GECs
Zee tops TRA Research’s most attractive 2016 TV media brands list
MUMBAI: Which are the most attractive TV media brands? Zee TV tops, while MTV is at No 2, and Star Plus, surprisingly is at third spot. Aaj Tak, NDTV, Colors, SAB, Zee News, ABP News, India TV are the rest in the Top in that specific order.
At least that’s the finding of brand intelligence and data insights company, TRA Research, a part of the Comniscient Group, Most Attractive Brands 2016 report.
For Punit Goenka and team Zee there’s many reasons to celebrate. Brand Zee TV has risen 116 places to 93 in the overall list of India’s most attractive brands (as compared to the 2015 ranking), while it ranks number 1 in the Hindi GEC category. Star Plus too has improved drastically by 163 places to rank at 110. But it is placed at No 2 in the Hindi GEC category. Colors which dropped 37 places to rank at 349 overall, is at the third spot in the GEC category.
What’s surprising is that the mired in controversy NDTV has ranked No1 in the most attractive channel cluster category with the Zee Network coming in at No 2 and TV9 at No 3.
Aaj Tak is numero uno in Hindi news, while Zee News ranks second and ABP News is a third spot.
BBC has proved to be the most attractive international news TV brand for 2016, followed by CNN and NBC.
Amongst kids channels, Disney Channel has taken pole position.
This year, LG has unseated Samsung from the top spot and the smartphone maker has slipped to the third rank. LG is followed by Sony in the top 20.
“The survey was conducted in 16 cities across India,” said TRA Research CEO N Chandramouli.
Patanjali has emerged right on top in the fast moving consumer coods (FMCG) – diversified sub-category. In the FMCG sector, Baba Ramdev’s brand stands at 12, whereas in the overall rankings, it has taken the lead in the chart by 284 ranks to 87th as compared to last year’s 371.
Amazon’s aggressive growth over the past year or so has seen it go past popular search engine Google to claim the top spot. In the overall attractive brands chart, Amazon has entered the top 100 club at 96th rank, while Google trails it at 102nd rank. Indian e-commerce portal Flipkart is far behind at 125th, but up from previous year’s 346.
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.
