News Broadcasting
‘Taken’ draws lukewarm response for Star Movies
MUMBAI: At least eight million viewers in South East Asia and Taiwan followed Steven Spielberg’s epic saga Taken on Star Movies. In India, however, the show has singularly failed to capture the imagination of the viewer thus far.
TAM data for the six metros SEC AB 4+ for the first two episodes which aired on 12 and 19 October at 9 pm, paint a gloomy picture. The series drew a TVR of just 0.13 and 0.22. The only good news is that slightly more people watched the second episode. So there is still hope for the broadcaster that the science fiction themed show will pick up as it goes along.
It would appear as though a Star Movies multimedia campaign which worked so well for the Academy Awards and for the Made In iIndia band which aired in the same time slot as Taken has failed for once. There were hoardings in the days leading up to the premiere. Some of the most innovative and invigorating television spots on the channel involved Taken. They had given the impression that the only thing one could expect was the unexpected.
Making things worse is the fact that HBO which repeated Top Gun and Universal Soldier The Return for the umpteenth time got higher ratings of 0.19 and 0.35 respectively.
As mentioned earlier, the story for the rest of Asia was very different. Peoplemeter viewing data indicates that the first TV series ever shown on Star Movies, registered two million viewers in Mega Manila. In Taiwan, over 5.5 million people were willingly abducted by the series and over one million Taiwanese fans were tuning in each week.
News Broadcasting
Kamlesh Singh receives Haldi Ghati Award from MMCF
India Today Group editor honoured for three decades of journalism at Udaipur ceremony.
MUMBAI- Kamlesh Singh just turned a lifetime of sharp words into a shiny shield because when journalism wakes up a society, even the Maharana of Mewar wants to pin a medal on it.
The Maharana of Mewar Charitable Foundation (MMCF) conferred its prestigious Haldi Ghati Award on Kamlesh Singh, a senior editor at the India Today Group, during a ceremony in Udaipur on 15 March 2026. The national award, instituted in 1981-82, recognises “work of permanent value that initiates an awakening in society through the medium of journalism.”
Singh, who leads several editorial initiatives including Aaj Tak Radio, the Teen Taal community and The Lallantop, was presented the honour by Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar, Managing Trustee of MMCF. The citation highlighted his three decades of contributions to Indian media, innovations in digital journalism, mentoring young reporters, and his popular podcast persona “Tau” on Teen Taal, which fosters thoughtful public discourse.
The Haldi Ghati Award, named after the historic Battle of Haldighati symbolising valour and resilience, is one of four national awards given annually by MMCF. Past recipients include Tavleen Singh, Piyush Pandey and Raj Chengappa.
Other honourees this year included Padma Vibhushan Pt Hari Prasad Chaurasia, Vedamurti Devvrat Rekhe, Treeman of India Marimuthu Yoganathan, Vir Chakra Capt Rizwan Malik, and US-based researcher Molly Emma Aitken, who received the Colonel James Tod Award for contributions to understanding Mewar’s spirit and values.
In an era where headlines often shout louder than substance, the MMCF quietly reminded everyone that real journalism isn’t about noise, it’s about the quiet, persistent work that stirs society awake, one thoughtful story at a time.
