MAM
Sony gets push from Filmfare Awards telecast
MUMBAI: The glamour and glitz of Bollywood is raking in ratings. In its most recent exposure, the Filmfare Awards has given its telecast partner Sony Entertainment Television (Set) a decent 26 GRP (gross rating points) push.
Sony collected 180 GRPs for the week ended 12 February, up from 154 it reported in the trailing week, but remained in the fourth spot behind Hindi general entertainment channel leader Star Plus, second-ranked Colors and Zee TV.
The Filmfare Awards, aired on 6 February, clocked a TVR of 5.2 in the Hindi speaking market (C&S, 4+ years), according to Tam data. The 217-minute show got a reach of 21 per cent while time spent was 53.6 minutes.
The Filmfare Awards garnered better ratings than Zee Cine Awards. Aired on 30 January on Zee TV, Zee Cine Awards had managed a 4.5 TVR and a 19.4 per cent reach for the 242 minutes show. However, time spent on Zee Cine Awards was slightly higher at 55.7 minutes.
Meanwhile, Hindi GECs collectively saw a decline in the ratings by 49 GRPs. Genre leader Star Plus shed eight GRPs, but maintained its lead status with 318 GRPs. Colors lost 28 GRPs to score 237 GRPs, followed by third-ranked Zee TV with 220 GRPs (shedding 30 GRPs). The channel had added 26 GRPs on the back of Zee Cine Awards last week.
Hindi comedy-entertainment channel Sab remained rock solid with 153 GRPs (from 152 GRPs).
Imagine TV lost 14 GRPs during the week as its big ticket reality show Zor Ka Jhataka – Total Wipeout – failed to impress. The Shah Rukh Khan hosted show, which opened with a 2.6 TVR in the previous week, could not manage to attract audience in the second week and its average rating fell from 2.6 TVR to 1.4 TVR.
Imagine TV fell to 86 GRPs. Star One garnered 41 GRPs (from 35 GRPs last week) while Sahara One was at 27 GRPs (last week 28), according to Tam data.
MUMBAI: In India’s fast-moving payments race, Visa has just swiped in a new leader. The company has named Suresh Sethi as its India country head, marking a key leadership shift as it sharpens its focus on digital payments growth in the market. Sethi steps into the role following his recent exit from Protean eGov Technologies, where he served as chief executive officer. He succeeds Sandeep Ghosh, who has moved on after more than four years at Visa to pursue an external opportunity.
The appointment comes at a time when Visa is doubling down on its expansion strategy across India and the wider region, deepening partnerships and accelerating adoption in an increasingly competitive digital payments ecosystem.
Sethi brings with him a broad, cross-market perspective shaped by decades of experience across corporate banking, retail financial services, mobile money and large-scale government technology initiatives. He began his career at Citigroup, where he spent 14 years working across India, Africa, South America and the United States, focusing on transaction banking services within the corporate bank.
His appointment signals a blend of institutional experience and market familiarity qualities that could prove critical as Visa navigates a landscape where fintech innovation, regulatory evolution and consumer adoption are all accelerating at once.
As digital payments in India continue to scale rapidly, the leadership change underscores a simple reality, in a market where every tap, scan and swipe counts, who leads the charge can matter just as much as the technology itself.
