STAR India CEO Uday Shankar receives State Govt. recognition for special contribution to Bengali television

Star India received the 2014 West Bengal Tele Academy Award that celebrates the group's significant contribution to Bengali television through entertainment that's progressive and sensitive, making it the first broadcaster to win the coveted recognition. Uday Shankar, CEO of Star India, was conferred the award by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The Award recognizes Star's special contribution to Bengali television through two extremely successful TV channels - Star Jalsha and Star Ananda (currently known as ABP Ananda). Star Jalsha is India’s No.1 Bengali entertainment channel that's set new benchmarks in regional programming through innovative content and compelling storytelling that's touching millions of people in Bengal in a myriad ways every day. The channel's brand enjoys an undisputed leadership position in the Bengali general entertainment space in terms of viewership, surpassing immediate competition by over 200 GRPs, according to recent TAM data. Star Ananda (now known as ABP Ananda) is a Bengali TV news channel that was launched under the stewardship of Shankar when he was the Chief Executive Officer of MCCS India. The channel was an erstwhile joint venture between STAR and ABP TV. “As a group, we are delighted to receive the West Bengal Tele Academy Award, as it clearly shows the society has embraced our focus on quality content,” Shankar said. “I really believe socially sensitive content is the way forward for the future of a healthy society. The plaudits go to the entire team.” The award is a yet another recognition of Star's excellence in socially-themed programming such as the runaway success `Satyamev Jayate' that earned accolades in India and abroad, including from the National Commission of Scheduled Castes. The West Bengal Tele Academy Awards 2014 covers the entire gamut of Film and TV, rewarding excellence in production, programming, photography and technology, among others. Headed by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, with Aroop Biswas as the chairman, the awards have been constituted as a token of respect and gratitude to the entire Film and TV industry in West Bengal, a state also known as the intellectual capital of the country and home to some of the most talented and iconic artists.