GECs
Dec ’16: Private TV channels now number 899
NEW DELHI: The total number of private television channels has risen to 899, with nine new television channels cleared in December 2016.
The new channels are: Living Entertainment Enterprises Pvt. Ltd’s general entertainment channels Living Flavourz (GEC), Living Travelz (GEC), Living Rootz, and Z Living; Shop CJ Network Pvt. Ltd’s shopping channels Shop CJ Tamil and Shop CJ Telugu; Kerala Communicators Cable Ltd’s GEC Kerala Vision; Mass Telecasting Pvt. Ltd’s non-news MT; and Sony Pictures Network Media Pvt. Ltd’s movie channel Sony Pix 2 HD.
Of these, only Sony Pix 2 HD has got downlinking permission, as it is uplinked from overseas.
The clearance has been given by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry under the Uplinking and Downlinking Guidelines of 2011.
he total includes elevent channels whose licences had been cancelled as they failed to get security clearances but which got stay from different High Courts. These include two channels of Entertainment Television Network Pvt Ltd – M Tunes HD Hindi (earlier known as ETC Hindi) and Bhakti Sagar (earlier known as M Tunes Tamil/ETC Punjabi) – five channels of Mahuua Media Private Ltd – Mahuua, Mahuua News, First india, Mahua Music, and Mahua Music – and four channels of STV Enterprises Ltd – PUNJAB TODAY, STV JAMMU-KASHMIR NEWS, STV HARYANA NEWS, and STV UP NEWS.
The list of permitted private satellite TV channels is available in this ministry’s website i.e. www.mib.nic.in. and the list of permitted teleports as on date is enclosed.
GECs
Asianet Television Awards 2026 celebrates women power in Malayalam TV
“She is the Colour” theme honours icons as ceremony airs on March 14 and 15 at 7 PM.
MUMBAI: If television lights up living rooms, this year Asianet decided to let women provide the colour. The Asianet Television Awards 2026 turned the spotlight firmly on women empowerment with the theme “She is the Colour”, celebrating the strength, resilience and achievements of women who continue to shape society and the Malayalam entertainment industry.
The ceremony honoured several distinguished personalities whose journeys have left a lasting cultural imprint. Among them was legendary playback singer Vimala Varma, widely recognised as the first Malayalam playback singer. The evening also paid tribute to Padma Shri awardees Devaki Amma and Vimala Menon for their exceptional contributions in their respective fields.
Leading women from the Malayalam film industry were also recognised during the event, including actor Shweta Menon, who currently serves as president of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists, and National Award winning actor Surabhi Lakshmi.
The awards ceremony brought together a glittering lineup of actors and industry figures, including Jayasurya, Vijay Babu, Asha Sarath, Lena, Esther Anil, Anumol, Akhila Bhargavan, Sarayu Mohan, Prajod Kalabhavan, Gayathri Suresh, Sabumon Abdusamad, Swasika, Tini Tom, Sijoy Varghese, Kailash, Veena Nandakumar, Sabareesh Varma, Ansiba Hassan and Dinesh Prabhakar. Kishan Kumar, executive vice president Malayalam at JioStar, was also present at the event.
Beyond individual recognitions, the awards celebrated excellence across Malayalam television, acknowledging artists and technicians whose work continues to drive the industry forward.
The evening also offered plenty of spectacle, with elaborate dance performances, stunt acts and comedy skits performed by popular television and film personalities, turning the ceremony into a full fledged entertainment showcase.
Viewers will get to watch the celebrations when the Asianet Television Awards 2026 air on Asianet on March 14 and 15, Saturday and Sunday, from 7 pm onwards, bringing the star studded tribute to homes across Kerala and beyond.
