GECs
‘Lost’, ‘Desperate Housewives’ competing for intl TV Audience Awards
CANNES: The Monte-Carlo TV Festival and Eurodata TV Worldwide have joined forces to allow viewers to reward programmes who delivered the highest ratings worldwide.
The first edition of the International TV Audience Awards will be designated by viewers through the sum of the TV ratings across five continents. It will reward the programme delivering the highest
ratings worldwide in 2005 in three categories: Drama Series, Comedy Series and Telenovela/ Soap Opera.
Nominees were revealed on the occasion of the television event MipTV 2006 in Cannes, France during the Eurodata TV Worldwide’s cocktail party.
Competing in the drama category are Lost, CSI and Without a Trace.
The comedy series nominees are Desperate Housewives, Mr. Bean and Joey.The Telenovela” / Soap Opera nominees are The Bold and the Beautiful, RUBI and Pasión de Gavilanes.
The nominees are pre-selected among the ten best imported fiction programmes in 51 countries, i.e. 2.5 billion potential viewers. The winners will be presented at the 46th Monte-Carlo Television Festival Awards on 1 July 2006 at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco.
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.
