GECs
Notching up visibility: News Nation
MUMBAI: It’s already very crowded in the Hindi news genre, but this new entrant believes it can make a difference.
Enter News Nation: the Hindi news channel launched in February, promoted by Newsnation Network, having Abhay Oswal as chairman and veteran journalist Shailesh Kumar as editor in chief.
Targeted at an educated and sophisticated Hindi-speaking audience and offering insights into politics, crime, corruption, cricket and Bollywood, the channel is now preparing to announce its arrival on the Hindi news stage.
While work on News Nation began one-and-a-half years ago, the marketing campaign only started taking shape three to four months back. According to sources, approximately Rs 10-12 crore have been spent on the entire promotional campaign.
Of which, the TVC campaign branded ‘Khabrein Jo Banti Hai Aapki Power’ kicked-off on 18 September and will run till the end of this month on channels including Colors, Star Plus, Sony, Sab, Life OK, Sony Max, Star Gold, Movies OK, Times Now, CNN IBN, ET Now, CNBC TV 18, CNBC Awaaz, NGC, Discovery and Animal Planet. Both TVCs created by McCann Erickson sport a retro look and give the message that News Nation will keep audiences up-to-speed with ‘news they can use’.
With HSM markets in the age group 15+ male across SEC A B and C as the channel’s target audience, advertisements have been placed in key spots during the day such as the popular show Comedy Nights with Kapil on Colors, the Lootera premiere on Sony, and the soon to premiere Once Upon Ay Time in Mumbai Dobaara also on Sony.
Meanwhile, radio and outdoor campaigns are scheduled to begin mid-October, to run till the first week of November. Regular advertisements will run across prominent radio stations in Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Jaipur. Apart from these, contests will run either as contest on the TVC or as election-based.
Across the HSM market, 10-11 cities will witness outdoor advertising from News Nation. Approximately 810 hoardings and bus shelters and transportation vehicles have been blocked to feature the channel’s ads. Trade sites are a priority on the digital front. A search engine optimisation will soon be conducted, allowing visibility to increase four-fold. The digital department, operated by a five-member team, aims to get more robust.
The entire campaign is being handled by a marketing team comprising three of the 320 employees in the organisation which includes everyone in the head office in Noida and bureaus in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata as also the Hindi-speaking states. As of now, News Nation has no plans to enter the southern market.
Now that there’s a newbie in an already cluttered Hindi news space, only time will tell if it creates a unique identity or blends into the crowd.
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.
