iWorld
SAB Group unveils digital initiative Happii-Fi
MUMBAI: SABGroup unveiled the first look of their latest initiative, Happii-Fi at a recent awards event organized at St. Regis Hotel, Lower Parel.
What sets SABGROUP’s digital initiative, Happii-Fi apart from other comedy content providers is the fact that its outreach is not limited. The idea is to create cutting edge comedy content and then build unprecedented digital reach via strategic partnerships with various OTT platforms, OEM’s, Teleco’s as well as digital aggregators. Some of their partnerships include those with Micromax, Hungama, FunOnGo, nexGTv, Indus, Daily Motion, Facebook, YouTube and One Digital Entertainment.
Sri Adhikari Brothers Group CEO Manav Dhanda said, “We are looking to change the trend in the way content reaches out to people with our latest initiative Happii-Fi. Happii-Fi will create cutting edge comedy content for the Indian masses which as a segment is still terribly underserved & has only catch up TV/Movies to consume online. As India touches a 1 billion online population, the first 200 million and the next 800 million who come online are starkly contrary beings. We are creating an opportunity where real India lies.”
Multiple shows that will be launched under Happii-Fi include Ghar Bar, Nayiwali Girlfriend, Kya Cheez hai India, Bro Court, Controversial Bhabhiji, Dholi&Kholi, The Rat Race and lots more. Some of the notable names associated with the shows include Shakti Kapoor who is the lead actor of Ghar Bar & Sagar Ballary(Of Bheja Fry Fame) who is the director of Ghar Bar. Also Shilpa Shinde will feature in the series of Controversial Bhabhiji.
iWorld
Amazon MX Player unveils 150-show slate for 2026
Free streamer doubles down on originals, reality and microdramas as it courts 250m monthly viewers
MUMBAI: Amazon MX Player is going big in 2026. India’s free streaming service, which claims more than 250m monthly viewers, has unveiled its largest content slate yet—over 150 new and returning titles spanning drama, action, thrillers, reality and its mobile-first microdrama format.
Leading the scripted lineup is Made In India: The Titan Story, a sweeping ambition-and-legacy drama starring Naseeruddin Shah and Jim Sarbh. Also headlining the slate is Sankalp, a socio-political thriller exploring power and leadership, featuring Nana Patekar, Sanjay Kapoor, Neeraj Kabi and Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub.
The platform is stacking the deck with a mix of genres. Ab Hoga Hisaab, a justice-and-retribution thriller, stars Shaheer Sheikh, Mouni Roy and Sanjay Kapoor. Administrative drama The Bureaucrat features Amol Parashar, while action entertainer Kaptaan stars Saqib Saleem. The survival thriller Vimal Khanna features Sunny Hindhuja, cop drama Waiting Hai stars Divyenndu Sharma and Bhuvan Arora, and crime drama Clean Up Crew brings together Ravi Kishan, Amey Wagh and Vishal Jethwa.
The slate builds on the momentum of recent originals including courtroom drama Amar Vishwas, starring Rajeev Khandelwal, Aamir Ali, Ravi Behl and Barkha Bisht, and the romantic thriller Psycho Saiyaan featuring Tejasswi Prakash and Ravi Kishan, both of which drew strong audience engagement.
Reality programming remains a key pillar. Competition series Rise & Fall returns for a second season, while the fitness reality show Battleground also comes back for Season 2 with Shikhar Dhawan reprising his role as lead mentor. The platform recently wrapped Bharat Ke Super Founders, fronted by Suniel Shetty, which saw winning startups receive funding worth Rs100 crore ($10.8m).
Franchise favourites are also making a comeback. Crime saga Raktanchal returns for Season 3, alongside youth-focused titles Campus Beats Season 6, Campus Diaries Season 2, Heartbeats Season 2 and Who’s Your Gynac Season 2.
Karan Bedi, head of Amazon MX Player, said the platform is riding strong momentum as viewers gravitate towards free, premium streaming. “With our growing premium content slate and scale, we are uniquely positioned to drive the shift from linear television to streaming for millions of viewers across India.”
Amogh Dusad, head of content, said the focus is on building “a diverse and inclusive content ecosystem that reflects the many voices, cultures and experiences of audiences across the country.”
Beyond long-form shows, the platform is doubling down on MX Fatafat, its mobile-first microdrama vertical designed for short, snackable storytelling. It is also expanding MX Vdesi, its library of localised international content from Korea, China and Turkey, alongside a curated anime slate available in Japanese and Hindi.
Girish Prabhu, head of Amazon Ads India, framed the strategy in commercial terms. With a reach of 250m users, he said, brands can connect with audiences through content “powered by shopping and streaming signals” that generate measurable outcomes.
All titles will stream free on Amazon MX Player across mobile devices, connected TVs, the Amazon shopping app, Prime Video, Fire TV, Jio TV and Airtel Xtreme.
The message is clear: as India’s streaming wars intensify, Amazon MX Player is betting big on scale, speed and free access—flooding the zone with content and inviting millions of viewers to press play.
