GECs
Zee TV offers free mobile recharge to audience in return for DID votes
MUMBAI: Not very long ago, the television audience were charged when they voted for their favourite contestants on a reality show, then it was made free in order to get more audience in to voting, now the audience are set to get returns too when they vote.
In an interesting campaign for its reality show Dance India Dance season 4 that is about to enter an exciting leg with the Top 10 contestants battling it out for the much coveted ‘sunehri taqdeer ki topi’, Zee TV has gone one step further and joined hands with FreeCharge.com and would be ‘freecharging’ the phones of all those who give a missed call to vote for their favorite contestants. Last year, the channel to make votes cost free had come up with the idea of “missed calls for vote”, this time its target seems to be to lure more viewers to the show.
The voting phase will begin on Sunday, 22 December and audiences will have as much power to vote for their favorite contestants as the judges on the show.
The mechanism for voting is simple – on placing a missed call to vote for their favorite contestant, the viewer will receive a promo code. The voter can then log on to www.freecharge.com and get free talk time worth Rs 10 on a minimum recharge of Rs 20 with the use of the promo code. The consumer will get only one promo code per week which means that they can vote only once per week for their favourite contestant. However, they can cast their vote for all contestants but receive only one promo code.
Talking about the initiative, ZEEL marketing head national channels Akash Chawla said, “Voting is an integral part of any reality show. We made voting free last year by way of the ‘Missed-Call Voting’ mechanism. We received an overwhelming response in the form of record-breaking vote counts from our viewers. With this initiative of ‘Freecharging’ our voters’ phones, the idea was to take one step forward and gratify our viewers for sharing their valuable vote with us and helping us in our journey of identifying India’s biggest dancing star. The mechanism is effective as a consumer is allowed to vote only once for their favorite contestant each week through their registered number…thereby, not allowing any duplication of votes. Freecharging will prove to be a fair mechanism to identify a winner based on public opinion as well as the judge’s scores.”
GECs
Asianet Television Awards 2026 celebrates women power in Malayalam TV
“She is the Colour” theme honours icons as ceremony airs on March 14 and 15 at 7 PM.
MUMBAI: If television lights up living rooms, this year Asianet decided to let women provide the colour. The Asianet Television Awards 2026 turned the spotlight firmly on women empowerment with the theme “She is the Colour”, celebrating the strength, resilience and achievements of women who continue to shape society and the Malayalam entertainment industry.
The ceremony honoured several distinguished personalities whose journeys have left a lasting cultural imprint. Among them was legendary playback singer Vimala Varma, widely recognised as the first Malayalam playback singer. The evening also paid tribute to Padma Shri awardees Devaki Amma and Vimala Menon for their exceptional contributions in their respective fields.
Leading women from the Malayalam film industry were also recognised during the event, including actor Shweta Menon, who currently serves as president of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists, and National Award winning actor Surabhi Lakshmi.
The awards ceremony brought together a glittering lineup of actors and industry figures, including Jayasurya, Vijay Babu, Asha Sarath, Lena, Esther Anil, Anumol, Akhila Bhargavan, Sarayu Mohan, Prajod Kalabhavan, Gayathri Suresh, Sabumon Abdusamad, Swasika, Tini Tom, Sijoy Varghese, Kailash, Veena Nandakumar, Sabareesh Varma, Ansiba Hassan and Dinesh Prabhakar. Kishan Kumar, executive vice president Malayalam at JioStar, was also present at the event.
Beyond individual recognitions, the awards celebrated excellence across Malayalam television, acknowledging artists and technicians whose work continues to drive the industry forward.
The evening also offered plenty of spectacle, with elaborate dance performances, stunt acts and comedy skits performed by popular television and film personalities, turning the ceremony into a full fledged entertainment showcase.
Viewers will get to watch the celebrations when the Asianet Television Awards 2026 air on Asianet on March 14 and 15, Saturday and Sunday, from 7 pm onwards, bringing the star studded tribute to homes across Kerala and beyond.
