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History TV18 focuses on relatable local content

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MUMBAI: History TV18 has plans to woo the Indian audience with more local content. After the success of Special Operations India: Surgical Strikes, the channel launched Special Operations India: Myanmar late last month in a bid to beef up its Indian content library. A new mini series Firepower:Defending India launches next month, promos for the show are already on air.

According to History TV18 EVP and head of content Arun Thapar, the channel is not just looking at notching up the number of hours of local content but is creating content that is relatable to its audience. “[The content] is differentiated in terms of storytelling, production values and scale. We are also experimenting with durations.” 

The channel is investing in what audiences like and admire in the factual entertainment space. Thapar said that the channel wants to celebrate the good and great about India. “Our efforts have gained momentum over the last year and a half. The objective has been to offer differentiated content for the audience and increase our market share by creating and putting out shows that are best-in-class, from the perspective of storytelling, creative excellence and an immersive viewing experience. We want the audience to  relive the stories from the past that shape our present,” he added.

Although hundreds of hours of content are from overseas, by targeting existing audiences and building the brand, the network believes it can keep viewers glued to the TV sets and rule the infotainment genre. 

Special Operations India: Myanmar, which premiered on 28 March 2018, is the second instalment in the Special Operations India mini-series, the first one being the path-breaking documentary about India’s Surgical Strikes in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir. The story is told through the experiences of the men leading the operation and the decision makers in India’s military establishment at the time.

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Thapar believes that content in this genre should not be restricted to just Indian audiences but has to be made for global citizens. Going forward, History TV18 will keep refreshing its content with foreign shows as well as locally produced and curated series.

History TV18 garnered second position in week 14 of Broadcast Audience Research Council’s (BARC) list with 3407 impressions (000s). When BARC increased its rural India measurement in 2017, the genre took a hit because urban viewership is its bastion.

Competition has been sprucing up its offering as well. Recently, Sony BBC Earth, which was launched less than a year ago, snatched away the genre’s top spot from week 11 to week 14. The channel has lined up activities to connect with school kids and new show launches are also on the anvil.

In its genre, History TV18 competes with Discovery, Nat Geo, Animal Planet, Sony BBC Earth and Nat Geo Wild. With only limited audiences to attract and plenty of players, the fight for eyeballs is likely to get intense in the genre.

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Kumar Mangalam Birla makes KBC debut with Amitabh Bachchan

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MUMBAI: India’s most famous hot seat is about to welcome an unlikely first-timer. For the first time on Hindi general entertainment television, industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla will appear on Kaun Banega Crorepati, the iconic quiz show hosted by Amitabh Bachchan.

The special episode marks a rare meeting point of boardroom heft and prime-time television, bringing one of India’s most influential business leaders face to face with the country’s most enduring screen legend. It is a crossover that blends intellect, leadership and popular culture, all under KBC’s familiar spotlight.

Birla’s appearance dovetails neatly with the show’s current theme, Jahaan Akal Hai, Wahan Akad Hai, which celebrates the confidence that comes from clarity of thought and knowledge. His presence lends weight to the idea that sharp thinking and conviction are as vital in life as they are in the quiz chair.

In a thoughtful conversation with Bachchan, Birla shared an upbeat view of India’s economic journey, pointing to the nation’s rapid growth and the scale of opportunity opening up across industries and communities. He spoke of momentum, ambition and a future shaped by enterprise and ideas.

The episode is not all serious talk. In lighter moments, Birla confessed his long-standing admiration for Bachchan, calling him his favourite actor and admitting to a touch of nervousness at answering questions in front of the Shahenshah himself. The candour adds a human touch to a man more often seen in headlines than on television sets.

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The special episode airs on Monday, 29 December at 9.00 pm on Sony Entertainment Television and Sony LIV.

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Rocky heats up NCR as Road Trippin returns with winter bites

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MUMBAI: Winter’s bite just got tastier. Road Trippin With Rocky is back for its 15th season, with Rocky Singh rolling through the NCR to plate up comfort food, cult favourites and cold-weather cravings from 27 to 30 December.

The four-day journey opens in Noida, where Rocky kicks off with the much-loved Jain Tikki Wala in Sector 27 before wrapping the day at the always-humming Social. Faridabad follows, with stops shaped by local recommendations, while Gurugram brings a balance of indulgence and restraint from a standout vegetarian spread to smoky carnivore fare at The Pit, finished with Thai flavours at Banng.

Saving the grand finale for Delhi, Rocky dives into the capital’s contrasts from humble roadside falahar to refined fine-dining tables that define New Delhi’s evolving food scene. The promise is simple: honest recommendations that belong on every serious food lover’s list.

Over the years, #RoadTrippin has grown into one of HistoryTV18’s most successful digital-first properties. Built for viewers who snack on content on the move, the format’s easy humour, spontaneity and conversational style have kept audiences coming back season after season.

The numbers underline its pull. Across platforms, the franchise has clocked over 2 billion impressions and more than 550 million video views, turning each new season into a highly anticipated return.

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Season 15 of #RoadTrippinWithRocky will play out across HistoryTV18’s and Rocky’s social media handles, a winter road trip that proves once again that in NCR, the cold only makes the food hotter.

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Street of Stories Warner Bros doc amplifies GB Road’s unheard voices

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MUMBAI: The cries may have gone unheard, but the stories now refuse to stay silent. Warner Bros. Discovery and Times Network have come together to shine a piercing, humanising light on Delhi’s GB Road, one of India’s most stigmatised spaces with Unheard Cries at GB Road, a documentary that trades sensationalism for truth, and myth for lived reality. The film premiered on 17 November 2025 on discovery+, offering rare, unfiltered access to a world long discussed but rarely listened to.

Crafted under Times Now Studios and shaped by producer and co-writer Rohit Chadda, the documentary draws on over 50 in-depth interviews with survivors, sex workers, police officials, social workers and experts. Instead of dramatisation or stylised retellings, the film builds itself on first-hand accounts bringing to the fore women whose lives have often been spoken about, yet scarcely spoken to.

At its heart, Unheard Cries at GB Road is a testament to the women who battle cycles of trauma, exploitation and coercion, while still searching for small, stubborn pockets of hope. Their accounts, delivered on record and often at great personal risk, reveal the emotional, physical and psychological landscapes of a district too frequently flattened by stereotype.

Warner Bros. Discovery, head of factual entertainment, lifestyle & kids for South Asia,Sai Abishek said the project demanded both courage and care. “Unheard Cries at GB Road is a story that demands to be seen and heard. Factual storytelling carries responsibility, and this film embodies that commitment. By giving these women the space to speak for themselves, the documentary brings rare honesty and emotional depth to a subject too often misunderstood.”

The production team gained access to the interiors of brothels, capturing the quiet routines, the harsh constraints and the precarious negotiations that shape daily life. Insights from the Delhi Police, NGO workers and legal experts situate these personal stories within the larger systems of trafficking, safety failures and legal gaps that the women must navigate.

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Rohit Chadda said, “We made this film to confront a truth that has long remained ignored. Our commitment from the very beginning was to tell these stories with honesty, dignity, and responsibility – and we hope it resonates deeply enough to spark reflection, conversation, and a sense of hope, which results in long term change. Unheard Cries at GB Road is the first production under the banner of Times Now Studios, and we intend to build on this foundation by creating more meaningful, purpose-driven stories that deserve a platform and a voice.”

“This special documentary, produced under Times Now Studios and directed by Rohit Chadda and Yatharth Chauhan, is built on more than 50 in-depth interviews.”

While the documentary does not attempt to provide simple solutions, it offers something more vital, a vantage point grounded in truth. By presenting the voices of women who endure the unseen and the unimaginable on a daily basis, the film asks viewers to confront the complexity of GB Road with empathy rather than judgement.

Unheard Cries at GB Road is streaming now on discovery+, inviting the nation to listen truly listen to stories that can no longer remain in the shadows.    

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