GECs
Karnataka MSO Amogh Broadband plans expansion
MUMBAI: Amogh Broadband Services, a multi-system operator (MSO) owned by Karnataka chief minister D Kumaraswamy’s wife Anitha and a group of entrepreneurs, is on a major expansion spree.
The promoters have recently bought out the 26 per cent stake held by Pratap Wadhwa who heads Hinduja-owned Incablenet in Bangalore. Plans are now afoot to launch digital cable TV service in Bangalore by 15 October while expanding analogue business into the other bigger towns of Karnataka.
“Wadhwa has offloaded his stake in Amogh Broadband. We are investing heavily on expanding our cable network,” says Amogh Broadband director M V Prasad Babu.
The set-top boxes (STBs) will be supplied by Bharat Electronics Ltd. (BEL) and is expected to be priced at Rs 2,200 (excluding taxes). The company is also in advanced negotiations with a vendor from Taiwan for the high-end STBs.
The conditional access system (CAS) platform is being provided by Norway’s Conax. The subscriber management system (SMS) solutions will be from Hyderabad-based MagnaQuest. “We will have one digital headend in Bangalore,” says Babu.
Amogh has a control room for analogue cable in Bangalore, Hasan and Mandya. “We offer 103 television channels on our analogue cable and are spread over three districts. We plan to have 150 channels on our digital system,” Babu says.
The MSO has tied up with Railtel to spread its reach throughout the state. “In the first phase, we will expand our network in these three districts. Then we will look at the other regions of Karnataka,” says Babu.
Amogh also plans to launch broadband services for its subscribers. “We had tied up with Spectranet and Dishnet and were offering broadband. But we have stopped this now and are planning to soon have our own broadband service through the ethernet. We will only be targeting retail customers,” says Babu.
The promoters of Amogh are also launching a general entertainment and news channel, Kannada Kasturi, through a separate company, Kasturi Media Pvt Ltd.
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.
