GECs
Star juggernaut rolls on; claims clean sweep of Top 20
MUMBAI:”Mr Boombastic! Simply Fantastic!” That could well be the song
that the guys at Star Plus are playing after what it says has been a record breaking week for the channel.
And these numbers have been achieved at a time when both Sony Entertainment Television and the Zee Network have brought in some high profile programming – the Madhuri marriage show Kahi Na Kahi Koi Hai on SET and motormouth Shekhar Suman’s new talk show on Zee TV Simply Shekhar. Neither have been able to make inroads into the Star show.
Quoting market research agency AC Nielsen’s TAM ratings covering cable and satellite homes in the nine main cities for the week 28 July to 3 August:
Star Plus made a clean sweep of the Top 20 and 43 of its shows were in the Top 50.
Its 24-hour channel shares touched an all time high of 15.
Its all week prime time shares (8 pm – 11:30 pm) touched an all time high of 26. Delhi recorded 45, Kanpur 46 and Kolkata 22.
Even in the 9 pm to 10 pm band where Sony’s Balaji soaps Kkusum and
Kutumb had made such an impression, the channel reasserted itself and is now claiming an 86-week high share of 25.44. Explaining the channel’s strategy for this crucial slot after it was vacated by Kaun Banega Crorepati, Tarun Katial, V-P programming Star Plus, said the idea was to give variety in this band and that was why different genres were allotted for different days. And since all the shows were developed as weeklies, one hour was seen as just right for the shows, he added.
Among the shows that the channel says hit all-time highs in the week were –
* The celebrity karaoke show hosted by Sonu Nigam Kismey Kitna Hai Dam had a TVR of 10.71.
* Kasauti Zindagi Kay had a weekly average TVR of 9.3.
* Sssshhh…koi…hai registered an 8.92 TVR.
* Avinash IPS managed a 4.84 TVR.
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.
