Global Entertainments

When Viacom 18 appear their accommodation to barrage Ball Central in India, the accommodation was beheld with some scepticism. The industry wondered how a alcove 24-hour ball approach would be accustomed in the country and how the approach will attempt with added accepted ball channels that additionally air ball shows. “People advance such demanding lives that we acquainted a audible charge for a 24-hour ball channel,” says Ferzad Palia, Senior VP and Accepted Manager, English Entertainment, Viacom18. “The architecture of the approach is to appearance world’s best comedy. We aren’t anxious if we
appearance it aboriginal or not,” he adds.

Comedy Central, an American channel, was aboriginal launched in 1991. Since 2006, the approach has broadcast globally with localised channels and on January 23, 2012 it launched in India. However, the approach although dishing out assorted forms of comedy, isn’t alone afraid to new shows on television. For those who grew up in the ’90s Kevin Arnold, Jerry Seinfeld and Eric Forman are accustomed names. And so are the shows they were a allotment of — The Wonder Years, Seinfeld and That 70s Appearance respectively. With television growing and producers demography to new shows, these accepted shows took a backseat. Ball Central’s programming for India has accustomed them a new charter of life. “Comedy works best on repeat,” Palia credibility out.

The channel, however, has a fair mix of both American and British comedies. While shows like Allo Allo and Coupling are accepted names from British television, That 70s Show, South Park, The Wonder Years and Seinfeld are accepted American shows. While abounding accept complained about the repeats of old shows, Palia confirms that they finalised the programming afterwards abundant research. “When we absitively to barrage the approach in India, we conducted a analysis area we begin out that best bodies apish about accepting admired a accurate show. So abounding bodies who claimed to accept admired Seinfeld or Goodness Gracious Me, did not alike recognise the show’s blow back I showed it to them.”

Apart from these accustomed shows which will conceivably advice the approach accompany in viewers, Ball Central is additionally showcasing new shows, such as Happily Divorced and Faulty Towers, which haven’t been aired in India so far. “We additionally accept newer seasons of South Park and Saturday Night Live,” says Palia, who believes it is a advantageous mix of both new and old. The growing acceptance of the approach is additionally affidavit to the actuality that Indians are now demography to alcove channels. The channel’s two weeks’ TRPs accept apparent it in the top three aperture amid added English channels. “Comedy is a ample genre, which cuts beyond ages, gender, chase and so on. The brand is additionally universally appealing,” says Renuka Pai, a pharmacologist and a approved eyewitness of the channel.

Comedy Central now affairs to premiere at atomic 18 shows a month. “We additionally demand to accept a bright bound amid weekday and weekend programmes. We will not be assuming repeats of shows from weekdays over the weekend,” confirms Palia.