India ratings: SAB TV begins shining through

Multi Screen Media’s (MSM India) entertainment alternative channel SAB TV has finally begun delivering good numbers in India.

SAB TV, sister station of Sony Entertainment Television Asia and MAX has been gradually increasing its hold on the Hindi general entertainment channel (GEC) genre.

As per TAM Media Research data on C&S 4+, HSM audience, SAB TV’s channel share has grown to 5 per cent in the second week of 2009 from an average of 2.1 per cent in June last year. In Week 2, its relative channel share was 4.7 per cent, and the channel claims to have increased its GRPs by 70 per cent and as per the Week 2 data, its GRPs are 51.

The channel has experimented with many facelifts like being a second GEC, a youth channel, a comedy channel and, now, the final makeover as a family comedy channel.

Anooj Kapoor, business head, SAB TV, told TelevisionPoint, “Our family comedy channel positioning has worked very well for us and the differentiated programming has hit a right chord with the viewers. We are proud to have sustained our performance with regular growth over the past months.”

The overall points of entertainment channels have dipped. STAR Plus continues to be number one channel with 297 GRPs. Colors, with 260 GRP, retains its number two rank and has garnered a relative share of 22 per cent.

ZEE TV, the number three channel, has increased its GRP from 188 in Week 1 to 196 in week 2. Its relative share stands at 17 per cent. At number four is Sony TV, which has seen a drastic fall in its GRP from 126 in Week 1 to 85 in Week 2.

STAR One and NDTV Imagine remain equal, with a relative share of 6 per cent each, as their GRPs stand at 73 and 67, respectively. Sahara One has a relative share of 4 per cent.

9X, which continues to show repeat telecast of its programmes, has been witnessing a decline in its GRP for a few weeks now. With 39 GRP, its channel share stands at 3 per cent.