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Tag: Discovery Communication

  • TRAI vs Tata Sky: Delhi High Court adjourns case to 11 March

    TRAI vs Tata Sky: Delhi High Court adjourns case to 11 March

    MUMBAI: The Delhi High Court on Thursday adjourned Tata Sky’s ongoing legal battle, in which Discovery,  Bharti Telemedia-owned Airtel Digital TV and Sun Direct are a part, with the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India(TRAI) and its new tariff regime to 11 March.

    Recently, the regulator extended the deadline for consumers to select television channels under its new tariff regime till 31 March. The subscribers that don’t opt for new channels would be moved to ‘Best Fit Plans’, which would be developed as per usage pattern, language and channel popularity, the sector regulator said in its statement.

    TRAI chairman RS Sharma addressed a press conference couple of weeks back in Delhi, rubbishing a Crisil report that claimed that cable and DTH bills were bound to increase after the implementation of the tariff order.

    Earlier, Indian Society of Advertisers' (ISA) executive council also advised its members to not use the BARC data for media buying, planning and evaluation perspective during the transition period, which it feels will stretch up to six weeks.

    On 4 February, after senior lawyer Kapil Sibal, representing Tata Sky, concluded his arguments including legal submissions, Discovery India Communication’s counsel Gopal Jain laid the foundation for his arguments.

    The regulator informed the court that the new tariff order has already been implemented from 1 February.

    Earlier TRAI had offered an extension till 31 January to distribution platform operators (DPOs) for implementation.

    On 24 January, the Harit Nagpal-led company finally unveiled the new pricing of channels and packs after it was served a show-cause notice by the TRAI.

    TRAI's show-cause notice said, "Tata Sky has failed to provide options to its 17.7 million subscribers in compliance with the new framework to exercise their choices for TV channels. Tata Sky has put its subscribers in a situation of great difficulty despite no fault of theirs by not complying with the provisions of the new regulations and the tariff order.”

    Despite the delay in announcing channel prices, Tata Sky MD and CEO Nagpal is confident that his team can complete the tricky task of implementing the new norms within a relatively short span of time.

    “Tata Sky has always been compliant to regulatory requirements. We have gone live with our modes of communication across the Tata Sky website, Tata Sky mobile app and also equipped the dealers that subscribers can reach out to. We were confident that we would be able to complete the task in 1 week’s time. Hence we used this time to a seamless and smooth transition for all our subscribers. We have ensured that choosing channels and packs is as easy as 1, 2, 3 for any subscriber,” the veteran executive said.

    On 29 January, the Calcutta High Court stayed the cable switchover till 18 February. The court’s directive was a result of 80 cable operators from the city filing a petition against the TRAI mandate. However, the high court later vacated the stay.

    The petitioners’ lawyer Debabrata Saha Roy argued that the revenue-sharing model under the new regime will significantly reduce the cable operators’ share to just nine per cent. With 80 per cent going into the broadcasters’ kitty, MSOs stand to get just 11 per cent, thus making it an unsustainable business proposition for operators.

    In 2017, Bharti Telemedia, Tata Sky and Discovery Communication India had filed petitions against TRAI, challenging its tariff order and the interconnect regulations.

    Unlike the position adopted by Star India wherein it questioned the regulatory powers of TRAI, the matter in the Delhi HC questions the regulator’s power to wipe out deals that operators enter into to fix commissions and rates for customers.

  • Delhi HC directs TRAI to explain changes in tariff order implementation

    Delhi HC directs TRAI to explain changes in tariff order implementation

    MUMBAI: Chief Justice of Delhi High Court Rajendra Menon on Wednesday questioned the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) for altering the implementation process of its new tariff regime without informing the court. The chairperson of the sector regulator has now been directed to file an affidavit within a week explaining these changes.

    Though some felt it’s a procedural matter, sources in the government opined situation is not as bad for the regulator as a section of the industry would like to make it out. Refusing to be identified or named, a source in the government said there were some hiccups in the transition process as it’s a mammoth process involving millions of households, but TRAI’s reply to the court, as directed, would address the issues adequately.

    The TRAI on Tuesday had extended the deadline for consumers to select television channels under its new tariff regime till 31 March 2019. The subscribers that don’t opt for new channels would be moved to ‘Best Fit Plans’, which would be developed as per usage pattern, language and channel popularity, the sector regulator said in its press note. The regulator’s main premise was that consumers should not be inconvenienced, especially those in far-flung areas and without modern techs as running internet, with the changes being sought to be implemented.

    On Wednesday, Gopal Jain, arguing on behalf of Discovery India Communication, questioned the basis (and permission) on which the regulator filed its voluminous affidavit (running into 500 pages) on 6 February 2019 after the last hearing in the matter.

    Jain also brought to the court’s notice Tuesday’s TRAI press note, which, he said could have a bearing on the case.

    Jain also highlighted the difference between the over 500 pages that were annexed to the TRAI affidavit, which talked about consumer choice, and the press note (on Tuesday) that seems to shift choice in the hands of the DPOs, a proposition that is antithetical in nature.

    In the absence of a senior counsel, TRAI sought time from the court after the chief justice asked for an explanation on the same.

    While the case was adjourned to 21 February, the court wants the TRAI chairperson to file an affidavit stating on what basis (and whose permission) the initial affidavit was filed.

    What the court also wants the TRAI to explain is the correlation between the affidavit which talks only about consumer choice and the press note which gives the choice in the hands of the DPOs.

  • TS Panesar, DSport’s business head, steps down

    TS Panesar, DSport’s business head, steps down

    MUMBAI: DSport business head TS Panesar has stepped down from his role, with 31 January set to be his last day with the organisation.

    Panesar’s exit comes at a time when the parent company of DSport’s, Discovery Communication India too national head. In the month of September, last year Karan Bajaj left the organisation.

    Panesar was responsible for content acquisition and monetisation for the company’s sports arm. He led the rights acquisition for Nidahas Trophy, South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship, Indian Fitness League, Poker Sports League, and Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) for the channel.

    The veteran executive has previously served as the CEO of Hathway Cable and Datacom’s video business and EVP distribution at Star India, where he handled direct to home (DTH) and digital addressable system (DAS) markets.

  • Discovery World HD adds Hindi, Tamil, Telugu feeds

    Discovery World HD adds Hindi, Tamil, Telugu feeds

    MUMBAI: Discovery World HD is leaving no stone unturned to tap into India’s growing regional phenomenon. It has started Hindi, Tamil and Telugu language feeds for specific markets. Discovery seems to be targeting the mass audience with the three largely spoken languages in the country.

    Discovery Communications India vice-president and head premium and digital networks Zulfia Waris told Indiantelevision.com, “We are delighted to add three new feeds. The introduction of local languages is an attempt to further solidify our leadership position in key markets across the country.”

    The service has started on Intelsat20 @68.5 degree East satellite. The language feed will be available on all the cable and DTH platforms that have Discovery HD World in their bouquet of channels. The user the language feeds through the audio option button.

    At present, Discovery operates several factual entertainment channels in India, including Discovery HD World, Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Discovery Science, Discovery Turbo, Discovery Kids and Dsport. The network’s recently launched GEC, Discovery Jeet, has feeds in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu as well.

    There are over 270 regional channels out of 500 channels overall in BARC. The regional viewership is higher than the Hindi viewership and has a market share of 47 per cent.

    Also Read :

    Dsport not in the running for BCCI’s media rights

    Discovery Communications completes Scripps acquisition

    Discovery Communications gets US govt nod for Scripps Networks merger

  • Discovery Jeet gets good spread at launch

    Discovery Jeet gets good spread at launch

    MUMBAI: Discovery Jeet, the latest entrant from Discovery Communications India, makes its debut in the Hindi GEC genre with a Chrome OTS of 66.6% translating to 54.5 million households across a universe of 81.9 million households in Urban India. Within the Hindi speaking markets, this translates to an OTS of 78.1% equivalent to 45.4 million households across an HSM universe of 58.2 million households. Within the 6 metros, this translates to an OTS of 72.6% equivalent to 22.4 million households – As per the Chrome DM data at 1pm, 12-02.2018. (While the channel has got its distribution in rural households, the data is not represented in this current study. The number would be much higher if one were to take the figure for both Urban+ Rural ).

    For a perspective, a comparative analysis on the availability of Discovery Jeetvis-à-visStar Plus and Star Bharathasbeen done,the following are its numbers:

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    OTS is the actual census based, percentage connectivity of a channel covering 168 million homes, reported by Chrome Data Analytics and Media, spread across Analog cable, Digital Cable and DTH. The same is updated and reported to 400+ channels on a daily basis in Chrome Track 2.0.

  • Not relying on movies to garner Jeet’s viewership: Karan Bajaj

    Not relying on movies to garner Jeet’s viewership: Karan Bajaj

    MUMBAI: After entertaining the Indian audience for over 20 years with world-class documentaries on food, science, survival and more, Discovery Communications India (DCIN) is all set to entertain Indians with its general entertainment channel (GEC) Jeet. Slated to launch on 12 February 2018, Jeet’s differentiated content philosophy has enabled the channel to get various brands on board as advertisers and achieve its pre-launch inventory sales targets. The channel has sold out its entire Q1 inventory for advertisers.

    Brands such as Reckitt Benckiser, Hindustan Unilever Ltd, Marico, Mondelez International, Johnson and Johnson, Yellow Diamond and Quickheal have come on board.

    DCIN, which will launch the channel with distribution to more than 100 million households in the country, has already signed Netflix as the exclusive global OTT platform. The shows on Jeet will be available on Netflix one month after the first airing.

    Jeet is aiming to break the clutter in the Hindi GEC arena riding on purpose-driven entertainment content. The channel will launch with five hours of programming band daily out of which three hours will be bespoke, ground-up original programming built on the thesis of underdog winning.  With an aim to be India’s first national GEC, Discovery Jeet will be available in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. The channel does not intend to add more regional languages anytime soon.

    Discovery Communications India senior VP and GM (South Asia) Karan Bajaj said that although the channel would initially have only two hours of original weekend programming, the network would look at increasing or decreasing the library depending on the audience reception.

    At a press briefing in DCIN’s offices in Mumbai yesterday, Bajaj mentioned that the channel did not plan on premiering movies as they didn’t feel the need to bank on films to get viewership. The team is optimistic about its strong line-up of shows.

    The network has been doing a test run for Jeet from 1 February on DTH platform Tata Sky. The channel is available for viewers on channel number 155.

    The uplinking of the channel is done from Singapore. All the content feed is sent there before the show is finally telecasted across India.

    Discovery Jeet will be made available for viewers in Standard and High Definition feed. During the launch, almost 120 million households will be able to see Discovery Jeet as a part of their Discovery Communication network pack on DTH platforms.

    Bajaj emphasised that there would be more content and less ads in Q1 in order to build a following for the content before deciding to increase the ad inventory.

    DCIN’s business model has changed from foreign content to now local mass targeted content. The network that aired international documentaries and shows on Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, TLC, etc will now focus majorly on Indian originated content for the masses.

    The channel has taken a very unique marketing approach in order to promote the shows. The marketing for all show on the channel will be very regional and will vary geographically. For instance, a show that is based in Punjab will be majorly advertised in the region as opposed to another show on the channel where the story is based on Tamilians.

    With Discovery Kids all set to air Little Singham starting March and Jeet in its last leg of launch, Bajaj is highly optimistic about both the channels. He believes that Discovery Kids and Discovery Jeet will become prime properties of the network that will drive maximum viewership and ratings for the network.

    Also Read :

    Discovery Jeet gears up for Feb 12 launch

    Discovery India ties-up with Reliance Animation to produce kids IP

    Discovery Jeet signs content deal with Netflix

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

  • Discovery Jeet gears up for Feb 12 launch

    Discovery Jeet gears up for Feb 12 launch

    MUMBAI: Discovery Networks is all set to dive into the Hindi general entertainment channel (GEC) category. Putting rest to speculation, Discovery Jeet, the network’s maiden GEC, will launch on 12 February 2018.

    After dominating the infotainment genre on television for the longest time, Discovery Communications is shedding its cocoon to woo viewers with 1000 hours of original fictional content a year. This is in stark contrast to just seven hours of non-fiction that Discovery India gets.

    Discovery has done its homework well to come up with its own GEC channel. Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, Discovery Communications India SVP and GM Karan Bajaj said, “The only way to aggregate scale on TV is daily viewership. Everything on Jeet is being mounted as a soap opera.” For the first year, there will be three to four hours of shows to tap this daily-viewing audience and two hours of weekend content for tier 2 and 3 cities.

    Bajaj identified the 250 million TV households in India as a pyramid. The top 15 million (which he expects to double to 30 million in five years) have fixed broadband and premium DTH. The next 120 million have cable TV and mobile phones. The last 120 million is split into 20 million with Free Dish and the rest without any TV access. The middle will grow at 10 per cent while the bottom of the pyramid will be exposed to personal TVs for the first time.

    Rather than mimic the tried-and-tested models of the competition, Bajaj has decided to focus on ‘perception selling’. With its premium and purposeful content, he said that Jeet will scrape a good chunk of the premium layer. With his strong background in consumer companies such as Kraft, P&G and BCG, he is also giving advertisers a proposition they cannot refuse. He says, “The context of the show where you advertise is at times strikingly in contrast to what the brand stands for. So, to get scale, advertisers have no other option.” He gives the instance of a progressive brand such as Ariel, which he handled during his stint at P&G, where the target audience could be reached only through a regressive soap opera.

    However, he says that Jeet will allow brands to flourish by not only providing them with scale but also premium content that matches the brand philosophy. Thus, the channel’s target is to net this creamy layer of India’s TV consumers.

    For Jeet, Distribution is an important pre-launch target. The channel will be available on subscription-based pay TV, which is a part of the network’s premium revenue strategy. “We are very singular in our offering so you must have Discovery in your bouquet. It is not a replaceable GEC.”

    Even before the launch, the channel had been inundated with requests for international syndication. “The interest in our content is high and these independent affiliate networks have sampled our other content,” Bajaj explained. Christopher McGrath is in charge of global content syndication.

    Discovery Communications currently has 12 channels and Discovery Jeet is replacing Investigation Discovery channel. Vijay Rajput is the distribution head.

    Since the channel has decided to bite the bullet, it will be pinning its hopes to snag a place in the coveted GEC market.

    The shows 

    Swami Ramdev: The Untold Story, an Ajay Devgn Films production, has been one of the most talked about shows in the lead up to the launch. The dramatised version of real events will unfold in a daily format of 23 minutes. Another show is Saragarhi, which is a finite series by Contiloe production house, will highlight the plight of 21 Sikh soldiers. Both these shows will have an 85-episode run. Shooting for the first wave of shows for three to four months has already been completed; the channel is onto the next wave.

    A supernatural TV series produced by Lotus Talkies Productions has found its way on Jeet as Anjaan, which will be a 45-minute weekend show. Another show is Hero Hiralal that revolves around an auto-rickshaw driver and his seven-year-old daughter who requires a heart transplant. This show is being edited in-house. Both these are infinite. The weekends will primarily feature non-fiction comedy shows.

    Also Read:

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

    Discovery Communications launches ID, TLC HD and Animal Planet HD World

    Discovery Communications acquires majority share in FoodFood

    Video consumption by premium audience on digital exploding: Karan Bajaj

    Discovery to launch digital channels, ties up with telcos

  • Discovery Communication ropes in Isaac John as marketing director

    Discovery Communication ropes in Isaac John as marketing director

    MUMBAI: Discovery Communication has roped in in Isaac John as director of marketing India. He is currently leading marketing for Discovery Jeet and Discovery Kids.

    Prior to joining Discovery, he was associated with HealthifyMe as Marketing VP, where he nurtured the brand voice and drove marketing leadership for the health and fitness app. As a part of the team, he contributed in growing the app from 1 million users to 3 million users in less than a year.

    In 2016, for six months, John was engaged with Arvind Fashion Brands as a marketing consultant. He has also headed marketing for Puma in India, managed a team of 10 for close to four years. 

  • 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. 

     

  • Discovery Communication launches online homework service

    Discovery Communication launches online homework service

    MUMBAI: Capitalizing on broadband video, Discovery Communications has launched Cosmeo, an online homework help service engineered for the twenty first century family.

    The site has been designed for the generation that lives online, Cosmeo harnesses the power of broadband and media to help kids achieve academic breakthroughs.

    In an official statement, Cosmeo is the only comprehensive digital library that includes easy to digest homework help, interactive learning games and more than 30,000 video clips that are correlated to grade level and state curriculum standards.

    The intuitive interface allows kids in grades K through 12 across the 50 states to instantly reference video clips and other learning tools for any required assignment in all key subject areas.

    For more than 20 years, Discovery has been committed to providing knowledge that satisfies human curiosity across any platform,” Discovery Communications founder and chairman John Hendricks said. “Cosmeo will bring the world to students at the click of a mouse and will allow them to continue their learning experience at home and improve their performance at school.”

    “Cosmeo is the first educational tool to teach today’s kids in the way they learn best. This online product meets them where they’re spending most of their time and is helping to define how they learn today,” said Discovery Communications president and CEO Judith A McHale.

    “Cosmeo also gives parents a terrific window into their kids’ education and the ability to participate in their progress at school like never before. We sense families across the United States will find a real benefit in, for example, the WebMath section, which offers a full spectrum of math learning — from third-grade multiplication tables to advanced calculus — with easy-to- understand, step-by-step solutions,” added McHale.

    Cosmeo’s features include:

    30,000 educational videos that make complex topics easier to understand and retain;
    Powerful search tools that instantly locate information by subject,grade level, and keyword — something no other search engine can do;

    Over 15,000 interactive quizzes and 200 subject-related Brain Games, all supported by videos;
    20,000 high-resolution digital photos and 2,300 clip art images available for school projects;
    Digital encyclopedia with access to over 27,000 research articles, soon to be expanded;

    WebMath equation solver detailing step-by-step explanations to most math problems; and much more.

    Cosmeo, tested by educators and consumers with content proven to help students with homework and learning, is available for the introductory price of $9.95 per month or $99 per year after a free 30-day trial. The standard retail price of Cosmeo is $12.95 per month or $129 per year.