BIG FM wins 63 honours at ACEF Global 2026, named Radio Network of the Year

MUMBAI: BIG FM emerged as one of the biggest winners at the ACEF Global Customer Engagement Summit and Awards 2026, taking home 63 awards across eight categories and securing the title of ‘Radio Network of the Year’.

The haul marked one of the strongest performances by a radio network at this year’s edition of the awards and highlighted BIG FM’s growing ambitions beyond traditional broadcasting. The network’s wins spanned regional programming, branded campaigns, digital innovation, experiential marketing and RJ-led audience engagement, reflecting its push to position itself as a multimedia content ecosystem rather than only a radio player.

Industry observers noted that BIG FM’s regional and Bharat-focused initiatives stood out strongly during the awards season, particularly campaigns built around local culture, language and community engagement. Its on-ground activations and digital storytelling formats also received recognition, reinforcing the network’s strategy of blending audio, social media and live experiences into a single consumer journey.

Speaking on the achievement, BIG FM CEO Ashit Kukian said, “The media landscape today demands platforms that can move fluidly across audio, digital, social and on-ground experiences while still staying authentic to the audience. That has been our focus at BIG FM.”

He added that the awards recognised not just individual campaigns but the broader content ecosystem the company has been building around storytelling, participation and cultural relevance.

The recognition comes at a time when radio networks are increasingly evolving into cross-platform entertainment brands, competing not just for listeners but for audience attention across video, podcasts, events and creator-led communities. BIG FM’s strategy has leaned heavily on personality-driven programming and nostalgia-backed storytelling, helping it maintain relevance in a fragmented media market.

Owned by Reliance Broadcast Network Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sapphire Media Limited, BIG FM says it reaches more than 340 million listeners through 67 stations across India.

The network has also expanded its digital footprint through AI-led initiatives and interactive entertainment formats including Super Duper Dhamaka, BIG Dhun and BIG Bingo Cricket. Its programming slate includes popular shows hosted by personalities such as Annu Kapoor, Neelesh Misra and Subodh Bhave, while its refreshed brand identity recently featured a reimagined anthem by Sushant Divgikar.

For BIG FM, the 63-award sweep is more than a trophy count. It signals how legacy radio brands are reinventing themselves for an audience that now expects content to travel seamlessly from headphones and car speakers to reels, live events and digital communities.