MAM
Life OK topples Sab, touches high of 123 GRPs
MUMBAI: Star India’s gamble of ceasing non-performing second rung Hindi general entertainment channel Star One and starting afresh with a channel sans Star branding is paying off.
Life OK, the second Hindi GEC channel from the Star stable, has reached its all time high with 123 GRPs (gross rating points) in the week ended 19 May.
As per Tam data for the Hindi speaking markets (C&S, 4+), the channel has added 33 GRPs in the week. It has also overtaken Multi Screen Media’s second Hindi GEC Sab to capture the fifth position on the GEC ladder.
“We are happy that within six months of launch we have reached so far. What is important is that viewers are connecting to our core philosophy of ‘appreciating what we have’. All our shows are highlighting a cause or issue and viewers are appreciating it,” Life OK GM Ajit Thakur told Indiantelevision.com.
He added that despite very big shows, it’s the “philosophy and disruptive strategy” which is working for the channel.
For Life OK, its mythological show Devon Ke Dev Mahadev remained the top gainer. With the high point during the week, the average weekly ratings of the show surged from 1.1 TVR in the last week to 2.3 TVR in the week ended 19 May.
Also, Saubhagyawati Bhava’s average ratings have gone up to 1.4 TVR from 1.1 TVR in the previous week.
Thakur said that in the coming week, two shows – Saubhagyawati Bhava and Mai Laxmi Tere Aangan Ki – will have high points, which will further give a peak to the channel. The channel will also have a week-long special of Savdhan India.
Thakur said that Star India has allowed the channel to take big risks and that he has the youngest team with passion and commitment to run the channel, which is helping in growing it.
Launched on 18 December last year, Life OK had debuted with 87 GRPs in its kitty.
Meanwhile, a look at the other channels’ scorecard:
Star Plus maintained its lead, even if it lost 14 GRPs during the week. The channel ended the week with 262 GRPs. Satyamev Jayate rated 4.4 TVR in HSM markets (All 4+, HSM) and a national TVR of 3.7 (All 4+, All India).
These are simulcast ratings of the original episode aired on Sunday morning 11 am across nine channels (Star Plus, Star Pravah, Star Jalsha, Star World, Star Utsav, Star Vijay, Asianet, ETV Telegu and Doordarshan).
Four of its primetime shows found place among the top 10 shows on the Hindi GECs.
Zee TV and Colors shared second spot with 213 GRPs each. While Colors added 12 GRPs to its last week’s tally, Zee TV lost 11 GRPs.
Zee TV’s DID Li’L Masters and its auditions episode featured in the top 10 shows while Colors had only Balika Vadhu in the list.
Sony Entertainment Television (Set) followed with 210 GRPs, losing seven GRPs during the week.
Sab was the biggest loser in the week. It lost 15 GRPs and slipped below Life OK to end the week at 116 GRPs (last week 131 GRPs).
Sahara One maintained its status quo with 39 GRPs (last week 40), while Imagine TV, which has ceased original programming, closed the week with 2 GRPs.
Brands
YES Bank hands the keys to SBI veteran Vinay Tonse as it bets on a new era
Former SBI managing director appointed as YES Bank’s new MD and CEO
MUMBAI: YES Bank is done rebuilding. Now it wants to grow. The private sector lender has appointed Vinay Muralidhar Tonse as managing director and chief executive officer-designate, with RBI approval secured and a start date of April 6, 2026 confirmed. The three-year term signals the bank’s intent to shift gears from crisis recovery to full-throttle expansion.
Tonse, 60, is no stranger to scale. Most recently managing director at State Bank of India, he oversaw a retail book of roughly $800bn in deposits and advances, one of the largest in the country. Before that, he ran SBI Mutual Fund from August 2020 to December 2022, a stint that saw assets under management surge from Rs 4.32 lakh crore to Rs 7.32 lakh crore across market cycles. Add stints in Singapore and four years leading SBI’s overseas operations in Osaka, and the incoming chief arrives with a genuinely global CV.
His academic grounding is equally solid: a commerce degree from St Joseph’s College of Commerce, Bengaluru, and a master’s in commerce from Bangalore University.
The appointment follows an extensive search and evaluation process by the bank’s Nomination and Remuneration Committee. NRC chairperson Nandita Gurjar said the committee unanimously backed Tonse, citing his leadership track record, governance credentials and ability to drive the bank’s next phase of transformation.
Non-executive chairman Rama Subramaniam Gandhi was unequivocal. “I am certain that Vinay Tonse, with his vast experience as a senior banker, will propel YES Bank to its next phase of growth,” Gandhi said, adding that the bank remains focused on strengthening its retail and corporate banking franchises and expanding its branch network.
Rajeev Kannan, non-executive director and senior executive at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, the bank’s largest shareholder, said Tonse’s experience across retail, corporate banking, global markets and asset management positioned him well to lead the lender. SMBC said it looks forward to working with Tonse and the board as YES Bank pursues its ambition of becoming a top-tier private sector lender anchored in strong governance and sustainable growth.
Tonse succeeds Prashant Kumar, who took the helm in March 2020 when YES Bank was in freefall following a severe financial crisis, and spent six years painstakingly stabilising the institution, rebuilding governance and restoring operational scale. Gandhi was generous: “The bank remains indebted to Prashant Kumar, who is responsible for much of what a strong financial powerhouse YES Bank is today.”
Tonse, for his part, struck a purposeful note. “Together with the board and my colleagues, I remain deeply committed to creating long-term value for all our stakeholders,” he said, pledging to build on Kumar’s foundation guided by his personal motto: Make A Difference.
Beyond the balance sheet, Tonse played cricket at college and club level and represented Karnataka in archery at the national championships — sports he credits with teaching him teamwork, situational leadership, discipline and focus. In quieter moments, he reaches for retro Kannada music, classic Hindi songs, and the crooning of Engelbert Humperdinck, Mukesh and Kishore Kumar.
YES Bank has its steady-handed rebuilder in Kumar to thank for survival. Now it has a scale-obsessed growth banker at the wheel. The next chapter starts April 6.
