GECs
Star India publishes RIO as per TRAI tariff order
MUMBAI: After Supreme Court of India gave the verdict in favour of Telecom Regulatory authority of India (TRAI) in the tariff order case, the petitioner Star India has published its reference interconnect offer (RIO) in accordance with the Tariff Order and Interconnect Regulations 2017.
As per the new rate card, the popular channels of the broadcaster including Star Plus, Star Jalsha, Maa TV, Asianet, Star Sports have been priced at Rs 19. Except for few HD channels, most of the channels under the category have been also priced at Rs 19.
Star India is also offering 28 bouquets with 4 different variations to cater to the diverse consumer segments based on their consumption. The variations of the bouquets are base, premium, HD-base, HD premium. While the base bouquet offers the best of entertainment, sports and movies channels in the customer’s language of choice, the premium bouquet includes English language offerings and channels with a differentiated content proposition on the top of Base offering.
The base and premium bouquets for SD channels in Hindi, Bengali and Marathi have been priced at Rs 49 and Rs 79 per month respectively while base and premium bouquets in other languages are priced at Rs 39 and Rs 69 respectively.
The base and premium HD bouquets in Hindi, Marathi, and Bengali have been priced at Rs 85 and Rs 120 per month. For other languages, the base and premium bouquets are priced at Rs 75 and Rs 110 a month.
The network has also revealed the name of four channels under sports and movies categories which will be launched by 31 December. The soon-to-be launched channels are Star Sports 1 Telugu, Star Sports 1 Kannada, Star Gold Thrills, Star Gold Thrills HD.
Recently, the two-judge bench of the apex court with Justices Rohinton Fali Nariman and Navin Sinha dismissed Star India’s appeal against Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (TRAI) recent tariff order. The principal area of the argument by the broadcaster was that the pricing of the content cannot be regulated by TRAI as it comes under the Copyright Act. The verdict has clearly pronounced that the as TRAI Act is in public interest, it should prevail over the Copyright Act.
As the tug-of-war was going on for a while, all the other major broadcasters already published their RIOs in late August and early September.
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.
