GECs
Essel Shyam Communication plans to raise Rs 600 million via IPO
MUMBAI : Essel Shyam Communication Ltd, a 50:50 joint venture between Essel Group and Shyam Group, is looking at an initial public offering (IPO) size of Rs 600 million to fund its expansion plans.
The company plans to set up four teleports, three of which are to be funded from the IPO proceeds. While it has obtained licenses for Mumbai and Noida (in the outskirts of Delhi), the other two teleports will come up at Cochin and Chennai or Hyderabad. The company has earmarked Rs 130 million from the IPO towards installation of teleports and Rs 15 million for playout facilities.
“We hope to come out with the IPO in January-February. The final size will be decided through the book building process. We are looking at Rs 600 million and if there is a necessity, we will fund it through internal accruals,” Essel Shyam Communication ED and whole time director Lalit Jain tells Indiantelevision.com.
The new facility at Noida will be for Ku band. Essel Shyam has an existing teleport in Noida where Zee and several other channels are uplinked. The new teleports in Mumbai and Noida are expected to be completed by 2007.
For the expansion of VSAT operations, the company plans to invest Rs 85 million. Essel Shyam, which has seven hubs, proposes to add another three.
The fund requirement for expanding deployment of DSNG (digital satellite news gathering) vans is Rs 80 million. These services are offered to customers for the purpose of news gathering, content transfer, live coverage and live uplinking of events. A further investment of Rs 175 million is planned to extend its existing BPO of 32 seats to a BPO/KPO of 500 seats. This will include KPO of 70 seats. New businesses will need Rs 50 million (Rs 10 million for system integration and Rs 40 million for radio frequency identification).
Post-IPO, the promoters’ holding, which stands at 97 per cent, will faill to 70 per cent. Essel Shyam has filed Draft Red Herring Prospectus for an IPO with SEBI (Securities Exchange Board of India) and proposes to offer 55,00,000 equity shares of Rs 10 each through the book building process.
The company is into the business of providing various services related to satellite communication such as VSAT, teleport, SNG/DSNG and BPO facilities. The company is providing teleport services to channels of Zee Group, Janmat, Zoom (Times Group), IBN 7, Hungama TV. Several regional channels like Shalom TV, MM TV, Sangeet Bangla, Total TV and Sudarshan TV are also using Essel Shyam’s teleport. The company has recently set up a modern facility for TV Channels from studio to the cable distributor.
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.
