GECs
International Yoga Day, Father’s Day, World Music Day keeps TV channels busy
MUMBAI: If you think, you’re going to spend this Sunday, 21 June, watching show repeats or movies on entertainment channels… think again!
It’s a busy Sunday for TV channels as we celebrate World Music Day, Father’s Day and International Yoga Day on 21 June. To keep viewers glued to their TV sets, channels will be showcasing relevant content pertaining to the three occasions.
International Yoga Day
Yoga is an invaluable gift of India’s ancient tradition. It embodies unity of mind and body; thought and action; restraint and fulfillment; harmony between man and nature; a holistic approach to health and well-being.
With International Yoga Day around the corner, Zee Group’s media & entertainment companies are gearing up to actively participate in the same. The companies, which are lending support to this initiative are Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (Zeel), Zee Media Corporation Limited (ZMCL), Z Living, Zee Learn Limited and Zee Digital Convergence. The network plans to make this a major national and global event.
Among Zee Entertainment’s bouquet of channels, Zee TV will feature Yoga-based content integration in its popular shows, Satrangi Sasural and Neeli Chhatri Waale while &TV will be integrating the essence of International Yoga Day through its shows – Dilli Wali Thakur Gurls, Bhaghyalakshmi and Gangaa.
Zindagi, the premium Hindi GEC, will espouse the effectiveness of practicing Yoga through its afternoon show Simply Beautiful, which is based on healthy living. The network’s free-to-air (FTA) channel, Zee Anmol will run fillers, each of which will focus on one Chakra of the body and how a particular type of Yoga cleanses that chakra, infusing energy into the body and bringing about a positive change.
Zeel’s Hindi movie cluster will integrate Yoga and Bollywood to commemorate International Yoga Day. The channels will urge audiences to adopt Yoga as a lifestyle choice by showcasing advice from Yoga instructors as well as trivia and quotes from stars practicing Yoga.
Truly living up to the name ‘International’ Yoga Day, Zeel’s international territories will also be supporting and celebrating this ancient Indian tradition in Zee Americas, ZLiving, Zee UK & Europe, Zee TV Russia and Zee TV Africa.
The various channels of ZMCL like Zee News, Zee Business, Zee 24 Taas, Zee Sangam etc are also participating in the International Yoga Day celebrations.
Speaking on the importance of International Yoga Day, Zee & Essel Group chairman Dr. Subhash Chandra said, ”The ancient Indian practice of Yoga nurtures the mind, working through the medium of the body. Yoga enhances the body and soul with additional strength, zeal and beauty. It is a beautiful act of nurturing the divinity within you. I strongly believe that it is a gift to all of us, and it is essential that we work towards making it a mass movement globally. I am confident that the International Yoga Day which our Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has initiated will have a strong impact on humanity, maybe not immediately but definitely in the next five to ten years.”
Elaborating on the Group’s participation in the International Yoga Day, Zeel MD & CEO Punit Goenka added, ”Yoga is a way of living, which recharges the body and promotes the balanced development of the physical, mental and spiritual being. As the excitement around International Yoga Day builds up, we, at the ZEE Group, have lined up a range of yoga-based activities to engage with our viewers across the world. Our channels and brands will feature yoga content integration, expert advice from yoga gurus, useful trivia, celebrity bytes and yoga cuisine, among other interesting initiatives throughout the day. Apart from this, we are celebrating Yoga Week across all our offices where employees will perform yoga sessions led by expert instructors.”
News channels are also busy preparing their special bulletins and features around Yoga. NewsX’s Cover Story celebrates the first World Yoga Day with its senior executive producer Priya Sahgal, who will focus on the art of Yoga with the well-known Yoga expert, Ira Trivedi. On this Yoga special episode, Trivedi will take viewers through some quick fix exercises for healthy living while we are struggling hard with our urban lifestyle.
On the other hand, CNN-IBN has planned an extensive programming lineup with World Bows to Yoga. The programming will cover various elements of Yoga ranging from its origin and history to its commercialization and diversification.
The special programming will also bring together Yoga and spiritual gurus such as Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Baba Ramdev, Jaggi Maharaj and volunteers from Parmarth Niketan who will share their experiences with the viewers. The channel will also telecast special segments featuring politicians, celebrities and activists who practice Yoga on a regular basis and will highlight their take on the same.
CNN-IBN has collaborated with OBVI (Overseas Volunteers for Better India) and TV Asia to bring its viewers an international perspective on the celebration from more than 100 cities in the United States as well as the live telecast of the Yogathon.
IBN7 will telecast exclusive programming titled Yog Ka Mahakumbh for its viewers. The programming will cover all aspects of Yoga extensively and will demonstrate its history and culture, different techniques and its therapeutic effect. The special programming will also bring together Yoga experts from the country and exhibiting Yoga Asans for our audience. The programming will also feature prominent public figures and celebrities who practice Yoga on a regular basis and their take on the same.
World Music Day
Music is timeless and the song always remains the same. This World Music Day, 9XO will celebrate hits from across the decade featuring legends like Michael Jackson, Bruno Mars, Taylor Swift, Shania Twain, Backstreet Boys and One Direction. Commenced from 19 June, it runs over three days (till 21 June) and gives viewers a chance to discover great music with 20 artists.
9X Jalwa will be celebrating different moods of Hindi film music, from melodious romantic ballads to upscale, groovy dance numbers to fun, naughty songs all through the day.
Taking viewers closer to the most successful, loved and sensational youth boy band of the decade, One Direction will be AXN India. Viewers will witness the superstars come alive in their concert film One Direction: This Is Us.
The band came in limelight when it participated in the British show X Factor. One Direction: This Is Us will take viewers to the stunning live concert footage, showcase their meteoric rise to fame, from their humble hometown beginnings and competing on the X-Factor, to conquering the world and performing at London’s famed O2 Arena.
Martin Scorsese, Chris Rock and Alexis Petridis, who have been part of the band’s journey will be making guest appearances in the film. It will air on 12 pm and 6 pm on AXN India.
Vh1 will be hosting a first-of-its-kind online music festival – Vh1 Relay Music Festival on Twitter from 12 noon onwards. Each artist associated with the festival will take over the Vh1 Twitter ID for an hour and a half each and consistently share YouTube video links along with a one-line description. The artists will engage with Vh1 fans following the handle and revert to comments and tweets related to World Music Day.
Father’s Day special
English Entertainment channel, Sony Pix will celebrate Father’s Day with three back-to-back movies on 21 June from 6 pm onwards. The channel will air The Lion King at 6 pm, followed by the beautiful bond of a father-son relationship in The Pursuit of Happyness at 8 pm, and the transformation of a young boy into a confident warrior in The Karate Kid at 10.30 pm.
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.
