ITV

Tag: Anooj Kapoor

  • With live audience, Sab sets another landmark

    With live audience, Sab sets another landmark

    MUMBAI: In a country which loves melodrama, comedy had little space until Sab came along. The family channel from the Multi Screen Media (MSM) stable, which can be credited to the rise in the comedy genre with its popular shows Tarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah, Lapataganj and Chidya Ghar, is setting new level with Tu Mere Agal Bagal Hai.

    The new sitcom isn’t like any other. What is different this time around is the people. The cast will act in front of a live audience which the channel says will be the USP of the show as it will add an element of spontaneity to the entire humorous offering.

    A first from a general entertainment channel (GEC), its makers didn’t hesitate once before making it a reality. “This is how American sitcoms are shot, and we wanted to go the same way. No one in the GEC space has done this before, like always we wanted to start a trend,” says Frames Productions producer Ranjeet Thakur who is debuting in the genre with the show.

    The star cast will perform in front of 100-150 live audience “without any prompting unlike other comedy shows where audiences are told when to laugh and clap,” adds Thakur who believes that the script is strong enough to get the desired reactions.

    Sab’s latest offering Badi Dooooor Se Aaye Hai broke records, when it opened with 1.8 TVTs highest for any new show across channels. The channel believes that the same can be achieved with the yet-to-go on air show.

    Sab senior EVP and business head Anooj Kapoor says, “Sab’s policy has always been differentiation through innovation.” The fictional comedy series will replace FIR, which will go bi-weekly and will be aired every Saturday-Sunday at 9pm for an hour. With this move, the channel plans to scale up its programming line-up for seven days.

    The channel which showcases the positives in the society also propagates joint family issues and has delivered hits after hits.  The newest entrant will revolve around the lives of the owners and the tenants living under the same roof of Bungalow no. 5.

    The star cast includes actor Alok Nath who will have his first trysts with comedy TV series on the small screen. The rest comprises Rajesh Kumar, Shweta Gulati, Apara Mehta, Ami Trivedi, Samir Shah, Sugandha Mishra, Dhaval, Abhishek Awasthi, Monica Castelino and Sukesh. It will also see actress Supriya Pathak back on television after ‘Khichdi.’

    The channel’s business head has been vocal about the late development of the genre in the country and limited pool of talent in the industry. However, he is thankful to theater which has produced many talented actors. “Be it Hindi or regional theatre, we are getting a lot of talented actors from there,” he says.

    Agreeing with him, Thakur adds, “Casting sometimes does get difficult because you want people with a certain flare and not just comedians on the show. It was a bit of a hassle at the initial stage, but then eventually we managed to get the right people on board.”

    It took six months for the makers’ from planning the show to its execution. As of now, 20 episodes have been canned with the set being located at SJ Studio, Andheri.

    The show will be promoted through a 360 degree marketing campaign. The pan-India OOH campaign comprises hoardings across 50 HSM towns, bus shelters etc. The channel will also leverage multiplex audiences by branding at key touch points.

    Apart from that, a three-week long campaign is being planned for news, youth and movies channels. A national print campaign with leading publications will be seen for over these weeks and more than 15+ regional publications will have daily inserts.

    There are also plans for tying up with major radio stations. The recent popularity of Alok Nath in the social media will be used on mobile and digital platforms to promote the show. The channel also plans to undertake a multi-city tour with the stars.

    Media planners believe that comedy as a genre is increasing and broadcasters are cashing heavily from the space. “Broadcasters are not shying to spend on the genre anymore as it has become a trend. Sab owns the genre, but hope the new show gets good numbers for the channel.”

  • Subhash Ghai to get Lifetime Achievement Award at Delhi International Filmfest

    Subhash Ghai to get Lifetime Achievement Award at Delhi International Filmfest

    NEW DELHI: Even as the entries for the third edition of the Delhi International Film Festival (DIFF), to be held in December this year, were called for, one thing which is clear is that versatile showman Subhash Ghai will be honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Festival.

     

    The Minar-e-Dilli Award is proposed to be presented to Ghazal Maestro Gulam Ali, and Pakistan is expected to be the partner country for the festival to be held from 20-27 December.

     

    DIFF 2014 is an initiative by “The Social Circle, A Society for Cause and – A step toward inclusiveness” to showcase the best of Cinema, Art and Literature from across the globe.

     

    Started in 2012, the advisory board for this festival is headed by Dada Saheb Phalke awardee Adoor Gopalakrishnan. Working closely with him are some of the greats of Indian Cinema including the national award winning directors Tigmanshu Dhulia, Anurag Kashyap and Anooj Kapoor, Mohan Agashe, Manoj Bajpai, Mandira Bedi, Shriram Raghwan, Jimmy Shergill, N. Chandra, Sandeep Marwah, Shailesh Lodha, Yashpal Sharma and Arvind Gaur, apart from Satish Anand from Pakistan.

     

    Now in its third edition, the festival hopes to showcase 200 films from around 45 countries as against 170 in the previous years.

     

    The earlier editions also showcased 100 paintings and sculptures from India. The two editions also had a literature section with 100 NRI poets displaying their work at the venue. The second edition of the festival saw the addition of Fashion, Singing, Band events and Sufi night by Nizami Brothers, thus making DIFF the only festival in the world with so many sections and live events every evening during the seven days of the festival.

     

    The other events during the festival include ‘Band of the Year’ with participation of more than 25 bands from all over India; ‘Singer of the Year’, a tribute to Mohammed Rafi, ‘Face and Designer of the Year’, daily seminars and workshops and book launches on various aspects of cinema, art and literature.

     

     To promote cinema, art and culture, the festival has associated itself with French and Israeli Embassies in New Delhi along with HUNERKADAA, well known Visual Arts and Performance Institute and EVEREADY GROUP, one of the leading film distribution company from Pakistan.

  • Your content should be good, it will attract people anyway: Asit Modi

    Your content should be good, it will attract people anyway: Asit Modi

    MUMBAI: At a time when daily soaps the likes of Kyun Ki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi and Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki ruled the small screen, one man dared to differ. Asit Kumar Modi of Neela Telefilms nurtured a dream – to produce a daily comedy based on Taarak Mehta’s column ‘Duniya ne oondha chashmah’ in the popular Gujarati weekly, Chitralekha. Friends found the idea ridiculous while general entertainment channels (GECs) simply trashed it. However, Modi stuck to his guns and finally found a taker for his show Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah! in Sab TV. Today, the sitcom has not only completed five years but has acquired sort of cult status, maintaining its position among the top ten TV shows of all time. In a heart-to-heart with Disha Shah of indiantelevision.com, Modi casts a long and close look at the journey thus far…

    If there was one thing Modi knew he would have to face is repeated rejections. Indeed, it took eight long years for his show to come on-air. “In between 2000-2008, no GEC was ready to accept comedy. Every channel wanted to focus on saas-bahu and drama soaps because that was the trend at the time. However, I through that ‘if a daily drama can run, then why not a daily comedy?’” he says. Modi was also aware that writing a daily comedy was a huge challenge as one had to churn out something new every day to keep viewers hooked.

    His friends laughed at him when he told them about his plans. “They de-motivated me and said that viewers are not going to accept a daily comedy; a genre like this will be accepted only over the weekends. But somehow, I had the confidence in me that channels would have to accept a daily comedy,” he recalls.

    The show had to convey the harshest truths in the funniest possible way. Also, when he purchased column rights in 2001, all characters were Gujarati. He faced the uphill task of bringing in characters from different communities to appeal to a universal audience. “I wanted to showcase the lives of middle class families; how they live, eat, sleep, and even go through stress laughingly. Moreover, I wanted to showcase different cultures living together in one society; how they celebrate festivals together, the bond between them and so on in a simple but humorous way,” he remembers.

    So, he researched each and every character he had in mind for the show and considering Mumbai’s cosmopolitan background, created mixed combinations like a Parsi and Punjabi family, a Tamil and Bengali family etc.

    Armed with a concept, Modi approached channels including Star Plus and Sony (four times) but in vain. At the time, Sony had just taken over Sab TV, and NP Singh invited Modi and asked him to produce the show for Sab TV. That’s how Modi finally got a platform to showcase his talent. Apparently, Disney too had approached Modi but the channel wanted to feature only children, which is why Modi had to turn them away.

    Casting was most difficult and took Modi over two months to finalise, what with each artist being auditioned five times to ensure the right fit. “I wanted faces with which people can identify. Dilip Doshi (Jetha) was always my first priority when it comes to comedy. Daya’s role was suggested by Doshi and a few other artists; I had watched her plays but wasn’t sure because she hadn’t really dabbled in comedy. I was a little confused, but when she mimicked a few personalities, she was excellent,” says Modi. He would often take the actors to the sets to familiarise them with their characters. “Whenever the set was in a developing stage, I used to take the actors and tell them that this was their society where they would stay and so on. In the beginning, I had to mould each of the actors personally.  While it took time, at the end of the day, the whole team worked equally hard,” he says.

    Working within budgets was the other big constraint, considering Sab’s budgets were very low at the time the show was launched. “For the first six months, I incurred heavy losses. I had to create a huge society. Usually, a daily soap demands one set- either a house or a haveli or other methods of living. I had to create two sets – Gokhuldam exterior sets and interiors showcasing everyone’s houses,” reveals Modi. The one thing that kept Modi going was his belief that if your show is good, you can build the slot and become the slot leader as well. Besides, he had an understanding of the ways of TV, having been associated with it since the days of Buniyaad and Hum Log. “There was a time when people did not consider afternoon slots. But shows like Shanti, Bhabhi and Swabhiman on Star Plus made people watch TV during the afternoon as well. There was also a time when shows like Mahabharat and Ramayan made people watch TV on Sunday mornings,” he explains. “Your content should be good; it will anyway attract people. I believed that if I made a good show, there would be a loyal audience for Sab TV as well. With lots of households having just one TV set, we decided to cater to the entire family.”

    Putting a team in place was the third challenge. “The writers who came to me for work were all new; they didn’t have any experience in writing. So with my kind of experience, I had to train them and utilize their talents in the best possible manner. I have designed this show, so it is in my blood,” says Modi, adding, “We get our reward when we manage to make people smile at the end of a hard day.” Currently, Modi has about seven to eight people in direction, and around 10 people in editing. “I have an in-house editing studio and three to four writers. I am always aware of what’s happening in terms of the screenplay. I don’t want those ‘yes, sir’ type of people, otherwise how will I grow? In the creative field, one has to constantly grow and reinvent. And for this, you need people who can pinpoint your weaknesses,” he says. As it is a daily comedy, editing happens 24×7. “We do it shift-wise. Compared to daily soaps, comedies need much more editing. One needs to understand that comedy is more dynamic and hence, there is more work,” says Modi. The staff strength including directors, script writers, technicians and laborers is nearly 150. “What is wonderful is that my whole team has remained with me through these years. About 98 per cent of crew members have stuck with me. We all work as a team, a big family,” he adds with pride.

    Looking back, Modi feels he has succeeded in making it a one-of-a-kind show. “In television, you work for the audience. One needs to be aggressive. You will lose the audience, if even one or two episodes are not up to their expectations. It will leave your target audience disheartened. They then have options of switching to other channels. So, for the stickiness of the show, I made the show as real and as simple possible. With daily soaps taking tons of leaps, in my show, I have taken no leap. No double meaning comedy jokes, it’s all about simplicity. The show is different and unique in its own way and that is the reason it is running strong for years,” he elaborates.

    Anooj Kapoor, Senior EVP and Business Head, SAB TV

    While media experts observe that Sab TV’s reach would be lower than say, that of a Star Plus or Colors, the higher TVTs enjoyed by Taarak Mehta… mean that the show is watched more intently by viewers as compared to other offerings in the same time band. Thus, great content on Sab TV has translated into stickiness for the channel. Sab TV executive vice-president and business head Anooj Kapoor could not agree more on this. “When we defined our brand promise of ‘Asli Maza, Sab ke saath ata hai’, the idea was to showcase light-hearted entertainment that the entire family can sit together and watch. So, that was our brand promise. Modi interpreted our brand promise in a very nice manner by showing people of different communities living together in a fun sort of way.” Kapoor feels casting is the best thing to ever happen to the show, with the characters of Daya and Jetha becoming extremely popular.

    Ask Kapoor the reason for Taarak’s success and he says: “In Taarak, because there are so many characters from such diverse backgrounds and different communities, that they are able to create a wide array of plots and keep the show robust and that is the reason why it continues to be successful.”

    He informs that in the last six years, Sab TV has grown 600 per cent in terms of ratings despite a reach of 40 and a budget which is one fourth of the total. “That has been possible firstly, because of our unique decision taken as a channel and secondly, because of successful shows like Taarak and so on. “

    Elaborating on Sab TV’s strategy as a channel, Kapoor says: “Our strategy was differentiation through innovation. We tried to create several different brands with each having a very distinctive kind of an image. So, the entire bouquet fell together very nicely which was ably led by the success of TMKOC.”

    Going by industry experts, the stickiness has enabled Sab TV to rake a premium for its leading show. A 10-second ad spot on the channel goes for Rs 50,000. Its popular show commands a premium of 15 to 20 per cent. Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah sees its ad slots being sold for Rs 80,000.

  • MSM’s “new initiative”: A Hindi GEC?

    MSM’s “new initiative”: A Hindi GEC?

    MUMBAI: It was around 10 days ago that Multi Screen Media (MSM) announced the reshuffling and restructuring of its senior management. At that time the press release had said: “Anooj Kapoor will assume additional responsibilities as senior EVP and Business Head, SAB TV, and also a new initiative in the Hindi entertainment space.”

     

    When we contacted Kapoor, he was quite enigmatic when quizzed about the new initiative. Ditto with MSM president Rohit Gupta who confirmed that the Network is in the process of putting together “something new” but the details about it would be shared when the time comes.

     

    But we, at Indiantelevision.com, were not willing to be stonewalled and continued to dig around. So far what we have gathered is that the new Sony Entertainment Television offering will be another general entertainment channel – the third in the bouquet after SET and SAB. And it will have mainly fiction shows on its FPC. A senior media planner disclosed that he had been told by Sony executives that the launch is slated to take place within the next six weeks – that is before the financial year ends. 

     

    Sony Entertainment Television is likely to continue to air its existing successful shows such as C.I.D., Crime Patrol (in the crime/thriller genre), Boogie Woogie, Entertainment Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega (talent and reality show genre), Comedy Circus (comedy genre) and Kaun Banega Crorepati (quiz genre). SAB, which is among the more profitable services in the Sony Entertainment Television Network, will of course continue with its focus on lighter fare and comedies. 

     

    Industry sources reveal that an example of the type of programming the new channel will air are the shows it has signed on with Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachachan and their under-revival production house Saraswati Creations.

     

    Interestingly, headhunters are reportedly scouting for new hires to fill up the positions that are cropping up courtesy Sony’s new foray, and the mandate has been put out to strengthen the MSM communications team. 

     

    The Network has already got the required government licences for the upcoming channel, confirms a highly placed source, who goes on to say that the launch might be hurried if the TV ratings blackout becomes a reality by March when the High Court is supposed to announce its decision on TAM’s and Kantar’s future.

     

    Star India already has three Hindi GECs – Star Plus, Life Ok, Channel V – while a fourth, Star Utsav airs reruns from it old TV show catalogue. Zee Entertainment has the successful Zee TV and launched Zee Anmol last year, work on a third GEC is believed to be on currently. 

     

    Clearly, India’s TV networks believe in dishing out more to the country’s entertainment hungry TV viewers.

  • MSM reshuffles senior management

    MSM reshuffles senior management

    MUMBAI: Multi-Screen Media(MSM) today announced that Sneha Rajani, will assume the position of deputy president and head, MSM Motion Pictures. Nachiket Pantvaidya, who has recently joined the network, takes over as senior executive vice president and business head, Sony Entertainment Television (SET). Anooj Kapoor, will assume additional responsibilities as senior executive vice president and business head, SAB, and also a new initiative in the Hindi entertainment space.

     

    Sneha who was formerly business head, Sony Entertainment Television will have end to end responsibility for MSM Motion Pictures and will chart the success and future of that business as a key force in movie production. In this role, Sneha will also continue to handle film acquisitions for the network. Sneha has been associated with MSM for over 15 years and has previously been business head, MAX, which she launched and led for 10 years, before assuming responsibility of the flagship GEC, SET. She has played a key role in MSM’s movie buying strategy and was also instrumental in leading its cricket properties, such as, the ICC World Cup and IPL.

     

    Nachiket, who was the business head of STAR Plus and also held several roles in the STAR TV network, including being the Head of STAR Pravah and MD of FOX Television Studios will now head SET. An IIM Ahmedabad alumnus, Nachiket has had stints with BBC and Disney in the past. He has also held several positions in MSM from 1996 to 2004.

     

     

    With the success of SAB, Anooj has demonstrated capability for building differentiated audiences for the network. Anooj has been with MSM since 2007. Prior to joining MSM, Anooj worked with Colgate Palmolive as product manager, Lowe Lintas as Creative Director and also ran his own production advertising company. He has a Masters in English Literature and a MBA from SP Jain Institute of Management Studies.

     

    Speaking on the occasion, MSM  CEO N. P. Singh said, “I am certain that Sneha, Nachiket and Anooj will revitalize and provide fresh perspective to their respective areas of responsibility. Each brings unique strengths to grow the business & we wish them the best in their new roles. I am confident that 2014 will be a year of innovation and growth for MSM.”

     

  • Sab cooks up a storm to climb the TVT ladder

    Sab cooks up a storm to climb the TVT ladder

    MUMBAI: “We always offer differentiated and innovative content than the others in the general entertainment channel space,” says Sab TV EVP and business head Anooj Kapoor on the sidelines of the launch of Sab’s new show Jo Biwi Se Kare Pyaar today. The show goes on-air on 28 October at 7:30 pm. Currently, the channel has no fresh content in this time slot and it is adding to its prime time line up through its new offering.

    Jo Biwi Se Kare Pyaar is a light-hearted cookery show. “It is India’s first fiction based cookery show, which has romance, comedy and also teaches the audience a recipe in each episode,” informs Kapoor.

    This isn’t all. The show is also different than the rest, as it takes brand communication to a different level. The channel has partnered with TTK Prestige and developed a concept around the values of the brand. “We have taken communication beyond advertisement. It is an articulation of product with the content of the show, which comes out beautifully,” says TTK Prestige COO Chandru Kalroo.

    The show weaves in romance, comedy and cooking seamlessly. “With this show, we bring our old line Jo biwi se kare pyaar to the contemporary context of Woh cooking se kaise kare inkaar,” adds Kalroo.

    According to Kapoor, since the new series is not a non-fiction client sponsored show, “it becomes a logical part of our regular programming, thus strengthening our prime time band.”

    “As a brand that has a relationship spanning six decades, we believe that we have to communicate beyond the product itself. We need to constantly strike an emotional chord with the consumer. The partnership with Sab through the programme will further this effort through its wonderfully conceived situations, humour and high quality production. I am sure this will be a new landmark in marketing,” adds Kalroo.

    The show, according to Kapoor, is “of the family, by the family and for the family.” “The show retains brand Sab. It is a very unique concept, as there has never been a fiction cookery show with some added tadka,” he adds.

    The show stars Arjun Bijlani who plays Aditya Khanna and Shweta Gulati who will be seen as Suhani Khanna. It has been produced by Deepti Bhatnagar Productions and written by Rajat Vyas. Commenting on his association with Deepti, Kapoor says, “She has been associated with Sab for almost five years now and thus understands the brand Sab.”

    Deepti has in the past also been the spokesperson for Prestige. “She thus understands not only us, but also our clients,” he says. Not only has Deepti produced the show, but has also taken her cooking experience to another level through her characters on TV. “All the recipes are from my recipe book. I did not want to take it from a chef as we wanted to keep it simple,” says Bhatnagar.

    It was the channel’s idea to do a show like this. Talking about the concept, Kapoor says, “Well, the concept came from us and then we approached Deepti to work on it. Prestige, which is our client, wanted us to create a show which could help promote them. We developed the concept keeping our brand template in mind.”

    The story of Jo Biwi Se Kare Pyaar reflects the lifestyle of new age couples, who despite of demanding work-lives try to find interesting ways to spend time with each other. And, the show also offers an opportunity to the viewers to learn new and easy recipes.

    Two promos and various digital campaigns have been designed to promote the show. “We have not compromised on the marketing of the show,” informs Kapoor.

    Quiz Deepti about the challenges she faced while making the show and she says, “It is a different genre that has both fiction and non-fiction. Also, we had to ensure that the cooking is seamlessly integrated in the story. Everything had to blend very well. It was challenging as it is no saas-bahu saga.”

    Currently, of the 26 episodes that will be aired in the series, five have been shot. “We will take a call on increasing the number of episodes a week after the show goes on air.” A lot of detailing has gone into making the set of the show. “It took us one month to create the set in Kamalistan. The show has a working kitchen, unlike the dummy kitchen in a lot of cookery shows. Also, the glasses that have been used are from Turkey. The appliances are good looking. I have got a professional to design the plates for the show. I wanted to put a lot of stress on the production value,” says Bhatnagar.

    Sab hopes to climb the ladder of TV ratings with this show and is also working towards strengthening its weekend programming for which new concepts are being developed. In the past, the channel has been at the number three slot in the time spent by viewers on the channel and wants to return to that ranking.

  • Sab TV launches its first ever game show

    Sab TV launches its first ever game show

    MUMBAI:  With an aim to provide families with a joyful experience that they can take back home and cherish for life, Sab TV is launching its first ever game show – Sab Khelo Sab Jeeto!

     

    Sab’s executive vice president and business head Anooj Kapoor spoke of the launch, “Sab TV believes that a complete family entertainment experience can only be relished together. Our brand promise ‘Asli Mazaa Sab Ke Saath Aata Hai’, emphasises on the essence of togetherness through our new show ‘Sab Khelo Sab Jeeto’. The show is progressive in its content and interactive in its format. We hope that ‘Sab Khelo Sab Jeeto’ entertains audiences across India.”

     

    The show’s format encourages participation from families across the country urging them to engage in fun-filled games and spend family time together. Each episode we will declare 1 Champion family who has either won or qualified maximum number of times. The six champion families will compete to win the coveted title of the ‘Maha champion family’ and will be entitled to win a bumper prize.

     

    Having anchored game shows before, Cyrus Sahukar who is known for his comic skills has been roped in to host the show. On this he said, “I am really excited to try my hand at hosting a show that has a much different outlook towards entertainment. There have been many game shows out of which some have been physically stimulating, some based on quick thinking and some for purely entertainment purposes. However ‘Sab Khelo SAB Jeeto’ is what you get when you put all the three aspects together to form a unique concept. I’m very certain that the viewers will enjoy the show thoroughly.”

     

    Produced by Neela Telefilms and directed by TV Vinod, the game show promises complete entertainment for both, viewers as well as families participating every weekend, starting 12 October at 8:00 pm.

  • Sab campaigns for votes

    Sab campaigns for votes

    MUMBAI: With the general elections due next year and almost everyone talking about it, Sab has decided to cash-in on the idea for its award show too.

     

    In just its second season, Sab ke anokhe awards, has election as its theme this year. The campaign ‘saal ka sab se anokha election’ will enable the viewers to vote for their favourite nominee from each category.

     

    The viewers will be able to vote for five categories – Sab Se Anokha Prani, Sab Se Anokhi Jodi, Sab Se Anokha Musibat Ka Mara, Sab Se Anokha Romance and Sab Se Anokhi Nari. And the winner will be declared only on the basis of the votes. As for the other categories, winners will be decided by a jury.

     

    Talking on how the nominees were selected Sab EVP and business head Anooj Kapoor says, “If one looks at our shows it is quite evident that which character from a particular show will fit a certain category.”

     

    The channel hasn’t left any platform to market the award show. From hoardings plastered on buses to a vote appeal on television, the channel has a pan India line of attack to get in as many votes as possible. It has booked 10,000 spots on TV, 600 hoardings across 40 cities, tie-up with Café Coffee Day outlets apart from advertising on 40 newspapers (Hindi, English & vernacular). It is also active on social media and will allow the viewers to vote through its Facebook page, Sab Play mobile app, SMS etc.

     

    With digitalisation and the change in TAM ratings, the channel is optimistic about its reach and the number of people voting in. Last year the channel received close to five lakh votes for the awards. “With TVT, of course, we know what our reach is and hope to engage as many viewers as possible,” sates an optimistic Kapoor.

     

    The main sponsor of the award show is Rin and it is powered by Cadbury 5 Star. Kotak Mahindra, Asian Paints and Badshah Masala are the associate sponsors.

     

    The show will be aired on 31 August and we can only hope that viewers choose the right and the deserving candidate at least in reel if not in reality!

  • SAB TV in association with Bollywood Tourism launches ‘SAB Ki Sawaari’

    SAB TV in association with Bollywood Tourism launches ‘SAB Ki Sawaari’

    It’s everyone’s dream to watch their favorite stars perform LIVE…get to watch them prepare for a shot or a chance to shake a leg with them… To make your dreams come true, SAB TVhas partnered with Bollywood Tourismto launch ‘SAB Ki Sawaari’, a unique initiative that brings fans closer to their favorite stars.

    For the first time viewers who have loved Chandramukhi for her dabangpolicegiri, Gadha for his Ishtyle, Balveer for his superhero stunts will get a chance to see the stars live in action &a once in a lifetime opportunity to watch shoots, rehearsals, to pose with their favourite stars! SAB Ki Sawaaritakes the viewers from Goregaon to various SAB TV sets on weekends.

    Announcing this initiative, Mr. Anooj Kapoor, EVP & Business Head, SAB TV stated, “We at SAB TV constantly endeavor to create interesting and entertaining content for the viewers and through this initiative we will take this experience off screen too. This is a unique way to provide an opportunity to consumers to engage with the brand and its popular characters. We are glad to partner with Bollywood Tourism &I’m sure this experience will create lasting memories in the minds of our consumers“

    Talking about the launch, Mr. Manoj Gursahani, MD, Bollywood Tourism said, “We at Bollywood Tourism are delighted to be associated with SAB TV for the launch of the unique offering SAB Ki Sawaari. We are confident this will provide a unique and unforgettable experience to all our guests”

    This unique experience is sure to carve splendid memories and once again bring smiles and cheer to families across India.Priced atRs. 2,250/- perperson, the tickets are available just a click away at https://www.bollywoodtourism.com/sab-ki-sawari.Beginning at Oberoi Mall, Goregaon, (E) SAB Ki Sawaari goes on to tour the sets of SAB TV’s iconic shows!

  • “Sab will be among the Top Three Hindi GECs”:EVP and business head of Sab Anooj Kapoor

    “Sab will be among the Top Three Hindi GECs”:EVP and business head of Sab Anooj Kapoor

     From being a copywriter, director to business head, the soft-spoken Anooj Kapoor has worn various hats. But what makes him different from others is the way he manages the work-life balance. He proudly claims that in his more than 20 years of career there has rarely been a day when he has been in office later than 6 pm. Even today, he leaves office at six in the evening and on weekends he switches off from work, unless required. Someone who believes in working hard hasn‘t forgotten to live to the fullest too…

    Indiantelevision.com’s Meghna Sharma spoke to the executive EVP and business head of Sab Anooj Kapoor about the channel‘s current plans,the reason for there being no other channel like Sab and the channel‘s future plan.

    Excerpts:

    The channel underwent a revamp recently, was it really needed? 

    Nothing we do here is what everybody else does, starting from our programming which is totally differentiated from the rest in the GEC space. So, this revamp is not because others have done it too. All we have done is revamped the packaging of the channel. The last revamp was done almost six years ago, and we thought we have had a wonderful growth in the past five years. So we wanted the packaging to be more colourful. We have retained the old colours and added more colours to our package to convey freshness, more audience on the channel as well as more people sitting together to watch our shows. It can convey a lot of things, but essentially, we wanted a fresh look.

    You said you are adding more people who are watching your channel. So through the revamp and apps are you targeting youth now? 

    Asli maaza sab ke saath aata hai… has stood true for us. The entire family comes together and watches TV. We have a mix of audience, from males, females to kids. We also have a healthy mix of Sec A, B and C. So we are not trying to broad base our TG, it is already 4+.

    However, we cannot deny that new things always appeals to people. In the age-group of 4-14, we are the number one channel. In the last TAM rating, we were ahead of Star Plus. In the higher age-group, 15-24, we are fairly strong but we realised there is a need to engage audience on fresher platforms – facebook, comics, SABurbia and other apps. And the age-group after that, we keep appealing through our ads where the whole family comes together.

    Our other initiative ‘Sab ki Saafari‘, is also first of its kind. The idea was to get people from smaller towns meet their favourite characters or watch a shoot. Through this initiative we get our loyal audiences to meet their favourite characters and also show them what goes on behind the camera. We have another loyalty program called SABprise wherein the more you watch the channel the more you get rewarded for it. We feel that today it has to be a two-way communication. If they have given us so much and helped us grow 600 per cent in five years then we should also give them something in return.
     

    With the awards season on, when can we get to see Sab ke anokhe awards? 

    We are coming back with Sab ke anokhe awards in August. The first round did well for us as we got a rating of 2.8 which I‘m not going to compare with other award shows, but for a channel like ours which has a limited reach it is a very healthy rating. It was purely because of the uniqueness of the show. We came up with categories which went beyond the clichéd categories. This time we are going to add even more categories and try to be as anokha as possible. We will be sticking to our strategy of being different and innovative.
     

    What kind of weekend programming does the channel currently have? Any plans to introduce new shows?

    Currently, we have two silent comedies on Saturday –Guttur Gu and Malegoan ka Chintu. Guttur Gu has been recognised as the longest running silent show in the world by the Limca Books of Records, and then we have Waah Waah Kya Baat Hai which consistently rates among the top five shows in the non-fictional category on the weekend. So, we have fresh weekend programming. We might add new programs in the future wherein we will look at reality or mix of unique concepts like silent comedy but nothing is crystallised yet.
     

     

     

    “We touched our highest rating of 159 in February this year and now with digitisation when we are far better placed”
     

    SAB is the only comedy-centric Hindi GEC, wherein other networks have second GEC channels, why do you think there aren‘t many players in this genre? 

    We are the number one comedy channel in the world. We are the only channel in the world which does daily comedy shows. If you will look at channels like Zee Café or Star World, the sitcoms they have are weekly and have seasons. We have Tarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah which has done 1200 episodes now, Lapataganj in its first avatar had done 850 episodes and FIR will be touching 1000 soon (in September). So while we have been able to be innovative, we have also done successful programming. All this while we know that there is a limited pool of comedy actors, writer, directors and producers.

    Also, before SAB, comedy wasn‘t seen as an important genre by GECs. We have been able to reign in that limited talent and try to cultivate a few more. With the limited pool I don‘t think there is enough talent for more than one channel to survive. And secondly, we have a DNA which has gotten us consistent success. There is no doubt that other channels have dabbled into comedy especially after seeing SAB‘s success, but all the top three or four GECs have not been able to succeed. And, therefore they are apprehensive.
     

    Do you work with a certain set of production houses or open to others as well? 

    We have always encouraged new producers, but at the same time we have certain set of producers that have consistently worked for us. We also have people who have never done comedy before and doing it successfully for us. For instance, Malegaon ka Chintu is produced by Deepti Bhatnagar Production which hasn‘t done comedy in the past,Gutur Gu is done by Fireworks who have in the past doneCID and Aahat. And of course, we have Asit Modi, JD Majathia, Vipul Shah and Ashwini Dheer. So, we have been able to mix both.
     

    You are also available in the US, UK and Europe, what has been the response there? 

    We are extremely popular abroad. In the UK we are the fastest growing channel.

    It is a fact that we have created almost 7,000 hours of original programming and when we compare data with other channels dedicated to comedy we are miles ahead of them. From the 70s, since DD started, no channel has claimed or can claim to be the number one channel based out of India but we can!
     

    It‘s going to be a year now since digitisation took place. How has it helped the channel? 

    We have a business model which by definition doesn‘t afford us very high rates and because we also have to keep our profits in mind, we couldn‘t place ourselves where top three or four GECs could. This meant, we could not be well placed in the analog. However, with digitisation, we now fall in the GEC cluster. Now our sampling will soar up. We also strongly feel that our trial retention rate is high.
     

    Currently, which are the weak slots that you would like to strengthen?

    The difference between manufacturing and television is – that in manufacturing you can perfect a formula whereas in our industry, the same raw material will go to the same factory but the end product sometime works and sometime fails.
     

    Lastly, when do you see Sab among the top three? 

    We are well on our way. We have never stopped growing. We touched our highest rating of 159 in February, this year and now with digitisation when we are far better placed, I hope we will one day be among the top three.