News Broadcasting
Hungama TV to launch 26 September
MUMBAI: Hungama TV, the 24-hour kids’ channel from the UTV stable, will start beaming into Indian homes from 10 am on Sunday, 26 September.
However, with just nine days to go for the channel to start beaming, it is yet to get ministry clearance for uplinking. Talking exclusively to Indiantelevision.com, Hungama TV COO Purnendu Bose expresses confidence that the clearance would come through within the time period. Even in the event of that not happening, a contingency plan is in place wherein the channel would be temporarily uplinked from Singapore, Bose says.
Hungama TV, to be distributed by Star, will be priced at Rs. 6 per subscriber per month. The channel’s multi-media marketing and promotional campaigns launched today.
Hungama TV has lined up content from around 12 productions houses including Garima, Balaji Telefilms, BAG Films and Creative Eye, among others.
Regarding the methods to be used to involve the 20 TV captains the channel has selected to give inputs, Bose said the communication would be via latest communication technologies. Hungama is also launching its website on the day of its launch.
The kids’ channel will be targeting four to 14-year-olds instead of the four to 18 TG that had earlier been decided upon. Bose adds that 15-18 year-olds is being avoided for the moment to avoid complications, as the research the channel has done thus far showed that the age group thinks differently when compared to the four to 14 group.
Talking about programming content, Bose said 95 per cent of the matter was ready and the rest just needed a finishing touch. The channel will have eight hours per day of original content.
Bose feels that more channels in the children’s programming space would only help to expand a hitherto untapped market.
News Broadcasting
UDF poised to return to power in Kerala, says Manorama-CVoter survey
Massive opinion poll projects shift in Kerala politics ahead of 2026 Assembly elections.
MUMBAI: The winds of change appear to be blowing through Kerala’s political landscape and this time, they seem to favour the United Democratic Front. A comprehensive mega opinion survey conducted by Manorama News in partnership with CVoter projects a potential comeback for the UDF in the upcoming Kerala Legislative Assembly Elections 2026. The survey, covering all 140 constituencies with a massive sample size of nearly 90,000 respondents, predicts the UDF could win between 69 and 81 seats.
The ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) is expected to secure 57 to 69 seats, a significant drop from the 99 seats it won in the 2021 elections. This would mean the LDF losing 30 to 42 of its sitting seats. Meanwhile, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which drew a blank in 2021, is projected to open its account with 1 to 5 seats.
Region-wise, the UDF is expected to make strong gains in Malabar, winning 25 to 34 out of 48 seats, and in Central Kerala, where it could bag 29 to 33 out of 53 seats. In South Kerala, the LDF is likely to retain an edge with 21 to 25 seats, while the UDF may improve to 12 to 16 seats. The NDA could pick up 1 to 3 seats in the southern region.
The survey was conducted between 14 and 26 March 2026, with additional tracker and snap polls carried out from December 2025 to March 2026. A total of 89,693 respondents participated, ensuring representation across all demographics and social segments.
Manorama News has a strong track record of accuracy, with its previous projections closely matching the actual results of the 2019 and 2024 Lok Sabha elections as well as the 2021 Kerala Assembly polls.
In Kerala’s famously fierce political battles, this survey suggests the pendulum may be swinging back. Whether the final verdict matches these numbers or throws up another surprise, one thing is clear, the 2026 Assembly elections are shaping up to be one of the most keenly watched contests in the state’s history.
