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Discovery Network intensifies focus on India centric shows this festive season

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MUMBAI: Discovery Communications India, country’s leading infotainment player, has intensified focus on India centric programming in the lead-up to the festive season.  The network, which is devoted to creating highest quality purposeful entertainment, will showcase an unprecedented 8 India centric shows over the next 4 months on Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and TLC. The India specials will be in addition to the premiere of staggering 20 + global IPs on the 3 network channels.

“We are excited with the growth that we have been able to garner this year. All our core channels – Discovery, Animal Planet and TLC –  are now undisputed leaders in their respective genres while Discovery Kids has emerged as the fastest growing channel in the kids genre. Our aim is to further build on it and accelerate the growth over the next 4 months,” said, Karan Bajaj, General Manager, Discovery Communications India. “It is a conscious strategy to increase India centric pipeline with original production or programming acquisitions.  With the unmatched line-up of Indian and Global IPs till the end of the year, we are confident to deepen our local connection while further extending the lead over competition for all of our network channels.”

This year Discovery has already showcased a line-up of impactful India led programming including Breaking Point: The Indian Submarines, Breaking Point: Air Force Academy. Over the next 3 months, Discovery channel will showcase 5 new India centric shows including Women Fighter Pilots (Premiers August 24),  a new Military tentpole High Altitude Warfare School (October), India’s Citizen Squad (November) and Moon Bound (November) – a special about Team Indus’s attempt as a part of Google Lunar XPrize and a special documentary on Sunny Leone’s life Mostly Sunny (December).  TLC, which has shown huge resurgence since January 2018, will showcase an Indian original production which has shaken the digital space with its promise of a TLC travel scholarship – The Calling (October). Animal Planet, India’s leading wildlife channel, is currently showcasing an anthology of shows ‘The Red List: Save The Wild’ which focuses on the trials and tribulations of endangered species in India and across the world. The channel will showcase Mission Big Cat – an anthology focused on Big Cats including Lions, Leopards and Tigers in the month of October celebrating World Animal Day.

Discovery India is working overtime to reduce the time-gap between global and Indian premiers. On the anvil is a mouthwatering palate of global premiers on Discovery Channel including Shark Week, Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Challenge S3, American Chopper and Running Wild With Bear Grylls Season 4 featuring celebrities such as tennis legend Roger Federer, Scott Eastwood, Don Cheadle, Lena Headey, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Uzo Aduba. TLC’s is getting revamped with the introduction of Scripps led content including blockbuster IPs like Chopped, Cup Cake Wars, Extreme Homes, Bizarre Foods, Extreme Chefs and Giada in Italy and global tentpoles like American Beauty Star.

Animal Planet as a part of new brand philosophy ‘Humans Like Us’ will sharpen focus on stories linked to animal conservation as it aims to awaken viewers to the need for animal welfare and conservation.  The channel has lined-up number of global IPs for Indian audiences. The family of Steve Irwin, the much-loved wildlife expert who created a distinctive new style of wildlife documentary, returns to Animal Planet with – The Irwins-   a special show focused on Steve Irwin’s zoo in Australia.

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Discovery Network is the undisputed leader in the infotainment category with 48% share. Discovery channel with 24%* share in the leading channel followed by Animal Planet which is at no 2 position with 16%* share.   Infact, 7 out of the top 10 shows* in infotainment genre are from Discovery. TLC is now ranked no 1 in the lifestyle category with 33% share*.  TLC has grown share by 7% over last year when it was placed at the second spot with 30% share. Infact, 7 out of top 10 shows in the Lifestyle Genre are from TLC. Discovery Kids has leap-frogged to 4th position from 9th position in the beginning of the year. The ratings of Discovery Kids have grown by 426% since the start of the year.

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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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