OSN, the region’s major pay-TV network, claims to seal its position as the top provider of South Asian content with the addition of GEO News and SAB TV for OSN Pehla subscribers.

Available exclusively on OSN Pehla, GEO News is described as the highest rated news broadcaster from Pakistan. The channel offers premium content for Urdu-speaking expatriates with a focus on news and current affairs.

“Extremely popular with families,” Indian comedy entertainment channel SAB TV is described as the only one in its genre. Owned by Multi Screen Media, it is claimed to have achieved a 300 percent growth in viewership over the last few years, particularly among youth and children.

The newest additions follow the recent revamp of CricOne to OSN Sports Cricket HD, showcasing cricket from across the world, live and exclusive, including the India Premier League (IPL). GEO News and SAB TV add to OSN Pehla’s growing portfolio of over 30 South Asian channels in Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, Tamil and Malayalam.

David Butorac, CEO of OSN, said: “We are delighted that OSN Pehla serves as a bridge for the large South Asian community to their home countries. GEO News and SAB TV have clearly proved their popularity among South Asians.”

Iman Aslam, president, GEO TV Network, said: “GEO News has set its ambition to be ubiquitous. Our launch on OSN Pehla brings us closer to our mission in the Middle East as a credible source of news and current affairs in Urdu.”

Neeraj Arora, EVP and head of international business, Multi Screen Media, said: “We identified a unique offering in the South Asian television sector with SAB TV, which offers around-the-clock and original family comedy content.”

GEO News and SAB TV will be available on OSN Pehla Variety and OSN Pehla prime packages.