GECs
ZEEL to offer financial relief to 5000+ daily wage earners
MUMBAI: Media & Entertainment Powerhouse ZEE Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL), as part of intensifying its fight against Covid-19, has committed to offer financial relief to over 5000 daily wage earners, working directly or indirectly for the company in its overall production ecosystem. Gauging the unprecedented impact caused to all daily wage earners due to the lockdown, as a responsible player in the media & entertainment sector, ZEEL has taken this step
ensuring that the families of daily wage earners do not get impacted during this challenging phase.
In order to further support prime ministers’ Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM CARES Fund), ZEEL will leverage the strength of its media network across the nation and world at large, encouraging over 1.3 billion people to contribute. Over and above this step, ZEEL has also provided an opportunity to all of its 3500 employees to offer voluntary contributions towards PM CARES Fund through an intranet portal. The company will match the corpus collected from the employee contribution and the collective amount will be donated to PM CARES Fund.
ZEEL managing director and chief executive officer Punit Goenka said, “We stand committed to financially support all the daily wage earners working
in our production ecosystem. We firmly believe in the extraordinary power of coming together and fighting against a situation. In these challenging times, it is extremely critical for India Inc to come together and support the national level initiative undertaken by prime minister Narendra Modi."
He further said, "Apart from the financial support, we will also contribute in creating nationwide awareness about the noble initiative. Leveraging our strong reach across the nation and world at large, we are urging our esteemed viewers to join this movement. This is a time where the entire nation needs to come together as one family.”
The collective strength of all consumer touchpoints of the company, including its television channels, digital platforms and social media platforms will be leveraged to urge people across the globe to join this movement. As a company which has always been obsessed about its consumers, in order to keep them informed and sensitized about the safety and precautionary measures, ZEE had implemented a first-of-its-kind initiative, titled #BreakTheCoronaOutbreak.
Under this initiative, content across 40+ channels was paused for a 30-second break throughout the day, encouraging viewers to wash their hands. In line with the decision undertaken by Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF), television channel Zee Anmol was also made available free of cost to all viewers across all DTH platforms and cable TV networks for a period of two months.
On the company’s digital side, ZEE5 ensured that the internet bandwidth across the country was optimised by replacing high definition (HD) content to standard definition (SD) content. ZEE5 also ensured that the viewers remained calm and composed during the lockdown phase with its #BeCalmBeEntertained initiative. As a responsible media and entertainment player, ZEE has taken all the steps needed in intensifying its fight against Covid-19, with a key focus on supporting the daily wage earners and in keeping its viewers well informed and entertained.
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.
