London Tamil Media Ltd.'s IBC Tamil is going to launch their new music channel today on Pongal day. The channel will be named "IBC Isai" / "IBC Music", and is exclusively launched as an IPTV-channel on the popular IPTV-provider, Lebara Play. Tamils all around the world with access to Lebara Play will be able to watch this new music channel. 

Sun TV continued to be the undisputed leader across genres as recorded in the beginning of the year 2017. Star Plus emerged as the first runner-up in the race. From the FTA family, Rishtey managed to maintain the fifth slot, according to the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India ratings of week 1.

Sun TV garnered the first spot with 1282328 Impressions (000s) followed by Star Plus in the second position with 758437 Impressions (000s). Colors in the third place also witnessed a rise with 719050 Impressions (000s) and Gemini TV stood on number four with 547809 Impressions (000s).

Despite the setback in the Kannada general entertainment television channel space where the Kalanithi Maran-run Sun TV Network’s Udaya Movies was placed at number 4 and Udaya TV at number 5 in BARC rankings, in the other southern regional space, its channel continue dominance.

Sun’s Udaya TV which was once numero uno in the Kannada GEC space had to be satisfied with fifth rank among the top five channels with just 89,024 weekly impressions (000s) Sums in week 1 of 2017 (Saturday 31 December 2016 to Friday 6 January 2017). The Kannada GEC space is one of the smallest among the four Southern Sisters (now five with the split up of Andhra Pradesh) – Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada languages.

North America's first 24H Tamil TV-station, TVI (Tamil Vision Int.) is going to be relaunched on Pongal this month. TVI has come under new management after it was put up for sale for some months ago. It was taken over by CMR, which is North America’s first South Asian owned and operated FM radio station in Toronto, Canada. CMR has moved TVI to the building where CMR is placed, and the channel is going to be relaunced as a HD-channel with new programmes and with new presenters.