MUMBAI: Sab TV's faith in the comedy genre is reaping some dividends. Sab's brand of comedy, that includes sitcoms and slapstick, has been gaining steadily as far as its channel shares are concerned.
Tam data cited by Sab TV for the period between 23 August and 20 September, shows interesting growth in channel shares per half-hour band.
Sab TV, which is consciously concentrating on comedy, recently repositioned itself as an 'All Smiles, No Tears' channel. Bolstered by the upswing in the viewerships, the channel will soon be launching two new sitcoms - one of which is called Sri Sifarishi Lal by Ashwini Dheer.
Tam surveyed viewership of the channel among females above the age of 15 years and males above 25 years in SEC ABC. The survey revealed some interesting trends:
* In the 7 to 7.30 pm slot: The gross rating points (GRPs) of daily show Toba Meri Toba had gone up steeply, from 0.6 and 0.5 viewership on 23 August to 13 and 0.9 on 20 September (females and males respectively).
A still from 'Dhaaba Junction'
* 8-8:30 pm: This band - which shows Hassi Woh Phassi on Mondays and Tuesdays, Doli Leke Ayee Hai on Wednesdays and Thursdays, Zabaan Sambhal Ke on Fridays and Office Office on weekends - has grown from 1.3 and 2.1 GRPs to 2.7 and 3.4 (female and males respectively).
* 8:30-9 pm: This band - which shows Bade Miya Chhote Miya (on Monday-Tuesday), Yes Boss (Wednesday, Thursday and weekends) and Abhi To Main Jawan Hoon (Friday) - too has grown within one month. Its GRP has risen from 1.8 and 3.1 to 4.5 and 4.6 (female and male respectively).
* 9-9:30 pm: GRPs of Dhaaba Junction (Monday-Tuesday), Sajan Tum Jhuth Mat Bolo (Wednesday-Thursday) and Hamare Papa Kahate Hain (Friday to Sunday) have grown steeply from 1.6 and 2.2 to 4.1 and 3.6 (female and male respectively) within the month .
A still from 'Sahib Biwi Ke Gulam'
* 9:30 - 10 pm: Sahib Biwi Ke Gulam (Monday-Tuesday), Shrimaan Shrimaati (Wednesday -Thursday), Biwi To Biwi, Sala Re Sala (Friday to Sunday), has grown from 2.4 and 2.1 to 4.3 and 4 (female and male respectively).
* 10-10:30 pm: This slot shows - Office Office (Monday-Tuesday), Public Hai Sab Janati Hai (Wednesday-Thursday), Akting Akting (Friday) and Mirch Masala (Sat-Sun). Its GRPs have grown from 2.1 and 2.5 to 4.5 and 5 (female and male respectively).
The Tam survey was conducted between 20 August and 23 September, among the north and west audiences.
The survey reveals other interesting points. The GRPs have shown erratic dips and rises signifying viewership fluctuation. For two weeks after the twin bomb blasts (on 25 August), viewership in almost all the time bands dipped sharply but soon ascended again.
According to a Sab TV spokesperson, "In the last week of August and first week of September, the news channels viewership had shot up due to the bomb blasts and the fall of the Mayavati government in UP. But as interest in news waned, Sab started regaining its audience. And it is evident in the week ending September 20, when all the prime time slots generated higher GRPs than its previous weeks."
