GECs
SET to unveil new look Saturday as ‘Kutumb’ completes week on air
It’s all happening at Sony Entertainment television. Close on the heels of the launch of its new serial Kutumb on Monday, the channel is all set to take on a whole new on-air look from Saturday, 3 November, at 7 am.
All part of the “course correction” exercise underway at Sony, sister channel MAX will also sport a new look soon.
Termed as being linked to the sixth anniversary celebrations of its flagship channels, the new on-air look has been a major project for the SET team. Kacon Sethi, executive V-P, who led the team, says: “From Day One, slick and unique packaging has been one of the strengths of Sony Entertainment Television, and our viewers have always had very high expectations of the channel. Hence the on-air look refreshes every two years, and this time we felt that our sixth anniversary would be the perfect time to make the change happen.”
The new look has been executed by the Hollywood-based award winning design house Belief, which bagged a pitch that was open to seven other design houses from the USA and UK, a company release states.
“We’ve done three sets of designs for the new look,” Sethi reveals, “And you will see it evolve every six months.”
On the programming front, Monday saw the launch at 9:30 pm of Kutumb, the new daily soap from the – you guessed it – Balaji stable,.
Kutumb is the first new serial on Sony after its rightsizing exercise and runs monday to Thursday. It telecasts immediately after Kkusum, the current channel driver, which is on air five days a week at 9 pm.
SET will be watching on tenterhooks as two new Star serials – Aruna Irani’s maiden directorial venture, Des Mein Nikala Hoga Chand takes the 9-10 pm slot on Mondays and another Balaji production, Kasauti Zindagi Kay will beam from Monday to Thursday at 8:30 pm. The launch of the two Star serials coincides with the whittling down of gameshow Kaun Banega Crorepati to twice a week.
With Movers and Shakers gone, and the launch of Shubh Vivaah (a matrimonial show hosted by screen queen Madhuri Dixit) delayed indefinitely, Sony now desperately needs a hit, which it hopes Kutumb, will deliver.
Initial reports of Kutumb appear to be positive though with viewers taking kindly to the “different” plotline.
For related reports on Sony’s new strategies and Kutumb plotline click below:
Sony hopes soaps will do for the near term
Tide has turned for Sony, asserts Dasgupta
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.
