MUMBAI : Comedy Central, India?s first 24*7 English Comedy channel, has raced ahead to the No. 1 spot in the English Entertainment category, within just the ninth week of its launch by amassing a substantial 22% market share, moving ahead of established players like Star World, AXN, Zee Caf?, among others.

The English entertainment space is populated with 8 players and the advent of Comedy Central in India marked the entry of the 9th player. According to TAM, Comedy Central in its ninth week of launch garnered 22% market share in the SEC AB, 15-34, 5 metros (Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore and Hyderabad). The English Entertainment pack now has a new leader with Comedy Central at 22%, followed by AXN at 21% and Star World at 16% (viewing hours - 6 am to 1 am). On weekends, Comedy Centrals? share goes up to a massive 45%. [TAM, Week 12 - 18th to 24th March]

Ferzad Palia, Sr. Vice President and General Manager, English Entertainment, Viacom 18 Media Pvt. Ltd. said ?We?re ecstatic with the way the channel has driven viewership bowling over established players which have been in the industry for over 10 years. We are here to raise the bar of the English entertainment category with our strong content, distribution and innovative marketing. This No.1 position proves that India is ready to move into the next level of English entertainment.?

Comedy Central, an offering from the Viacom 18 conglomerate was launched on January 23, 2012 with a powerful programming line-up which includes hits like Saturday Night Live, Coupling, The Office, Seinfeld, The Wonder Years, That 70s Show, South Park & Goodness Gracious Me amongst others. Comedy Central is available in over 20 million households across the country and across analog, digital cable & DTH.

MUMBAI: FoodFood, India?s first Hindi 24x7 Food Lifestyle Brand completed one full year of operations successfully. The most innovative and specialized 360 degree food concept , launched through its TV channel FoodFood saw a plethora of highly exciting programmes Chefs and shows during the year that have become almost a household name today.

Says Masterchef Sanjeev Kapoor, one of the promoters of FoodFood, "It has truly been a memorable year for all of us at FoodFood. The shows have been keenly watched by consumers across the country and from the comments I hear whenever I travel to the hinterlands of the country assures me that our consumers are getting emotionally attached to our shows. That?s the best testimony we could receive from our audiences."

The channel has been constantly ahead of its competitors since its launch in 2011 growing at the rate of 10% in a year.

FoodFood channel?s content is a classic mix of path-breaking cookery and food based lifestyle shows like Ladies First, Firangi Tadka, Mummy Ka Magic, Sanjeev Kapoor?s Kitchen, Turban Tadka, Secret Recipe, Tea Time with Rakesh Sethi, to name a few. The channel has also hosted India?s largest cooking reality show ?AMUL FoodFood Mahachallenge?. Cheered on by Madhuri Dixit and Chef Kapoor as judge, 16 contestants battled it out in the kitchen to prove their culinary mettle.

All the shows are produced and shot in scintillating high definition. The content is personally researched, directed and supervised by Sanjeev Kapoor and his experienced team of Food Specialists.

FOODFOOD is now also being telecast in the Middle East countries. It was brought to UAE by Etisalat, Middle East?s leading telecom operator and TV services provider. Etisalat is the first operator in the region to offer the FOODFOOD CHANNEL to its customers in the UAE. The Middle East, especially Abu Dhabi and Dubai are popular destinations for expat Indians , and therefore a very important and challenging market for food lifestyle and cookery based television content. "Going forward, we plan to enhance our presence across the world, appealing to the expat Indian population." Said Mr. Sanjeev Kapoor.

The resident chefs of FOODFOOD not only understand food and cuisine, they are also in tune with the audiences? lifestyle preferences. They, therefore produce and package content for the shows that are relevant to the Indian audiences. FoodFood is not just about stand-and-stir kind of shows, it features programming that is compellingly interactive with the audiences.

FoodFood?s focus on innovative and creative programming continues in the new year too?On the anvil are exciting shows like Mummy Ka magic in a whole new interactive format, How to Cook series with Sanjeev Kapoor, for those interested in learning to cook and many more.

The channel is available in both analog and digital formats pan India. On the DTH platform they are available on Airtel DTH at the moment and will soon be present with other leading DTH carriers in this year.