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New Tamil GEC Pudhu Yugam to go live on 23 October
MUMBAI: A new channel is about to enter the Sun TV-dominated GEC space of South India.
Pudhu Yugam, from the Chennai-based New Generation Media Corporation stable, is slated to go on air from 23 October. It is the second TV offering from the company after news channel Puthiya Thalaimurai TV.
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An internal launch has already taken place on 5 October, when the channel’s programming was unveiled to the New Generation Media Corporation. Whereas an official launch has been planned on 18 October at Chennai’s Leela Palace where everything about the baby channel will be revealed. The ad sales are being handled by Fourth Dimension Media Solutions while the media and creative duties will be handled by Mindshare Chennai and Disha Communications respectively. The channel logo will be unveiled on the day of the launch.
Nearly Rs 100 crore has been invested in the channel, which plans to air about 100 hours of in-house content per week including serials, reality and non-fiction shows, with the rest commissioned to producers. Popular Tamil film celebrities such as Simran, Sonia Agarwal and Ambika are expected to grace the shows with their presence.
New Generation Media Corporation CEO R B U Shyam Kumar couldn’t have been happier as the launch is happening before Diwali as he’d wanted.
As of now, each hour will see about seven to eight minutes of advertising. Fourth Dimension has recently opened up an office in Mumbai to attract more advertisers for the channel. “I have travelled extensively across India and the response to the channel has been terrific,” says Fourth Dimension Media Solutions CEO Shankar B.
Digitally speaking, all the shows will be available on the channel’s website plus viewers will be able to live stream them with a delay of just one or two minutes.
Plans are afoot to launch an application for Android and iOS that will be free for the first three months, post which it will be made subscription based. Viewers will be able to see live TV on the application as well.
“We tried the application with our news channel Puthiya Thalaimurai TV, and we realized people want to view us wherever they are,” says Pudhu Yugam convergence head Manikanda Boopathi. The channel will be available as a pack with PT TV for a price of Rs 250-Rs 300 per annum. Apart from that, it has also tied up with Yupptv for showing live TV and VOD.
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“We know where the world is heading and we want to be ahead of everyone else,” says an optimistic Boopathy. The PT TV application has had over 80,000 downloads that gives viewers three options- live TV, just live audio (for low bandwidth) and live tickr. All this with just under four minutes of delay.
There are plans to have live streaming in HD for Tamilians in US in phase II considering Indian bandwidth is too low to allow HD on the internet.
Like in the case of Puthiya Thalaimurai, the marketing campaign will focus more on outdoor than TV. Closer to the launch, events such as flashmobs have also been planned to generate buzz.
Pudhu Yugam plans a breakthrough in the GEC space by positioning itself as a General Engagement (and not Entertainment) Channel with domestic as well as foreign-based Tamil viewers as its target audience.
Only time will tell if Pudhu Yugam can give established networks like Sun and Jaya a run for their TVTs…
NEW DELHI: Hamdard Laboratories gathered a cross-section of India’s achievers in New Delhi on Friday, handing out the Hakeem Abdul Hameed Excellence Awards to figures who have left their mark across healthcare, education, sport, public service and the arts.
The ceremony, attended by minister of state for defence Sanjay Seth and senior officials from the ministry of Ayush, celebrated individuals whose work blends professional success with a sense of public purpose. It was as much a roll call of achievement as it was a reminder that influence is not measured only in profits or podiums, but in people reached and lives improved.
Among the headline awardees was Alakh Pandey, founder and chief executive of PhysicsWallah, recognised for turning affordable digital learning into a mass movement. On the sporting front, Arjuna Awardee and kabaddi player Sakshi Puniya was honoured for her contribution to the game and for pushing women’s participation onto bigger stages.
The cultural spotlight fell on veteran lyricist and poet Santosh Anand, whose songs have echoed across generations of Hindi cinema. At 97, Anand accepted the honour with characteristic humility, reflecting on a life shaped by perseverance and hope.
Healthcare honours spanned both modern and traditional systems. Manoj N. Nesari was recognised for strengthening Ayurveda’s place in national and global health frameworks. Padma shri Mohammed Abdul Waheed was honoured for his research-backed work in Unani medicine, while padma shri Mohsin Wali received recognition for his long-standing contribution to patient-centred care.
Education and social development also featured prominently. Padma shri Zahir Ishaq Kazi was honoured for decades of work in education, while former Meghalaya superintendent of Police T. C. Chacko was recognised for public service. Goonj founder Anshu Gupta received an award for his dignity-centred rural development initiatives, and the Hunar Shakti Foundation was honoured for empowering women and young girls through skill development.
The Lifetime Achievement Award went to former IAS officer Shailaja Chandra for her long career in public healthcare and governance, particularly in the traditional systems under Ayush.
Speaking at the event, Hamdard chairman Abdul Majeed said the awards were a tribute to those who combine excellence with empathy. “These awardees reflect Hakeem Sahib’s belief that healthcare, education and public service must ultimately serve humanity,” he said.
Minister Seth struck a forward-looking note, saying India’s young population gives the country a unique opportunity to become a global destination for learning, health and wellness by 2047.
The ceremony also featured the trailer launch of Unani Ki Kahaani, an upcoming documentary starring actor Jim Sarbh, set to premiere on Discovery on 11 February.
Instituted in memory of Unani scholar and educationist Hakeem Abdul Hameed, the awards have grown into a national platform that celebrates those building a more inclusive and resilient India. For one evening at least, the spotlight was not just on success, but on service with substance.
