News Broadcasting
Star Gold frames high-voltage plan to take on rivals
MUMBAI: Showing aggresive intent, Star India’s Hindi movie channel Star Gold has an eventful August-September planned out. Taking off on the Nimbu mar ke campaign of 2002, this will be yet another high-decibel marketing blitzkrieg that the channel proposes to unleash.
Preceding the campaign will be the launch of its single-ad-break movies and the television premiere of a slew of hard-hitting Hollywood flicks dubbed in Hindi.
According to Star India senior V-P content and communications Deepak Segal, outdoor media and on air promotions will be used in a big way for the promotional campaign, apart from cross promotions.
“The channel took some time to come out of the black & white image. Now it is giving Max and Zee Cinema a run for their money. We have been in the second or third spot and for few weeks we even stood number one,” pointed out Segal.
The channel has picked the month of August to set the stage for an aggressive programming offensive. The channel is launching its single-ad-break movie segment Ek Baje Ek Break on 2 August with the movie Refugee in the 1:00 pm slot on weekdays.
Star Gold will also premiere dubbed in Hindi versions of Hollywood hits Gladiator, Jaws, The Rock and Kiss of the Dragon in August.
When queried on the channel opting for weekdays and the mid-day slot for its single break movies, Segal said they had a strong viewership for that slot.
“The advertising traffic on holidays is very hectic. For Ek Baje Ek Break,, the break would be after the first half of the movie. The whole idea is to give the viewer a feeling of watching the movie in a theatre,” Segal added.
News Broadcasting
Kamlesh Singh receives Haldi Ghati Award from MMCF
India Today Group editor honoured for three decades of journalism at Udaipur ceremony.
MUMBAI- Kamlesh Singh just turned a lifetime of sharp words into a shiny shield because when journalism wakes up a society, even the Maharana of Mewar wants to pin a medal on it.
The Maharana of Mewar Charitable Foundation (MMCF) conferred its prestigious Haldi Ghati Award on Kamlesh Singh, a senior editor at the India Today Group, during a ceremony in Udaipur on 15 March 2026. The national award, instituted in 1981-82, recognises “work of permanent value that initiates an awakening in society through the medium of journalism.”
Singh, who leads several editorial initiatives including Aaj Tak Radio, the Teen Taal community and The Lallantop, was presented the honour by Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar, Managing Trustee of MMCF. The citation highlighted his three decades of contributions to Indian media, innovations in digital journalism, mentoring young reporters, and his popular podcast persona “Tau” on Teen Taal, which fosters thoughtful public discourse.
The Haldi Ghati Award, named after the historic Battle of Haldighati symbolising valour and resilience, is one of four national awards given annually by MMCF. Past recipients include Tavleen Singh, Piyush Pandey and Raj Chengappa.
Other honourees this year included Padma Vibhushan Pt Hari Prasad Chaurasia, Vedamurti Devvrat Rekhe, Treeman of India Marimuthu Yoganathan, Vir Chakra Capt Rizwan Malik, and US-based researcher Molly Emma Aitken, who received the Colonel James Tod Award for contributions to understanding Mewar’s spirit and values.
In an era where headlines often shout louder than substance, the MMCF quietly reminded everyone that real journalism isn’t about noise, it’s about the quiet, persistent work that stirs society awake, one thoughtful story at a time.
