MUMBAI: Sab is launching a board game SABurbia.com. In order to engage its viewers, Sab already runs the game SABurbia.com on Facebook. This board game is an extension of that.

According to the channel, SABurbia.com is made with the belief that given the right flow, old-fashioned board games are still enjoyable and entertaining in the age of console and online gaming. This game is channel?s attempt to personalise fiction content and provide a chance to the fans to interact with their favourite characters in their characteristic styles.

The main objective was to create a game where the entire family comes together and plays, thus going with the brand belief "Asli Mazaa Sab Ke Saath Aata Hai!".

Sab business head Anooj Kapoor said, "Consumers now have come to a point where they expect that they will be exposed to various activities of television channels. With this SABburbia.com and its board game we are trying to create more touchpoints for the consumers. The idea is to give the consumer a brand experience in a way that he was not expecting."

Kapoor added that Sab will keep looking at fresh initiatives to engage with existing and prospect consumers. The channel has also planned apps of its various characters. They already have cartoon strips printed in newspaper. But there will be Sab shows? characters who will be talking in their way like popular Tom cat does. The apps will be available for androids and Smartphones.

SABurbia.com has its premise set in the city of SABurbia, which is inhabited by all the popular Sab characters like Jetha, Daya, Taarak Mehta, Gadha Prasad and Chandramukhi Chautala. The city is in search of a Mayor ? one who bonds well with all of them and gains their goodwill. In the game, the players compete to become the Mayor of SABurbia.

Another feature of the game is the introduction of mobile zones. These are "special" zones in the way that when a player lands on them, he has the option of SMSing saburbia to 52525. As a response, he may be rewarded, penalised or given a task. It is like a wheel of fortune with myriad options.

Sab has joined hands with Pegasus International (Indian toy and board game maker, operating with the brand name ?Toy Kraft?) for the manufacturing and distribution of the game.

The game will be available in 42 major cities in leading stores like Landmark, Crossword, Hamleys, Shoppers Stop, Planet M. The cities include key markets like Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Gurgaon, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Bhopal, Indore, Baroda and Jaipur.

In its initial roll-out, a total of 2000 pieces will be available in stores.

The game will be promoted on television, print and outdoor digital media. Moreover, on-ground activations will also be carried out in malls to generate curiosity and buzz around the product.

NEW DELHI: Around five to six per cent of the budget for every show on Sab is put aside for advertising and marketing that series, said Sab EVP and business head Anooj Kapoor.

Claiming Sab was the only TV channel in the world solely dedicated to comic series and the only one to earn a 500 per cent profit in the last five to six years, Kapoor said the channel had removed only two or three shows in the past five years and the rest continued to have a long run.

Speaking on the sidelines of a press meet to announce its latest sitcom ?Jeannie Aur Juju? starring funster Ali Asghar and petite Giaa Manek, he said that the channel had found that its weakest slot was the 8 pm slot since the adults - particularly the males - began seeing their TV only after 8.30 pm. This was the reason for filling that slot with a series that would appeal to children, ?Baalveer?.

He said that the channel always commenced its series with allotment of 104 episodes, but then increased this if the series proved popular.

?Jeannie Aur Juju?, which will be telecast from 29 October on weekdays at 9.30 pm, is the first series on this channel to be based on a foreign series: the supremely popular American sitcom of the 80s with a fantasy premise called ?I dream of Jeannie?. The show used to be aired in India, in the 90s, after being dubbed in Hindi.

The basic story is that of a pilot who finds a bottle on an island where his plane has crashed. On opening this bottle, he releases a beautiful genie who has been imprisoned in that bottle for 2000 years. The pilot already has a fianc? who is daughter of his boss, but this genie falls in love with him even as she fulfills his wishes, leading to some hilarious situations.

Sticking mostly to the original content and story of the show originally created and produced by the legendary author Sidney Sheldon, the Indian adaptation on Sab will suitably Indianise the situations, Kapoor said. He added that unlike the American series which had a different situation in each episode, the Indian series had been adapted to suit the daily telecast format.

Addressing the press meet earlier, he said "It is a romantic comedy and is sure to win hearts instantly. The concept will appeal to all ages and it?s a complete family entertainer. The kids would love the magic and mischief while the adults can relish the emotional layers and the humour. And all this is further enhanced by special effects and entertaining visual gimmickry."

Asghar said that though he took part in several reality shows as a stand up comedian, he found acting in series more difficult since it had to be a running story.

Gia and Ali are supported by a host of acclaimed artists like Kurush Deboo, Shoma Anand,Jatin Mukhi etc who play pivitol roles in the show.

MUMBAI: Sab, the second Hindi general entertainment channel (GEC) from Sony Entertainment Network, is launching a new show to target kids.

Titled ?Baal Veer?, the show will premiere on 8 October and will air Monday to Friday at 8 pm.

The channel had earlier launched properties like ?Ring Wrong Ring? and ?Gilli Gilli Gappa? to target kids.

?Baal Veer? is being produced by Optimystix.

Sab TV EVP and business head Anooj Kapoor said, "It?s a very large scale venture from our side which is a mythical fiction. We have upped the production value and quality and even the scale at which TV shows are made today. It?s a landmark show for Sab TV as its a totally new genre of magic and special effects. A family entertainer and a visual delight, all in one!"

It is a show about a child bestowed with godly powers, who shuttles between earth and fairyland. His sole motive is to save young kids like himself, from bullies and any injustice against them. In the course of his travel between the two realms is when he meets two earthlings, Manav and Meher, who eventually become his dear friends. Manav and Meher are often troubled by older kids and treated insensitively. Baal Veer comes to their rescue with the powers of his wand causing much comic mayhem in the process but as the proverb goes, all is well as it eventually ends well.

MUMBAI: Sab, the second general entertainment channel (GEC) from Multi Screen Media (MSM), is now ready to experiment with reality genre as it is launching its first reality show ?Nanhe Superstars?.

The show is expected to go on-air by month end or early August. The weekly talent hunt show for kids will be aired every Saturday.

The channel said that Nanhe Superstars will provide a platform for the young and aspiring stars for showcasing their talent. The theme of the show is the war of the sexes- fights between the boys and girls team.

Sab EVP and business head Anooj Kapoor said, "It is our constant endeavour to deliver wholesome and clean entertainment to our beloved and loyal audience. We are launching the first reality show on Sab to create enthralling and exciting Saturdays for our audience. Nanhe Superstar is our sincere attempt to showcase the young talents of our country and bring a distinctive element to our programming content. It will be a complete package of variety, comedy, dance and entertainment."

Saloni Daini and Atharva Karve will anchor the show and lead their respective teams as well. Daini is a child comedy artist while Karve has been seen hosting shows like Sa Re Ga Ma Lil champs in the past.

MUMBAI: Putting an end to the mystery behind the "Ab Shekhar Dubara Karega" campaign, Sab, the family comedy channel from Multi Screen Media (earlier Sony Entertainment Network), has announced the return of Shekhar Suman with ?Movers and Shakers?.

Starting 12 March, the show will air Monday-Friday at the 10.30 pm time slot.

This is after a gap of 10 years that Suman will be hosting the iconic chat cum stand up show. Suman had first appeared in the show in 1997 on Sony Entertainment Television and the show ran till January 2001.

Sab EVP and business head Anooj Kapoor believes Movers and Shakers will push Sab ahead of Zee TV, the way Kaun Banega Crorepati had helped Sony overtake Colors.

"Movers and Shakers is making a comeback after a decade but people have still not forgotten it primarily due to Shekhar?s trademark style and wit. The second season is going to be a new challenge for Shekhar because the audience he is speaking to this time is the entire family. However, given his versatility we are sure that he will be able to carry it off successfully," Kapoor said.

The channel has chalked out a big promotion push for the show. While it has already painted big cities with hoardings of the teaser campaign, the second phase will see even a bigger drive. Without disclosing the exact amount, Kapoor said that Sab will be spending 7 per cent of its total marketing budget on this show. The channel has chartered a Jet Aircraft which will go to seven cities with Suman to promote the show.

To accommodate the show, channel is shifting FIR from its present 10.30 pm slot to 11 pm, while the repeat of Tarak Mehta Ka Oolta Chashma will shift to 11.30 pm.

"We get a 1-1.5 TVR at 11 pm with FIR, while Tarak Mehta? repeats at 11 pm get close to 2 TVR. So we decided to expand the primetime. Moreover, both FIR and Movers and Shakers have viewership that is male-skew. This will help the show," Kapoor explained.

Movers and Shakers this season will retain the basic elements of topicality, freshness, variety and unpredictability but the differentiator will be a more mature host, Sab said. He will offer his comments on all things concerning common people based on the collective wisdom gained from his journey through the rough and tumble of the country?s issues. The show is being produced by Sailesh Dave from Runaway productions.

Speaking about the show, Suman said, "I am excited to be back with Movers and Shakers. It?s a cult show and a great platform to reconnect with the people as well as be the common man?s voice. The show this time will be incisive, irreverent, endearing and entertaining all at the same time!"

Movers and Shakers this season will see the host focusing more on the human aspects of celebrities and their stories along with a set of ?must see elements?, ?street segments? and a ?common man? segment.

MUMBAI: Sab, the family comedy entertainment channel from Multi Screen Media, is launching two new fiction shows, ‘Chidiyaghar‘ and ‘RK Laxman Ki Duniya‘ starting from 28 November, thereby increasing their original primetime programming.

Chidiyaghar will take the Monday-Friday 9 pm band, replacing Sajan Re Jhoot Mat Bolo, which is being shifted to 11.30 pm slot. RK Laxman? will take the 9.30 pm slot, substituting Mrs. Tendulkar, which goes off air.

Interestingly, the channel will air the repeat of Tarak Mehta Ka Oolta Chashma at 11 pm, as it generates "good ratings" as per Sab top executive.

"We have increased our original programming and now original shows will air from 7.30pm -11 pm and from 11.30 pm till midnight. We have decided to keep the repeat telecast of Tarak Mehta? at 11 pm as it also fetches us good ratings," Sab TV EVP & business head Anooj Kapoor said.

The 9 pm show Chidiyaghar is produced and directed by Ashwini Dheer from Garima Productions, while RK Laxman is produced by JD Majethia (Hats off Productions) and Dharmesh Mehta (NamanRaj Productions).

Chidiyaghar‘s concept revolves around an idea that humans too have animal traits in them and it is our values and culture that separates humans from animals.

Meanwhile, the channel believes that RK Laxman? is the best fit for Sab as Laxman‘s cartoons always took a light-hearted view of serious issues.