GECs
ZEE TV bags gold & silver at the Asian Customer Engagement Forum and awards
MUMBAI: Zee TV has won laurels for two of its digital engagement campaigns at the fourth Asian Customer Engagement Forum and Awards (ACEF). It won a Gold for the first of its kind Google Voting innovation for its dance reality show Dance India Dance 5 in the online media category for successful use of technology and a Silver in the mobile marketing category for the Janbaaz Sindbad Mobile Game.
Zee TV business head Pradeep Hejmadi said, “Through innovations across social media, smartphone apps and the voting mechanism of its reality shows, Zee TV continues to be at the helm of digital space amongst Hindi GECs. The channel has constantly pushed the envelope digitally, initiating concepts such as ‘Missed Call’ voting, incentivizing voting by offering viewers a ‘Freecharge’ to their talk time, Twitter and Facebook voting for DID4, Zee Rishtey Awards and DID Super Moms respectively. Last year, we introduced yet another exciting voting mechanism in the history of Indian television in which viewers could vote for their favorite reality TV contestant through a Google search. Also, Janbaaz Sindbad mobile app was specifically designed to create an immersive experience for the user about the world Sindbad lived in and drive appointment viewership. Both the initiatives not only encouraged wider participation but also gave consumers an enhanced brand experience. With the growing digital audience, they were successful attempts in raising the bar in terms of consumer engagement.”
ACEF helps promote the best brands, organizations, agencies and individuals for their outstanding achievements in customer engagement & brand excellence. It presents the best practices, campaigns, activities and initiatives as benchmarks for others to emulate. The awards this year received 430 entries from across the APAC regions in various mediums of marketing that included Digital, Mobile, Radio, Television, OOH, Event and Promotional, BTL Activity, Magazine, Newspaper and Online.
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.
