GECs
Zee-Turner puts Rs 25 price tag on HBO
MUMBAI: Hollywood movie channel HBO will be priced at Rs 25 per subscriber per month when it migrates to the Zee-Turner bouquet from the One Alliance platform in the New Year.
The new price will be effective from 1 January, 2005. In the Sony-Discovery bouquet, HBO was effectively priced at Rs 7 a month, according to industry sources.
The channel will also be available as part of a new package, to be announced shortly by Zee-Turner. “We are in the process of creating new packages to suit the demographic and psychographic requirements of customers. We will be announcing the composition of these packages shortly, which will also include HBO. We will also be announcing the distribution margin for our cable affiliates then,” says Zee-Turner chief executive officer Siddharth Jain.
According to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India recommendations, new channels can’t be bundled along with the existing bouquet. With HBO moving in now, Zee-Turner plans to introduce new bouquet packages. Recently, it announced the price of kids channel Pogo at Rs 10, but allowed a monthly distribution margin of Rs 4 per subscriber to cable operators.
Reacting to the new price announcement, Sony-Discovery president Shantanu Aditya tells indiantelevision.com: “If the price of HBO is going to be Rs 25, that is almost 500 per cent increase from its current rate. That would seem to us like a violation in the Trai regulation.”
Jain, however, dismisses such charges. “Sony-Discovery had registered a standalone rate of Rs 24 for HBO. We are permitted a seven per cent price increase by Trai. Besides, we are working out a bundled price for our new packages,” he says.
The standalone price of HBO is deliberately kept high so that Zee can push other channels in its package, analysts say. The strategy will be to use HBO as a driver in the new bouquet.
Zee-Turner also handles distribution of Zee TV, Zee Cinema, Zee News, Zee English, Trendz, Cartoon Network, POGO, CNN and CNBC as well as a number of regional Alpha channels. The joint venture distribution company between Zee Telefilms and Turner International has a countrywide network of over 400 dealers.
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.
