ITV

Category: GECs

  • Sony Wah, Zee Anmol Cinema & 9X Jalwa set to join DD FreeDish, bid Rs 80m each

    NEW DELHI: Three general entertainment channels – Sony Wah, Zee Anmol Cinema, and 9X Jalwa – have bagged three slots on Doordarshan’s DTH platform FreeDish.

    In the 34th e-auction om 9 May 2017, the three channels bid Rs 80 million each, which was the reserve price.  

    After final trials of MPEG4 and the success of the 32nd auction in February, the reserve price for the next auction has been raised to Rs 80 million from Rs 48 million per slot.

    Parliament was informed earlier last month that FreeDish was soon getting approval to increase this capacity to 250 channels over the next two years.

    Until last year, the reserve price was Rs 43 million but one channel fetched the bid of Rs 70 million in the auction held on 14 February 2017.

    Earlier last year, the price for one channel went up to Rs 53 million and gave DD the confidence to raise the price which had been Rs 37 million till 2015 but was raised to Rs 43 million for the 25th e-auction in January 2016.

    DD got a jolt last month when its auction slated for 11 April could not be held. Although there was no official confirmation, indiantelevision.com learns that the FreeDish auction could not be held because there were no applicants.

    The participation amount (EMD) in the e-Auction was Rs.28 nullion – up from Rs 15 million – along with processing fee of Rs.25,000 (non-refundable, up from Rs 10,000).

    Incremental amount for the auction was Rs One Million. Of the bid price, Rs 11 million will be deposited within one month of placement and another Rs 11 million within two months along with service tax of 15 per cent on the bid amount.

    The balance bid amount will be deposited within six months, failing which the deposited amount will be forfeited and the channel discontinued after a 21-day discontinuation notice. The participation fee will be adjusted against the third and final installment for the respective channel.

    A new era begun with the adoption of MPEG4 helping FreeDish take the first major step to mark towards its target of 104 television channels by March end with its 32nd e-auction which helped it cross the capacity of eighty channels. FreeDish touched the figure of 104 with its 32nd Auction.

    Doordarshan had in October last year formally announced that FreeDish was capable of carrying 104 television channels and 24 channels would be added to the existing 80 channels after the launch of MPEG4 technology.

    In line with the ‘Digital India’ and ‘Make in India’, DD has implemented Indian CAS (iCAS) on DD FreeDish Platform. iCAS (which is an initiative of the central government) was introduced in the auction held last month. The introduction of iCAS will provide enhanced viewing experience.

    DD officials said the existing viewers will continue to get 80 SDTV channels and 32 radio channels, but will have to obtain iCAS-enabled authorized set-top boxes for accessing all new channels.

    Although FreeDish will remain free to air with no monthly or periodic fee, the viewers will be required to register with DD FreeDish on getting the new STB from Doordarshan authorized STB dealers.

    DD officials said implementation of iCAS and authorisation of STB original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) by Doordarshan will give a major thrust to ‘Make in India’ and ‘Digital India’. At present, a majority of STBs are imported. However, the introduction of iCAS will help in standardization of STBs and encourage quality STB manufacturing in India.

    With analogue having been switched off, Parliament had been told that many stakeholders feel that FreeDish is the best option in Phase IV which covers rural India.

    FreeDish was launched with a modest bouquet of 33 channels in December 2004, and now carries eighty TV channels and 32 radio channels. This includes 22 Doordarshan channels and two parliamentary channels, seven general entertainment channels, 18 movie channels, 13 news channels, seven music channels, three religious channels and eight channels of other genres. All All India Radio stations also piggy-back on the platform.

    Also Read

    MIB favours switching to DTH if consumers have problems with MSOs or LCOs

    FreeDish aims to reach 150 channels, earned Rs 3 bn in a year

    DD FreeDish auction next week, reserve price is Rs 80 million

  • Best show ‘Sankat Mochan’ on Sony TV gets Phalke Award

    NEW DELHI: “Sankat Mochan Mahabali Hanuman” by Contiloe Pictures has won the “Dada Saheb Phalke Award” for the Best Mythological Show.

    The show, being telecast on Sony TV, got the award from the Dadasaheb Phalke Film Foudation.

    This is the second win within a month for Contiloe Pictures, who recently won the National Award in the Best Animation Film category for ‘Mahayodha Rama’ by Rohit Vaid.

    “Sankat Mochan Mahabali Hanuman” traces the journey of Lord Hanuman from his childhood and his virtues and stories before and after he met Lord Rama. The show is known to have won the hearts of the audiences from the very beginning through their majestic sets and the state of the art visual effects.

    It has also recently achieved a significant milestone by completing 500 episodes.

    Contiloe Pictures CEO Abhimanyu Singh said, “We at Contiloe Pictures are ecstatic by the win and it has certainly boosted our morale to keep up the good work. It gives immense pleasure to get such a prestigious recognition and would like to thank the jury for this honour. I would also like to thank the audience for their love and support and I am glad that all the hard-work put down by the team has paid.”

  • Times’ WWM steps into TV prod with Jio as Filmfare wows Punjab & Femina digitises

    MUMBAI: WorldWide Media (WWM) CEO Deepak Lamba had last year announced his company’s intentions to foray into TV production with a slew of productions. His wish has become a reality with the launch of the company’s first-ever chat show Famously Filmfare premiering on Jio TV today (12 May) followed by telecasts on Colors Infinity from 14 May. 

    Jio has created a seamless digital life experience for the Indian audience and we believe this premiere will present an exciting on-the-go experience for the movie fans. This innovation will also allow film enthusiasts to engage with their favourite stars on a variety of digital platforms, a Jio spokesperson said.

    Also, with Lonely Planet and TopGear, WWM is launching its first one-of-a-kind travel and adventure series ‘Nexa Journeys on Asian Highway 1’ in association with Nexa which will be telecast on the Discovery network come 21 May 2017.

    Says Lamba:  “At WorldWide Media, our strategy is to be the leader in lifestyle and entertainment content. As a result, our focus is on increasing our presence in the video content and intellectual property (IP) space through long-format content, and with, Famously Filmfare, we are bringing our first such show on digital and television platforms. Soon after this, we will also be launching other versions in Tamil, Malayalam, Bengali, Marathi and Punjabi.”

    Filmfare.com generates around 25 million page views a month, and Lamba has opted to partner Jio TV for all language versions of its chat shows. He reveals that preference is being given to the media firms’  previous partners such as Star network for all its southern India chat shows.  

    To a question, Lamba said that through digital business they aim at trebling its profits (from 5% at present) in the next financial year. “Sixty to 70 per cent of our reach takes place through mobile devices as observed by comScore and Similarweb,” Lamba added.

    The Bengali and Marathi Filmfare awards found a home on Colors Bangla and Colors Marathi while the Punjabi version was telecast on Mh1 on 28 April. He is hoping to spike Filmfare’s page impressions to 50 million impressions by the end of next year.

    Amongst the other WWM properties he is also looking at extending the iconic brand Femina into video content space, which generates close to 37 million page views a month. Under this umbrella, around 60 events are held — annually. And, Lamba is hoping to add to that number in the coming year.

    Says he: “We are seeking alternative revenue streams and looking for new media platforms to exploit the IPs that we have in a different way. There are different revenue streams which are traditional ad sales, event business, digital media, content syndication, TV and web shows and circulation revenue.”

    Also Read:

    Digital ad investment will surpass TV in five more countries: GroupM’s Interaction 2017

    Top M&E industry honchos see no major benefit from Budget ’17

  • Mastiii unbeaten, 9XM trumps B4U in BARC week 18

    MUMBAI: In week 18 of Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC), all India (U+R) Mastiii dipped in numbers from 162998 Impressions (‘000s) to 154900 Impressions (‘000s) but it retained the number one spot.

    Last week’s third place holder 9XM increased its numbers from 94866 Impressions (‘000s) and surpassed B4U Music in week 18 with 96891 Impressions (‘000s) and got the second place. B4U Music witnessed a dip from 102453 Impressions (‘000s) to 94564 Impressions (‘000s). It claimed the third place.  

    For detailed report, read here:

    BARC Week 18: Mastiii remains matchless, 9XM beats B4U Music

    Also Read:

    Vivo partners Vh1 for eight international award shows

    ‘Refreshed’ Sony Mix aims to bring in more fluidity and minimalism, says Vyas

    Laqshya launches branded IPs and content division

  • Colors’ new prime-time Bhaag Bakool & Savitri Devi shows from 5pm

    MUMBAI: Narrating stories that evoke a multitude of emotions, India’s leading Hindi General Entertainment Channel, Colors, is extending its programming to an early evening band starting 5pm onwards. Offering viewers diverse entertainment, the channel will be adding two new genres to its mix – Bhaag Bakool Bhaag and Savitri Devi College and Hospital.

    While Bhaag Bakool Bhaag, produced by Edit II Productions, will be a light-hearted sitcom highlighting the various dilemmas faced by the lead protagonist, Bakool after getting married to two women, Savitri Devi College and Hospital, produced by Rashmi Sharma Telefilms Ltd, tells the story of a young medical intern, Saachi Mishra who strives to fulfil her mother’s dreams while unwittingly furthering her hidden motives. The extended entertainment extravaganza begins on 15 May, 2017 with Bhaag Bakool Bhaag to air every Monday to Friday at 5:30 PM and Savitri Devi College and Hospital to air as an hour-long show every Monday to Friday at 6:00 PM. Thapki Pyaar Ki will move to the 5PM time band.

    Commenting on the launch of the two shows, Manisha Sharma, Programming Head – Colors said, “Bhag Bakool Bhag and Savitri Devi College and Hospital are the two new shows which will continue to increase the width of variety entertainment for the viewers on Colors. Bakool is an out an out comedy and we all need a dash of comedy in our lives apart from serious soaps. Savitri Devi… is a drama set against the backdrop of a hospital and is aspirational in nature. Both concepts are new if one looks at the offerings across the Hindi entertainment space currently and form a nice new mix in our current bouquet of shows. We really hope that the viewers enjoy the etched out characters and storyline.”

    Bhaag Bakool Bhaag is a slice of life sitcom highlighting the plight of a Gujarati man, Bakool Vasavda (Jay Soni) who is torn between his two wives Jigna (Shruti Rawat) and Sheena (Hiba Nawab). Adding more hilarity to Bakool’s over-complicated life of keeping both his wives separate and happy, are his overdramatic mother Kokilaben (Purvi Vyas) and his best friend-cum-confidant Harishankar Upadhyay aka Harry (Hardik Sangani). Both wives have drastically different personalities, with Jigna being more traditional while Tina has a modern outlook towards life. It is this disparity which often puts Bakool in catch-22 situations that make for many laughter-inducing moments, promising to make Bhaag Bakool Bhaag a complete family entertainer.

    Commenting on the show, producer Sanjay Kohli from Edit II Productions said, “Over the past two decades, we at Edit II have built our expertise in creating endearing award-winning comic content; Bhaag Bakool Bhaag explores this genre further by delving into the dilemmas of a simple man who, by the twist of fate, finds himself married to two contrasting women. Making viewers laugh is quite a difficult task, making the entire production process for Bhaag Bakool Bhaag a tough proposition. This is our first association with Colors and the support we have received from the channel gives us confidence that we have a winner on our hands.”

    Savitri Devi College and Hospital traces the journey of a young medical intern Saachi Mishra (Swardha Thigale) who aims to fulfil her mother Jaya’s (Shilpa Shirodkar) dream of becoming a doctor. As she forays into medicine, Saachi will encounter various people who will add complications to her life, the toughest being Dr. Anand Malhotra (Mohan Kapur), the hospital’s head and a leading cardiac surgeon. As the story unfolds, every character’s hidden motives will come to the fore, stringing their lives together in many unexplainable ways. Along with Mohan Kapur, Shilpa Shirodkar and Swardha Thigale, Savitri Devi College and Hospital will feature an ensemble cast including actors Neha Bagga (Pragya, fellow intern), Varun Kapoor (Veer, fellow intern), Vikram Sakhalkar (Saachi’s mentor Dr. Kabir), Jignesh Joshi (Dr. Malhotra’s brother Dr. Bharat), Kishwer Merchant (Aunt), and many more.

    Speaking about the show, producer Rashmi Sharma from Rashmi Sharma Telefilms Ltd said, “Savitri Devi College and Hospital is our attempt at narrating a different kind of story which speaks not only of interpersonal relationships but also the many motives that drive human beings on a whole. Given that it’s an hour-long show, we are shooting it on a very large scale to ensure that the authenticity of its backdrop is maintained at all times. Savitri Devi College and Hospital also marks our fourth venture with Colors following grand successes like Sasural Simar Ka, Shakti…Astitva Ke Ehsaas Kii and Swaragini. We hope to keep the trend going and deliver another blockbuster!”

    To promote both, Bhaag Bakool Bhaag and Savitri Devi College and Hospital, Colors has devised an extensive 360-degree integrated marketing campaign incorporating different mediums and touchpoints. The channel will also be promoting both shows across digital and social media platforms to generate positive conversations amongst the target audience.

  • Big Magic to air horror show ‘Cheekh..Ek Khaufnak Sach’

    MUMBAI: BIG Magic in providing innovative and appealing content to its viewers. After launching shows in historical, mythological and kids’ fantasy domain, the channel is taking a step forward in its offering to the viewers by adding the horror genre, with an objective to take the value of the brand a notch higher. With an aim to provide high voltage drama every week, the channel is all geared up to entertain its viewers with the upcoming show, ‘Cheekh..Ek Khaufnak Sach’. The show is slated to air from 15th May 2017, every Monday to Friday at 9 PM on BIG Magic.

    With the viewers widening their horizon of entertainment in distinctive genres, Big Magic is providing its viewers a renewed experience by adding a new element to its array of unique shows. Produced by Homi Wadia under the banner Tele Buddies, Cheekh… Ek Khaufnak Sach will showcaseunheard and unseen form of fear through objects. The unique horror show will be on the lines of dark shadows and whistling winds holding secrets to the untold stories that have never been shown on television before. Raising the thriller quotient for the viewers, each story will be narrated in two parts leading the spectators through some of the most surreal, supernatural and paranormal experiences.

    The show’s promotion will be driven by a 360-degree marketing approach to reach out to the target markets through its various campaigns across TV, radio, on-ground and digital platforms.

    Commenting on the launch of the new show, BIG Magic spokesperson said, “We at Big Magic are constantly looking forward at delivering new content in different genres, catering to the viewer’s dynamic needs. We look forward to the launch of our new offering, ‘Cheekh.. Ek Khaufnak Sach’ that will escalate the thrill factor amongst our viewers, whilst continuing to bolster the value we bring to the table, for our stakeholders and consumers.”

    Big Magic is available across all DTH platforms such as Tata Sky, Airtel, Videocon, Dish TV, Reliance Digital TV along with all cable operators including Hathway, DD Free Dish, Incable, Digicable, DEN, 7 Star, ABS, Siticable, Star Broadband and GTPL among others.

  • Sony only media & broadcast co. among Aon’s best employers’ list in India, employee engagement up at 81%

    MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Networks (SPN), India’s leading media conglomerate has been selected to join the elite list of Aon Best Employers India in the 2017 edition. SPN is the only media and broadcast network to be featured amongst this year’s top 19 companies across various industries. The Best Employers Study by Aon is one of the most prominent annual workplace studies covering over 800,000 employees across 6,400 global organisations.

    Sony Pictures Networks (SPN), India’s leading media conglomerate has been selected to join the elite list of Aon Best Employers India in the 2017 edition. SPN is the only media and broadcast network to be featured amongst this year’s top 19 companies across various industries.

    The Best Employers Study by Aon is one of the most prominent annual workplace studies covering over 800,000 employees across 6,400 global organizations. This study aims to get insights into companies that are creating real competitive advantage via their people practices, explores what makes a workplace of choice and identifies the best employers across regions.

    Based on the principles of measuring the people environment through the lens of ‘Intent-Design-Experience’, The Best Employer Study measures and recognizes employer excellence to learn and share best practices across companies and industries.

    Sony Pictures Networks (SPN) is honoured to receive this recognition and feature in this year’s list of Best Employers. The award was presented by Sandeep Chaudhary, CEO, Aon India to Smriti Krishna Singh, CHRO, SPN.

    The evaluation process involved rigorous assessment of each participant organization on critical aspects of organizational health and an independent selection by a very distinguished jury, comprising of eminent industry stalwarts like Ms. Chanda Kocchar, MD & CEO, ICICI Bank Ltd, Prof. Vasanthi Srinivasan, Professor IIM-Bangalore, Mr. Leo Puri, MD, UTI Asset Management Company, Dr. Omkar Goswami, Founder & Chairman, CERG Advisory and Mr. Sanjiv Mehta, CEO & MD, Hindustan Unilever Ltd.

    At SPN, employee engagement stacks up at 81%, placing SPN in the top quartile of companies in India. The company places significant emphasis on values and culture and fosters an environment of transparency and empowerment. Incentivizing innovation, fostering high potential talent through focused development programs and driving a culture of creativity are some noteworthy initiatives that SPN implements to engage, motivate and retain its employees.

    NP Singh, CEO, Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN): “This recognition of our unique workplace and exceptional people practices is a matter of immense pride for all of us. This win is also a testament to the confidence our employees have in the organization. The experience we deliver, the strength and equity of our brand and the primary reason for our current and future success is because of our people. I am confident that with such an engaged team, there is no limit to what we can achieve together.”

    Smriti K. Singh, CHRO, Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN): “We are in the business of entertainment and our people play a critical role in delivering value to viewers, advertisers and distributors. The engagement of our people has a direct correlation to their passion, innovation and creativity and that in turn has a direct impact on our business. Our people give us our competitive advantage and our talent practices and culture are geared towards maintaining and growing this advantage giving us the best team in the industry. We will continue in our efforts to create fulfilling career experiences for our employees that place them at the very heart of our business.”

  • Taj TV sale proceeds more than double Zeel income

    BENGALURU: Subhash Chandra’s Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (Zeel) reported more than double (2.36 times) consolidated total comprehensive income (TCI)for the year ended 31 March 2017 (FY-17, current year) as compared to the previous year. Zeel’s consolidated TCI of Rs 2,112.28 in FY-17 (as compared to TCI of Rs 892.68 crore in fiscal 2016) was padded up to an extent of Rs 1,223.34 crore by the slump sale/transfer of its sports business along with its entire stake in– Taj Television (India) Pvt. Ltd. Earnings Before Interest, Tax, Depreciation and Amortization (EBITDA) for FY-17 stood at Rs 19,26.9 crore registering a growth of 27.3 percent over FY16. EBITDA margin stood at 29.9 percent.

    The company’s revenue (Total Income from operations – TIO) for the current year increased 10.8 percent to Rs 6,658.17 crore as compared to Rs 6007.67 crore in the previous year. Advertisement revenue in FY-17 was Rs 3,673.5 crore, recording a growth of 9.2 percent over FY16.

    Subscription revenue for FY17 was Rs 2262.9 crore, growth of 10.0 percent over FY16. Domestic subscription revenue grew by 11.2 percent to Rs 1822.6 crore. On a comparable basis, adjusted for sale of sports, the domestic subscription growth was 13.5 percent. International subscription revenue grew by 3.0 percent to Rs 440.3 crore.

    Company speak

    Zeel chairman Chandra said, “The Indian economy has exhibited strong resilience with GDP growth of 7 percent in Q3-17 despite demonetization of high value currency. Implementation of Goods and Services Tax (GST) would unify India into one market. This along with other reforms and push on infrastructure would accelerate growth from already healthy levels. A normal monsoon as forecasted by IMD could give a fillip to rural consumption.”

    Zeel managing director and CEO Punit Goenka said, “We are happy to deliver yet another quarter of strong financial performance despite the difficult economic environment. Our domestic advertising revenue grew by 8.1 percent despite the impact of demonetization. After a couple of quarters of weakness, advertising growth appears to be back on track. The GST roll-out could boost advertising spends as a part of potential tax savings might be reinvested. While there is uncertainty regarding the implementation of the new tariff regulation due to pending litigations, we have published the prices of our channels and bouquets. We are confident that with the strong competitive position of our channels in every genre, we will be able to drive subscription business.

    We have completed the first phase of sale of sports business during the quarter. While this had an impact on revenues, our focus is to strengthen national and regional channel portfolio, along with growing new businesses. We are exploring ways to extinguish preference share liability using the proceeds from the sale of sports business.”

  • Zeel receives shareholder nod for Reliance Broadcast Network acquisition

    BENGALURU: Subhash Chandra’s Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (Zeel) has informed the bourses that it has received shareholder approval for the resolution for the Composite Scheme of Arrangement among Reliance Big Broadcasting Private Limited; and Big Magic Limited; and Azalia Broadcast Private Limited; and Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited and their respective Shareholders and Creditors. At a court convened meeting held on 9 May, the company received 800,317,632 votes in favour and 1,400 votes against the resolution.

    To further strengthen its entertainment genre, last year Zeel announced acquisition of the entire television business of the Anil Ambani run Reliance Broadcast Network Ltd (RBNL) including two operational channels and four TV licences. Anil Ambani’s Reliance group also agreed to sell a 49 percent stake in its radio business to Zee group entities, marking the latter’s entry into private FM radio.

    At the time of filing of this report, Zeel shares were quoting at RS 503.15 each on the National Stock exchange, Rs 6.85 (+1.38 percent) higher than its opening price of Rs 496.30. The high/low for the day so far have been Rs 506.40/Rs 496.30.

  • Discovery launching Hindi GEC in Q4, re-brands ID as Discovery Jeet

    MUMBAI: GEC seems to be the new Discovery. It’s just been three months into the launch of DSport, a new sports channel from the network, and Discovery Communication plans to roll out  an entertainment channel in India — Discovery Jeet. The channel, which (already) means triumph in Hindi, is slated for opening in Q4.

    “The core thought behind the channel and the way we are defining the brand purpose is: “I can do anything”, and so it’s a feeling of energy and inspiration. In the end, people will take away that feeling from our programming. Jeet is good name to describe the feeling of victory, inspiration and energy,” Discovery Network Asia Pacific south Asia SVP and GM Karan Bajaj told www.indiantelevision.com

    This is however not the maiden time Discovery Communication India has entered into the Hindi entertainment space. ID (Investigation Discovery) used to offer compelling true stories of investigation, crime and suspense, promising and intriguing twists and turns that culminate into thrilling conclusions of stories. The network has rebranded its existing channel ID as Discovery Jeet.  “We are transforming ID into Discovery Jeet. We are keeping the same channel feed and just creating a new proposition, informed Bajaj. 

    Discovery Networks Asia Pacific president and MD Arthur Bastings elaborated on the importance  of this evolutionary step and leveraging new ways to extend the reach and relevance of Discovery across the subcontinent. “The rebranding of general entertainment with Jeet redefines how Discovery will connect and interact with the new young audience across the heartlands of India. Jeet is fun, relatable, and exciting, and brings to life the captivating, real stories of India’s own in a manner that was never seen before.”

    The rebranded channel will be the flagship for the network’s ambitious investment into original local productions in India, super serving superfans and nurturing communities around a range of programme genres including true crime investigations, small-town heroes and gritty survival. “We are borrowing the best of the Discovery’s meaning and purpose, and making it into a local version which is highly entertaining and formated in a way like the entertaining stories are done in India — larger-than-life, big conflicts, drama and attention,” Bajaj added.

    Discovery is scaling up investment for the sake of over 200 hours of local original content, which will premiere on the rebranded channel. Targeting the young male audience, (not just in the metros, but also in Tier II and Tier III cities) Discovery Jeet  will be a highly-charged  entertainment  channel, immersing  viewers  in a world of gripping  stories, heroic characters and tales of achievement. 

    Bajaj informed, “If we look at the last 10 years, we haven’t done more than 7-8 hours of original programming a year. Now, we are planning to launch this fall with 200 original hours of content. So, it’s like a 20-22 times increase of original content in a quarter. It is a very significant move that required us to set up a local content production infrastructure.”

    “When we were commissioning the content, we were clear that would only allow meaningful and purposeful content. And, we also planned only to have larger-than-life stories. It’s not a documentary-based channel, it’s a storytelling channel,” he asserted.

    Discovery Jeet will hit screens later this year with a vibrant programming lineup that will include, Swami Baba Ramdev: The Untold Story, a scripted biopic series tracing Swami  Baba  Ramdev’s  fascinating  and  inspirational   journey  from  a  life  of  anonymity  to  a national  icon, international cult figure and now business mogul, Saragarhi – India’s Bravest Day, a large-scale, action-packed, scripted drama series about one of the greatest, yet largely uncelebrated, last stands in the Indian military history, Gabru: The Birth of Hip Hop, a scripted series on the Rap & Hip Hop revolution that has taken India by storm, from the far ends of Punjab to the slums of Mumbai, Gangs of Mumbai,  a scripted series on the colourful, larger-than-life characters from  the thriving underworld of India’s maximum city.

    “The overall thought is purpose-driven entertainment, blurring the lines between fact and fiction. So, if I look at the launch shows, we have — Baba Ramdev, Gangs of Mumbai and Gabru. It’s mounted as a GEC show. It will be a half-an-hour 65-episode Monday to Friday show. The prime time will be 7-11pm, and it will have two hours of original programming,” Bajaj said.

    Production houses such as Contiloe Production and Ajay Devgn Production will be producing Discovery shows. Film producers such as Rohan Sippy is directing a show named “Khan, Number one crime hunter.”

    Discovery is generally known for its factual entertainment. Speaking about why the rebranded GEC will not impact the mother channel, Bajaj explained, “Discovery will remain the same, and we are launching Discovery Jeet. The brand philosophy of Discovery is ‘Life without limits’, which is different from Jeet. The new one is a consumer product model, an extension of a mega brand. Discovery is targeted for the metros and Tier I consumers and who is globally savvy whereas Discovery Jeet is for the mass market,” Bajaj elucidated.

    He further added, “Our brands penetrate well. Discovery will retain its freshness, we are not taking content away. Jeet will be a fresh and exciting proposition. We plan to retain our dominance as the infotainment leader. The overall quality is getting better from the global pipeline although Jeet will a homegrown proposition.”

    Speaking about the execution of the plan, he said, “We have been unforgiving in terms of the nature of storytelling and the production quality. The success rate of television content is 20 to 25 per cent. There is no proven model that a particular type of content will always work, and we are trying a new and disruptive model. Based on our research, we believe, this country is hungry for dreams and inspiration, and Discovery Jeet is proposing just that. It’s as mainstream a channel as any other. At a content level, we will offer a powerful story experience that touches your heart.” 

    The channel will be launched in SD feed followed by HD feed, going forward.  The network will be available across DTH and cable platforms. With an aggressive market plan, the channel will be distributed widely  across 100-million plus households.