 million weekly impressions. Last week, Star Plus was fourth and Colors fifth.
Network 18’s FTA Hindi GEC Rishtey came in sixth with 572.328 million weekly impressions followed by Star India’s Telugu flagship GEC Star Maa at seventh with 569.216 million weekly impressions. SPN’s women show centric channel Sony Pal was eighth with 552.221 million impressions followed by its sister Hindi Movies channel Sony Max with 509.365 million impressions. Star Vijay at tenth place with 502.284 million impressions completed the list.
Zee Anmol and Zee TV have also topped BARC’s Hindi GEC (U+R) list with three of its shows – one reality show and two family dramas (Kumkum Bhagya and its spinoff Kumkum Kundali) among the top five programmes in the Hindi GEC genre. Further, Zee Anmol also topped the ratings in the Hindi GEC (Rural) market and two of its shows were ranked second and third in BARC’s list of top five programmes. Zee TV was ranked four in the Hindi GEC (Rural) genre. However, the two channels were ranked third (Zee TV) and ninth (Zee Anmol) in BARC’s list of top 10 channels in Hindi GEC (Urban) market. Zee TV’s reality show Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Little Champs topped the top five programmes in the Hindi GEC (Urban) market list.
Also Read :
Two Zeel channels top Hindi GECs in Across Genre list
Zee TV continues to dominate urban weekend ratings
ZEEL gets NCLT approval for restructuring acquired Anil Ambani GEC business
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.
