GECs
Sony shifts Sab to PAS 10 as part of 2nd pay bouquet
MUMBAI: After acquiring Sab TV, SET-Discovery’s One Alliance has made the humour-centric channel a part of the platform’s second pay bouquet.
As part of this move, the channel has been shifted to PanAmSat 10, the satellite from which all Sony’s channels are broadcast, and is beaming as an encrypted feed. Currently, Sab is also available on its old position at AsiaSat 3 as a free-to-air channel, the dual feed will stop once Sab TV’s contract with AsiaSat expires in early June.
“Sab TV has already joined the pay bouquet of One Alliance. It will strengthen our second bouquet. The decoder boxes are currently being seeded in the market,” says SET India chief operating officer NP Singh.
One Alliance’s second bouquet, priced at Rs 38 a month, will have an upward rate revision, says a source. The price is not decided yet but an announcement is expected before May-end. Singh, however, did not wish to comment on whether the rate of the second bouquet will go up.
One Alliance’s second bouquet includes Ten Sports, MTV, Nick, Discovery Travel & Living, Animax and the NDTV channels. It will be up against Zee-Turner’s new bouquet of Pogo, HBO, Vh1, Zee Business and Awaaz priced at Rs 25 (retail price to the consumer is Rs 40) and Star India’s offerings at Rs 22 for the two Disney channels, Star One and Hungama TV.
Already showing movies on weekends, Sony plans to position Sab TV as a “humour and light entertainment” channel without deviating from its male skew audience base. Reality and game shows are also being lined up, though a complete fix on the channel’s programming will be finalised in the next few months.
“We will have a variety of entertainment shows. Our initial programming focus will be on the 8-10 pm band. Gradually, we will expand it to 11 pm,” says Singh.
GECs
Samsung TV Plus launches Kings of Comedy channel
New free FAST channel brings iconic Hindi comedy shows to millions of Samsung Smart TV owners.
MUMBAI: Samsung TV Plus has just turned up the laughter volume and it’s completely free. The leading free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) service in India has launched Kings of Comedy, a premium comedy channel featuring some of the country’s most beloved primetime shows. Available exclusively on Samsung TV Plus, the channel delivers back-to-back hits including Comedy Nights with Kapil, Khatra Khatra Khatra, and Comedy Nights Bachao, with no login or subscription required.
The launch marks a milestone for free streaming in India, offering audiences a dedicated comedy destination directly from their Samsung TV home screen. It arrives as Samsung TV Plus India celebrates its 5th anniversary, during which the service has grown its monthly active users by 42 per cent and more than doubled its total viewing hours. The platform now offers over 180 free channels across 14 languages.
Samsung TV Plus India general manager and head of business development Kunal Mehta said, “Comedy is the heartbeat of Hindi entertainment, and Kings of Comedy brings together the shows Indians already love, completely free on their Samsung TV. Our focus remains the same take the content people know and make it effortless to access.”
Globally, Samsung TV Plus has surpassed 100 million monthly active users across more than 4,500 channels, solidifying its position as one of the world’s leading free streaming services.
Kings of Comedy is now available on all compatible Samsung Smart TVs. For viewers seeking non-stop laughter without any cost, this new channel delivers a royal treat proving that sometimes the best entertainment really does come with no strings (or subscriptions) attached.
