Hyderabad: ETV's Silver Jubilee celebrations were held in Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad on Thursday. With the Chairman of Ramoji Groups Ramoji Rao, family members, employees and staff in attendance, it was a grand and joyous affair.
CEO of ETV Channels Bapineedu, department heads, Managing Directors of RFC Ram Mohan Rao and Vijayeswari, Eenadu’s Managing Director Kiran, Margadarsi’s Managing Director Sailaja Kiran, third-generation members of Ramoji Rao family Sahari-Raches, Sohana-Vinay, Brihathi and Sujay also took part in the festivities.
Rao's grandson Sujay cut the cake to mark the channel’s 25th birthday. Employees reminisced the channel's 25-year journey.
ETV Network Chief Producer PK Maanvi, Chief Producer Ajay Santhi, Secretary G Srinivas, Eenadu Director I Venkat and Group HR-President Gopala Rao also participated in the celebrations.
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Speaking on the occasion, Actor Chiranjeevi said, "The credit for revolutionizing the Indian television and creating a 24x7 channel goes to Ramoji Rao. He is no less than an idol and father figure to me. His efforts, perseverance and dedication are the force behind ETV's 25 successful years. He will be revered forever by Telugu people. I was the special guest for ETV's 1st and 20th-anniversary celebrations. I feel honoured to be a part of the 25th-anniversary celebrations today."
"From 1995 to 2020, it has been 25 years already. ETV is a phenomenon. During 1995-96, I used to check the channel's schedule to watch select programs without fail. My favourite program is Paadutha Teeyaga. In those days, movie songs were not readily available for watching. So, I used to follow every episode of the singing show. Also, ETV News. It is a gold standard for news even today," said Nagarjuna, Actor
"My heartfelt greetings to the first South Indian satellite channel ETV on its 25-year anniversary. The channel won several prestigious awards during its successful run. I wish that ETV reaches the Golden Jubilee milestone too. My special regards to Chairman Ramoji Rao and the staff," said Pawan Kalyan, Actor.
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"I share a special relation with ETV. My name appeared for the first time on screen as the director of Santhi Nivasam serial. ETV puts quality before anything else. People watch ETV News to clarify if a piece of information is correct. Such a reliable channel is now 25-years old. I wish the channel many more successful years," said, Rajamouli, Director.
25 YEARS SINCE A PHENOMENON CALLED ETV
Twenty-five years ago, today, a rainbow descended to our doorstep and brought us delight and entertainment. The celestial channel named ETV celebrates its birthday on 27 August 1995. That was the day a new era began in South Indian television.
Sridevi, Queen of South Indian cinema inaugurated the channel by lighting the lamp. Ramoji Rao, Chairman of Eenadu Groups, gave his word to Telugu people, “ETV will be the go-to channel for healthy entertainment.”
From that day on, the Telugu entertainment scene saw a major revamp. ETV paved way for new technology, groomed budding technicians and broadcasted programs of unprecedented quality. After ETV set its foot, cable connections became a norm in Telugu households. Cities, towns and villages alike, people were bewitched by the variety of programs the channel had to offer.
Efficient teams led by Managing Director Suman brought about several fresh changes to the channel.
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In fact, ETV is the first 24x7 satellite channel in Telugu. At a time when people had to wait an entire week just to watch a few songs, ETV started airing movies every day. Even before reality shows became common knowledge, the channel launched Padutha Theeyaga, a reality-based singing competition, hosted by the famous playback singer, Padma Bhushan SP Balasubrahmanyam.
In a list of firsts, ETV broadcasted Telugu daily serials that won the hearts of the female audience. Those serials with gripping storylines and remarkable actors are still revered today. There were educational quizzes for children and fun programs for youngsters.
Another exclusive of the ETV network that needs a special mention is Annadata, an agricultural program that caters to farmers. It goes without saying that ETV News remains the most popular segment since its launch. With its impartial and unbiased news from all the corners of the world, ETV News keeps its viewers informed at all times.
ETV set the stage for budding actors, singers, writers and technicians. Similarly, the channel brought a bundle of talent from silver screen to the television.
From yesteryear serials like Antharangalu, Anveshita, Lady Detective, Guppedu Manasu, Padmavyuham, Vidhi, Santhi Nivasam, Endamaavulu to the recent Chandramukhi, Antahpuram and the latest Abhishekam, Seetamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu, Srimathi, Amma; the audience adored each one of them.
Just like the superhit shows in the past Sarigamalu, Manasuna Manasai, Master Minds, the latest Adhurs, Genes, Super and Soundaryalahari have captivated the viewers.
The game show for women Star Mahila became the second-longest Indian game show with a total of 3,181 episodes. And on the other hand, ETV has had unique programs like Ali tho Sardaaga, Swarabhishekam, Cash and Dhee.
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The super hit comedy show Jabardasth has been topping the television ratings since its inception.
ETV’s success story has echoed beyond the television industry. With a strong digital presence and 1.11 crore subscribers, etvteluguindia (youtube) channel is basking in all the glory.
The channel takes the top rank credit with an average of 90 crore views a month. What more, it is headed towards the 100-crore mark. Be it the small screen or digital channel, the audience have surely welcomed ETV with a red carpet at all times. The channel honours its viewers and promises to achieve many more milestones. So here it is, ETV celebrating its Silver Jubilee!!
