GECs
Star Plus bids to extend prime time beyond 11:30 with ‘K.Street Pali Hill’
MUMBAI: Males! That’s what Star Plus is now betting on hooking with its new daily K.Street Pali Hill, slotted at 11:30 pm.
With the 8 – 11:30 pm slot defined and more than stable, Plus, in a move to expand its prime time and build on the current audience “bench strength”, has slotted its newest thriller offering from the Balaji stable in the 11:30 pm – 12 midnight band, starting 27 September.
With this experimental thriller, which Plus is touting as having the most expensive set Indian television has ever seen, India’s lead Hindi entertainment channel, apart from increasing its spread of shows, is looking at redefining the 11:30 pm slot. This is much the same strategy that was adopted so successfully on the 11 pm band with the coming of Kahiin To Hoga (KTH) a year ago.
Although, one may argue saying Kahin Kissi Roz , which bids its much needed adieu today ( 23 September) was already running at the 11:30 PM slot; the fact that it was pushed from the 11:00 PM to the 11:30 PM slot after Kahin To Hoga’s launch is not to go unnoticed.
Making way for K.Street Pali Hill is the distinctly long on tooth and plot weary Kahin Kissi Roz (KKR), which airs its final episode tonight.
For KKR its been a long road to nowhere this past year ever since the arrival of KTH, which was the reason the show was pushed to the 11:30 pm slot in the first place – to make way for the youth centric serial.
It is worth recalling that KKR commanded an average TVR of 5.27 in the all India CS 4+ market when it was perched on the 11 pm band. After its push to 11:30 pm, a remarkable drop in ratings followed, which resulted in its finally settling between 3.5 and 4 TVR all India CS 4+.
The fact that KKR managed to hold its own for a year, despite the “step-motherly” treatment meted out to it, looks to be what has given the creative brains at Plus the confidence to push a big budget blockbuster show like K.Street Pali Hill into such a late night positioning.
Talking to indiantelevision.com, Star India senior vice president content and communication Deepak Segal says, “KKR was the most successful show at the 11:30 slot in the television scenario. So, looking at the potential of this time band and metro routine, placing K.Street Pali Hill at this slot seemed to make a lot of sense. Metro television consumption usually tends towards late night viewing, more so with men. It also helps in building upon the slot and bringing in a new and varied viewership.”
The interesting point of note here is that K.Street Pali Hill is looking at tapping the male audience and the story theme is most definitely skewed towards the guys. Also, taking off from the potential that this time band offers, the stakes on this particular “K” show are pretty high. K.Street Pali Hill’s set is touted as the most expensive and glamorous set made till date on Indian television. The set cost between Rs 25 to 30 million, industry sources aver.
If all goes well, Indian television may just see space for increasing their offerings as well as sponsorships. What one cannot dismiss is the extensive effort in terms of the product itself and endeavour to identify new opportunities on the part of Star.
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.
