GECs
BIG Ganga Goes All Out to Delight Its Audience This Festive Season, Launches Engrossing Range of Shows
MUMBAI: With the festive season right around the corner, BIG Ganga, the number one Bhojpuri channel in the Hindi heartland, gears up for the launch of some exciting shows to further deepen its connect with viewers in Bihar, Jharkhand and Purvanchal. The upcoming shows, Aaj Ki Durga, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Lil Champs, Roj Hoyi Bhoj #SwadkeSath and Doo Duni Ke Panch are created with the intention to enhance and enrich the viewing experience of audience. Two special on-ground events -Shaurya Samaan, the bravery awards for the common man and Jai Chhathi Mayi, an on-ground event to celebrate the most popular festival Chhath Puja in the region, have also been created.
Through a special dedicated show on Navratra, Aaj Ki Durga will showcase the stories of extraordinary women who been the ideal role model and have done exemplary work for their society or nation and will be telecast on Oct 17 and 18 at 4:30 pm. The channel is also launching a singing reality show for kids, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Lil Champs which has already left behind a legacy. With the show’s authentic and challenging format, the very best of singing talent will be selected and crowned as the champion. It is important to note that the kid’s talent show will be making a return to the region after a 6-8 years gap, which is testament it being an extremely big initiative by the channel in the region. With talent on the show coming from all corners of the country, viewers can surely witness participation from UP, Bihar, Jharkhand, Mumbai, and Delhi among others, making it a oneofitskind show in the region.
In addition to raising the entertainment quotient with an exciting festive lineup, BIG Ganga is also set to launch a cookery show–RojHoyiBhoj #SwadkeSath based on the culinary expertise of the common man of the region. The channel will also be adding a comedy show to its repertoire of festive offerings with Doo Duni ke Panch, which is based on satirical songs and poems. The two shows will be telecast from October 22 onwards.
Amplifying its connect in the region, BIG Ganga aims to felicitate those who have done extraordinary work for the betterment of the society via Shaurya Samaan. This special event will be aired on October 26, 7 pm onwards. That isn’t all, after successfully celebrating and getting a tremendous response for the most popular and marquee property Jai Chhathi Mayi on Chhath Puja in the past; the channel brings back the celebrationsthis year as well by organizing afour-hour musical on-ground event that will be held on Patna,for its audience.
Commenting on the festive line-up, a BIG Ganga spokesperson said, “Known for its original content, BIG Ganga’s aim is to not only entertain the viewers, butalso provide them with something they can cherish along with their families throughout this festival season. Most of our new line-ups are very topical in nature and will prove to be a visual treat. The next two months are the most celebrated months in North India and we wanted to gift our viewers bouquet of shows along with organizing riveting on-ground events. BIG Ganga’s festive lineup has been created by keeping in mind the interest and preferences of our viewers and at the same time to provide a great platform for advertisers and stakeholders alike, to reach out to the audience.”
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.
