GECs
Music lovers up for a 100-hour treat
MUMBAI: In a first, Insync – a 24×7 television channel dedicated to Indian classical music – has completed creating 100 hours of rich musical content featuring both maestros like Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, Ustad Rashid Khan, Ustad Shahid Parvez and Pandit Rajan Sajan Mishra, and up-and-coming artistes.
As part of the project, nearly 70 artistes have recorded their music with Insync, giving it an edge over others of its ilk. With this, the library of Insync video content stands at approximately 300 hours.
Says Insync founder and managing director Ratish Tagde: “Being a niche channel, it is a very big achievement for us. Here, we are not talking of 24-25 hours of content, but huge 100 hours of content. And it is arguably the largest repertoire of high quality video content in the various forms of classical-based music genre. Indian classical music lovers are spread across the world and the channel has already gained popularity across the globe.”
What are Insync’s future plans? In the near future, the channel wants to generate a substantial part of its subscription revenue from the international market. Add to it, it has closed a deal with an OTT platform on a ‘fixed fee per box’ basis, ensuring its presence across the world in all major markets.
“The Indian subscription market will take some more time to get into a content-driven mode therefore, once the distribution market stabilizes towards this direction, Insync is hopeful of attracting a huge number of classical-based music lovers from across India as subscribers,” adds Tagde.
Launched on Independence Day this year, the channel showcases the rich tradition of Indian classical music through vocal, instrumental, dance and fusion formats and is available with multiple system operators (MSOs) including Hathway, Incable, Den, GTPL, Fastway and Digi Cable.
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.
