antv (PT Cakrawala Andalas Televisi)

Terrestrial station Antv kicked off second half 2009 with a laugh. And a badly needed one at that.

Although it’s too soon to tell whether the strategy is working, station bosses clearly hope that focusing on comedy and light relief will pull the channel out of the ratings dark.

The new schedule highlights Antv’s efforts to create a space of its own separate from the country’s prime time sinetron (soap operas) staple.

Antv’s theme is “stress free” (bebas stress), and the schedule that goes with that is filled with comedy, variety/music, and some reality.

Prime time highlights are three new comedy series, Kungfu Komeng, Bukan Romeo Dan Juliet and Segeerrr…

“Our main aim is to guarantee a stress-free viewing experience,” said Antv chief executive, Dudi Hendrakusuma, during the June launch.

Antv’s June schedule included 18% sitcom, 16% comedy series and 15% variety. The rest of the schedule covers sports (14%), reality (10%), music (9%), talk show (7%), movies (7%) and games (3%).

Prime time runs from 6pm to 10pm.

Acquired locally, sitcom Kungfu Komeng revolves around the antics of a village kung fu master. The show is set in ancient China and is stripped at 7pm Wednesdays to Fridays.

Bukan Romeo Dan Juliet, a comic love story about two widowers vying for the love of the widow Sutini, runs in the 7pm slot on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Antv made the third new show, Segeerrr…, in house. The entertainment series features local comedy group Cagur, and is stripped Mondays to Fridays at 8pm.

New June shows also include music programme Mantap! (weekdays 5.30pm); reality show Mati Gaya (Mondays to Wednesdays 4.30pm) and Salah Alamat (Thursdays and Fridays 4.30pm); and investigative infotainment programme Buka Kartu (weekdays 4pm).

Antv says its most popular show so far is talk show Untung Ada Budi. Premiered in March this year, Untung Ada Budi has garnered a share of 9.9 and rating of 2.2 in week nine – a result, which the station is proud of, considering that “it is new and airs only twice a week”. Untung Ada Budi airs Saturdays and Sundays at 9pm. Adapting as a light entertainment talk show format, the show is hosted by local iconic comedian Budi Anduk, who acts as an arrogant boss with sidekick presenter/comedian Ari Untung.

In April, Antv (in which News Corp holds a 20% stake) ranked seventh of 15 free-TV channels, with a 6.2% audience share, according to AGB Nielsen Media Research.

RCTI was number one, with 17.8%, followed by SCTV with 16.1% and Trans TV with 15%. Trans7 was sixth (8.2%) and Global TV (5.6%) eighth.