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Bahubali & King Kong etc aid Sony Max continuance in Top 10
BENGALURU: This is the second week in a row after the tenth season of the Indian Premier League (IPL 10) that good movies have found a place for Sony Pictures Network (SPN) Hindi Movies channel Sony Max in the weekly top 10 channels list across genre. The Broadcast Audience Research Council of India (BARC) list of top 10 channels for week 25 (Saturday, 17 June 2017 to Friday, 23 June 2017) has Sony Max at sixth rank with 543.438 million weekly impressions, far improved from the ninth rank with 460.016 million weekly impressions for week 24. The movies Bahubali – The Beginning, King Kong, Double Attack 2 and Sooryavansham, which were among the five most watched weekly programmes in the Hindi Movies and Hindi Movies Urban markets seemed to have helped in the presence and escalation of the movie channel in a list that is generally dominated by either GECs’ or channels that air sports events aka cricket.
Three channels from the SPN stable, two channels each from the Sun TV Networks, Viacom 18 and Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (Zeel) stables and one from the Star India group made it to the BARC India weekly top 10 channels across genres list for week 25 of 2017. Putting it another way – One channel each from the Tamil GEC, Telugu GEC and Hindi Movies genres and seven channels from the Hindi GEC genre made up the BARC weekly top 10 channels list for week 25.
With the end of the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 in the early part of week 24, Star India’s Star Sports 1 Hindi exited the weekly top ten channels across genres in week 25. Sun TV continued to lead the list at first place with 1017.773 million weekly impressions, followed by Star India’s flagship Hindi GEC channel Star Plus with 640.486 million impressions at second place. Zeel’s Hindi GEC Zee Anmol was at third place with 581.906 million weekly impressions followed by SPN’s Hindi GEC women centric channel Sony Pal with 563.41 million impressions at fourth rank – a rank that the channel has retained for the third week in a row.
Network 18 (Viacom 18) channel Rishtey was at fifth place with 550.796 million weekly impressions – this was the fourth week in a row that Rishtey maintained the fifth place in BARC’s weekly top 10 channels across genre list. As mentioned above, Sony Max was at sixth place, followed by another Viacom 18 channel – its flagship Hindi GEC – Colors with 525.45 million weekly impressions at seventh place. Colors had been ranked tenth in the previous week.
Zeel’s flagship Hindi GEC Zee TV with 516.04 million weekly impressions was at eighth place followed by the Sun Network’s Telugu flagship GEC Gemini TV with 493.489 million weekly impressions at ninth place. SPN’s Hindi channel specializing in comedy and lighthearted drama shows – Sony Sab completed the dectet with 454.614 million weekly impressions.
NEW DELHI: Hamdard Laboratories gathered a cross-section of India’s achievers in New Delhi on Friday, handing out the Hakeem Abdul Hameed Excellence Awards to figures who have left their mark across healthcare, education, sport, public service and the arts.
The ceremony, attended by minister of state for defence Sanjay Seth and senior officials from the ministry of Ayush, celebrated individuals whose work blends professional success with a sense of public purpose. It was as much a roll call of achievement as it was a reminder that influence is not measured only in profits or podiums, but in people reached and lives improved.
Among the headline awardees was Alakh Pandey, founder and chief executive of PhysicsWallah, recognised for turning affordable digital learning into a mass movement. On the sporting front, Arjuna Awardee and kabaddi player Sakshi Puniya was honoured for her contribution to the game and for pushing women’s participation onto bigger stages.
The cultural spotlight fell on veteran lyricist and poet Santosh Anand, whose songs have echoed across generations of Hindi cinema. At 97, Anand accepted the honour with characteristic humility, reflecting on a life shaped by perseverance and hope.
Healthcare honours spanned both modern and traditional systems. Manoj N. Nesari was recognised for strengthening Ayurveda’s place in national and global health frameworks. Padma shri Mohammed Abdul Waheed was honoured for his research-backed work in Unani medicine, while padma shri Mohsin Wali received recognition for his long-standing contribution to patient-centred care.
Education and social development also featured prominently. Padma shri Zahir Ishaq Kazi was honoured for decades of work in education, while former Meghalaya superintendent of Police T. C. Chacko was recognised for public service. Goonj founder Anshu Gupta received an award for his dignity-centred rural development initiatives, and the Hunar Shakti Foundation was honoured for empowering women and young girls through skill development.
The Lifetime Achievement Award went to former IAS officer Shailaja Chandra for her long career in public healthcare and governance, particularly in the traditional systems under Ayush.
Speaking at the event, Hamdard chairman Abdul Majeed said the awards were a tribute to those who combine excellence with empathy. “These awardees reflect Hakeem Sahib’s belief that healthcare, education and public service must ultimately serve humanity,” he said.
Minister Seth struck a forward-looking note, saying India’s young population gives the country a unique opportunity to become a global destination for learning, health and wellness by 2047.
The ceremony also featured the trailer launch of Unani Ki Kahaani, an upcoming documentary starring actor Jim Sarbh, set to premiere on Discovery on 11 February.
Instituted in memory of Unani scholar and educationist Hakeem Abdul Hameed, the awards have grown into a national platform that celebrates those building a more inclusive and resilient India. For one evening at least, the spotlight was not just on success, but on service with substance.
