SAB pushes the pedal on content

[Deepu]

Known to experiment with innovative show concepts, Multi Screen Media’s (MSM) light-hearted family entertainment channel SAB is now pushing the pedal on content, with an aim to grow the channel from 150+ GRP to 180+ GRP. Managing over six shows in the fiction comedy space is a feat for the channel and it has already tasted success with properties like ‘Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah’, ‘FIR’, ‘Chidiya Ghar’, ‘Baal Veer’ and so on. The channel is planning to invest more in content and is gearing up to launch a couple of new shows, three of which will be launched within the next two months. Apart from that, SAB is also trying to build a strong weekend programming line-up. Alien comedy series ‘Badi Dur Se Aaye Hai’ will go on air from 9 June, replacing ‘Jeanie Aur Juju’, the adaptation of popular American series ‘I Dream of Jeannie’, in the Monday–Friday 9:30 pm slot. SAB TV senior EVP and business head Anooj Kapoor said, “We are on an aggressive run for the next two quarters as a channel with the intention of coming to an average of 180+ GRP on a regular basis. However, pre IPL, we were 150+ on a regular basis. The longevity of this show will depend on the response. So, if a show is successful and there is reinvention, we keep running it.” Conceptualised by Hats Off Productions and written by Aatish Kapaida, ‘Badi Dur…’ will present an alien family that comes to Earth in search of their lost son. Equipped with superpowers, they assume human form to blend in with the earthlings. The series will highlight the moral struggle of the alien family to fit into the norms of human society and culture through funny encounters. Hats Off Productions founder JD Majethia revealed how it took six months for the team to work on the characters and storyline as they wanted to create an ‘out-of-the-world’ comedy. “We don’t look at the longevity of shows, but we haven’t deterred and always experiment in terms of content. From the past nine months, we didn’t work on any other show as there was a lot of focus that was needed on computer graphics, costumes, set and we tried to make it like a film. Instead of doing too many shows, we prefer to put our combined efforts into one single show,” he said. The show stars Sumeet Raghavan, Tanaaz and Bakhtiyar Irani, Rupali Bhosle and Bhawna Khatri in lead roles.

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