SaharaOne to reschedule comedy band, 3 new launches this month

SaharaOne to reschedule comedy band, 3 new launches this month

MUMBAI: February will see some major reshuffling in SaharaOne as far as the channel's programming is concerned. The comedy band will see a time change, three different genre shows will debut and at the same time, February will also mark the exit of two existing shows.

A fresh comedy band, in place of the original 8 pm, will be constituted at 11 pm. All existing shows - Malini Iyer, Baal Baal Bacche, Aao Bahen Chugli Karen and Main Office Tere Aangan Ki are moving to the late night slot with effect from 7 February. This is being done to fill a need gap for comedy at the late hour, says SaharaOne programming head Kumud Chaudhary.

As was reported by Indiantelevision.com early this year, Dial One Aur Jeeto and ADA, which were to debut on 17 January, will now launch on 7 February and 14 February respectively. Dial One Aur Jeeto, which will be aired at 8.30 pm, is a non fiction show with the agenda of pulling in viewers to the channel with a series of questions that audiences can answer and win prizes. The stickiness this show generates is expected to translate into more viewers for the Ken Ghosh produced ADA, which will be aired at 9 pm.

Another SaharaOne show, produced by Miditech, Dil Chahta Hai, which was originally intended to launch on Valentine's Day, will not launch for quite a while, say channel officials. Instead, a mini series in the thriller genre, No.13 will launch on 25 February at 7.30 pm. No.13, says Chaudhary, is targeted at children in the eight to 12 age bracket, and is 'very different in orientation from existing SaharaOne shows'.

The launch of these shows will see the exit of the lackluster Kucch Love Kucch Masti, the bold show that debuted last August, which will take the final bow on 10 February. The kids' show Aavishkar - Ek Rakshak too will air its last episode on 18 February.

Kuchh Love Kuchh Masti, says Chaudhary, was a 'good show' that gave the channel a spanking new image', but it now has to give way to other new shows, she says.