GECs
Chrome Data: Week 1 meant business
MUMBAI: Money isn’t thought to be the biggest cause of worry for no reason. At least it seems so in this case. As the New Year ushered in, it was the news about money and the ups and downs that it saw in the last year that kept the TV viewers glued to their TV sets in the first week of the year. As various channels presented the yearly round-up, the business channels took away the largest share of audiences. The business channels topped the chart in the Week 1 of opportunity to see (OTS) as per Chrome Data Analytics & Media.
The business channels across eight metros saw an increase of 1.4 per cent with the Hindi business channel, CNBC Awaaz, leading with 83.0 per cent OTS.
And considering it was the holiday season, the second on the list were the English movie channels that fared really well in the eight metros. The genre saw a rise of 1.1 per cent. Pix reclaimed its first position, pushing behind Star Movies that had climbed to the first position in Week 52. The channel got 89.4 per cent OTS.
Infotainment channels across India too saw an increase of 1 per cent with Discovery gaining 91.6 per cent. Sports channel claimed the fourth place in the OTS list with 0.9 per cent grow across India. Looks like the Ashes kept cricket fans occupied as Star Sports 1 was ahead of others in the genre with 77.9 per cent OTS.
As for the bottom four, Hindi news channel in the Hindi speaking market (HSM) saw a fall of 1.4 per cent. Aaj Tak continued to be the popular one in the genre and garnered 94 per cent. English entertainment too didn’t get many viewers and fell by 0.9 per cent in the eight metros. Star World, however, toppled AXN which premiered the much-awaited season three of Sherlock. The channel from the Star bouquet scored 82.5 per cent OTS.
In the HSM, music channels saw a slight dip of 0.1 per cent, whereas the religious channels didn’t see any change. Sony Mix with 89.2 per cent and Aastha channel with 98.3 per cent topped their respective genres.
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.
