Tag: discovery+

Discovery unravels the underwater warriors of Indian Navy, the submarine arm, with Breaking Point: The Indian Submariners

MUMBAI: Discovery Channel, India’s leading destination for factual entertainment, is launching a special series on the Indian Submariners as a part of its extremely popular Breaking Point Franchise. This is the first time that any private broadcaster will showcase a TV series on the underwater warriors of the Indian Navy – the submarine arm which just celebrated its golden jubilee anniversary in December 2017. The special 4 part series ‘Breaking Point: The Indian Submariners’ gives the viewer a window into the world of complex, high-technology platform like the Submarines who acquire their strength from stealth in a very colloquial manner through the eyes of a common man, and anchor, Harman Singha, who takes audiences into a world which has never been explored before – a journey to live the life of an Indian Submariner; from the classroom to the officers Mess through Escape Training School; to diving to the depths of the seas on board the INS Sindhukirti.

The 4 episodes of Breaking Point: The Indian Submariners will premiere on Discovery Channel starting March 19 at 9:00 pm and Veer By Discovery, India’s first dedicated military channel, available on JIO TV, Airtel Wynk and YouTube. The series has attracted marquee advertisers including Byju’s The Learning App, Skybags, Too Yumm, BigBasket, Woodland, Toyota Kirloskar Motors and Abu Dhabi Tourism to its fold.

“The Indian Submarines in its chartered 50 years of existence have made important contribution to national security. The Golden Dolphins, proudly adorned by Indian Submariners, reflects our passion, devotion, sweat and toil. A successful officer gets to put it on his/her uniform but it gets imprinted on your heart”, said, Vice Admiral Srikant AVSM, Indian Navy. “The Submarine arm has largely been away from the public eyes because it operates from the depths, beneath the water, and quietly add to the nation’s security cover. However, as we celebrate our golden jubilee of existence, we wanted to reach out to the nation and give them an insight into the life of our supremely talented officers who take grave risk to ensure that the maritime borders remain secure. We are proud to partner with a channel like Discovery and bring forth this unique 4-part Breaking Point series on Indian Submariners. We believe this series will be an eye-opener for majority of our countrymen offering a never-seen-before insight into the life a submariner and the challenges he faces on a day to day basis.”

Discovery Communications India, Vice-President & Head, Premium & Digital Networks, Zulfia Waris said, “We are delighted to take the Breaking Point franchise further with this special series on Indian Submariners. Over the years, we have covered various wings of Indian Armed forces but covering the Submarine had its own unique challenges. The world of Submarines is complex, it is as much about physics, calculus, chemistry and thermodynamics as it is about human skill, and machine excellence. Therefore, to make it more engaging and entertaining for the audiences, we have deployed a common man’s representative in anchor Harman Singha who lives the life of a submariners and shares the joys, the pains, the exhilaration, the satisfaction of being a submariner of Indian Navy.”

In the past, Discovery has given viewers a never seen before glimpse of the intense, grueling training programs of the Indian Armed forces through shows such as Breaking Point: Commando School Belgaum (2017), ‘India’s Paratroopers – Earning the Badge’ (2016) and ‘Revealed: National Defence Academy’ (2014). ‘Revealed Siachen’ (2016) shared the story of Siachen Glacier and the challenges faced by the Indian soldiers while on duty there. ‘1965: India’s Battles and Heroes’ (2015) commemorated the 50th anniversary of the India-Pakistan war. Discovery’s crew traversed along with select officers of Indian Army during the Himalaya expedition for ‘Indian Army Women’s Expedition’ (2013).

March 16, 2018
Discovery Communications completes Scripps acquisition

MUMBAI: Discovery Communications has completed the acquisition of Scripps Networks Interactive and the combined company will be officially known as Discovery, Inc.

“The name change to Discovery, Inc. demonstrates a new focus on growth in the areas at which Discovery excels, telling stories across deeply loved genres and empowering super fans to explore their world wherever and whenever they choose,” the company’s official release stated.

Kenneth W. Lowe, former chairman president and CEO of Scripps Networks Interactive, will join Discovery’s board of directors, effective immediately.

Discovery president and CEO David Zaslav said, “As a new global leader in real life entertainment, Discovery will serve loyal and passionate audiences around the world with content that inspires, informs and entertains across every screen; deliver new ways for advertisers and distributors to reach highly targeted audiences at scale; and leverage our leadership position to create new value and growth opportunities for all of our stakeholders.”

The acquisition is expected to be accretive to adjusted earnings per share and to free cash flow in the first year after closing, including significant cost synergies. The combination is expected to create a strong economic model with capacity for rapid debt repayment and a clear runway for growth and value creation.

Scripps shareholders will receive approximately $90 per share, consisting of US$65.82 per share in cash and 1.0584 per share in Series C Common shares of Discovery stock valued based on a volume weighted average price (subject to elections and proration), in each case in accordance with the terms of the merger agreement. This includes a cash payment of US$2.82 per share in connection with Discovery’s previously announced decision to exercise in full the cash top-up option under the merger agreement.

Also Read:

Discovery hikes stake to majority in Oprah Winfrey JV

Discovery buys Scripps for $14.6 bn, to net 20% of US ad-pay-TV subs

March 7, 2018

Jeet storms the market with big debut week reach

MUMBAI: After entertaining the Indian audience for more than 20 years with world-class documentaries on food, science and survival, Discovery Communications India (DCIN) has entered the Hindi general entertainment category (GEC) with a bang thanks to Discovery Jeet. The channel, which launched on 12 February 2018, has backed up the rave reviews for its differentiated content with phenomenal reach.

According to Chrome DM data on 13 February 2018, Jeet secured high launch numbers with a Day Two OTS of 87.1 per cent across urban Hindi-speaking markets. The channel’s OTS was around 20 percentage points higher than the recent debut of Arnab Goswami led-Republic, which stood at 66.9 per cent during its launch in Week 20 of 2017. Chrome Data analytics and media CEO and founder Pankaj Krishna said, “Discovery Jeet has made an unprecedented distribution debut in the history of Indian television. With the Naaptol tie-up and multiple landing pages, Jeet has had a phenomenal launch.”

RANK	LAUNCH WEEK	CHANNELS	HSM (%)
1	WK-06, 2018	Discovery Jeet	87.1*
2	Wk-20, 2017	Republic TV	66.9%
3	Wk-10,2015	&TV	64.2%
4	Wk-26, 2014	Zindagi	59.1%

Source Chrome Track 2.0, 9 am, 13-02.2018

*Excluding Rural data; Rural data to be released once the weekly rural data is compiled

The channel is also available in the base pack of all the direct-to-home (DTH) channels, which means that even if a consumer purchases a pack with the minimum number of GECs, Discovery Jeet will be a part of the pack. This only ensures that the channel reaches most households across India. The channel is available in standard as well as high-definition feed, reaching 120 million households during the launch.

Moreover, DCIN, which launched the channel with distribution to more than 100 million households in the country, has signed on Netflix as the exclusive global OTT platform. With Jeet, DCIN is aiming to break the clutter in the Hindi GEC arena riding on purpose-driven entertainment content that is available in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. The network, however, does not intend to add more regional languages anytime soon. Jeet has launched with five hours of programming daily out of which three hours is bespoke, ground-up original programming built on the thesis of the underdog winning.

Broadcasters have been actively using landing pages to garner trials and, thereby, viewership for years with the idea being that higher the accessibility, greater the chances that the channel would attract trials and, therefore, repeat viewing.

“We have tied up with home-shopping channel Naaptol, which is a popular landing page on most MSOs. Naaptol shows two hours of snippety Jeet content everyday between its own content,” said Discovery Networks Asia Pacific senior VP and head affiliate sales Vijay Rajput.

Earlier this week, C&S Medianet announced that it had supported Dish TV India Ltd, Videocon D2H Ltd and Siti Cable Network Ltd and successfully brought to conclusion the interconnection agreement with DCIN. With the conclusion of the arrangement, Jeet has been prominently placed on all the three platforms.

On the comparison with Colors, Discovery Communications India senior VP and GM (South Asia) Karan Bajaj said that there were parallels to be drawn but the approaches were different. “While Colors was launched with a clear strategy to be number one in the space, Discovery Jeet made an entry into the market with a clear focus on the quality of the content. Our thesis has revolved around quality.” He added that were no concerns with how things turned out with Epic since the emphasis has been on content quality. Jeet’s shows follow the daily soap format so the focus is on engaging the viewer on a day-to-day basis.

Also Read :

Discovery Jeet gears up for Feb 12 launch

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

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

February 19, 2018

2017 for infotainment and lifestyle channels

MUMBAI: The infotainment and lifestyle genres can’t compete with GECs when it comes to ratings but that doesn’t dampen the spirits of channel heads. New shows are constantly launched to engage the tight community of viewers that channels in the category command.

According to Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) data, the lifestyle genre managed to grab more attention than the infotainment genre in 2017. There was a 15 per cent growth in the year 2017 as compared to the previous year. Infotainment genre had garnered 17.6 million impressions in the year 2016, whereas in 2017 the ratings increased to 20.2 million impressions. In 2016, the lifestyle genre had 4.2 million impressions and in 2017 it had 5.2 million impressions. Lifestyle segment grew by 24 per cent, which is more than the infotainment segment’s 15 per cent growth.

Discovery managed to hold on to its strong position with an effective programming line-up. Sony, in partnership with BBC, launched Sony BBC Earth. The latest entrant in the market fared quite well whereas the other infotainment channels fought steadfastly, refusing to give an inch away.

In the lifestyle category, food is what got Indian audiences drooling with Living Foodz giving others a hard time in displacing it from the throne.

Let’s delve into what infotainment and lifestyle channels did last year and see how they entertained audiences.

INFOTAINMEN

Discovery

Discovery Channel India had enough shows lined-up for the whole year. The channel premiered Christiano Ronaldo– The world at his feet and Sleeping Giant– An Indian football story, as well as Taking Fire- live from Afghanistan-a story of a band of brothers deployed to defend one of the US’ farthest fling outposts at the gateway to one of the deadliest places on earth: the mouth of the Taliban-held Korengal Valley in Northeast Afghanistan.

The channel aired a special short capsule feature series highlighting the work done under Namami Gange programme during Independence Day. A four-episode series Breaking Point: Commando School Belgaum gave viewers a glimpse of the thirty-five days gruelling course that the officers must undergo to be a part of India’s elite commando force. The series has been produced by Sparkle Works Films.

HistoryTV18

History TV18, a JV between TV18 and A+E Networks, came up with OMG! Yeh Mera India by Krushna Abhishek again-the third season showcasing another set of unique stories from across India such as an orphanage for animals like leopards, jackals, crocodile and porcupines, a barber who cuts and styles hair by igniting it with a gas lighter and a physically challenged ace-cyclist.

The network also launched Serial Killer Earth was a 10-part series that explored mother nature while Barbarians Rising was an epic saga of the fall of the Roman Empire. History TV18 also launched a weekly video series– BossWomen to tell stories of Indian women, with an aim to collaborate, create and celebrate positive, inspirational, lesser-known, role model worthy women of India.

Sony BBC Earth

Launched in March 2017, Sony BBC Earth came up with many shows—Taj Mahal, Eiffel Tower, Big Ben, Sydney Harbour Bridge, Monumental Challenge etc. Also premiered were Spy in the Wild and three other shows—Extreme Mountain challenge, Extreme River challenge and-Deadly 60- Pole to Pole featuring Steve Backshall.

LIFESTYLE

Living Foodz

The channel partnered All Things Nice, a wine and spirits consultancy, for the fifth edition of celebrating India’s finest to recognise the winners of the Indian Wine Consumer’s Choice Awards 2017 in association with lifestyle partner Living Foodz.

Utsav-Thalis of India takes viewers on a journey across 18 cities and offers a peek into India’s rich culinary heritage. The show explores each region and unravels fascinating anecdotes about its people, the regional delicacies, local ingredients.

Another show that grabbed eyeballs during the year for the channel was Femme Foodies. Conceptualised in-house by Living Foodz, the show is based on the unique concept of ‘gourmet on wheels’.

FYI TV18

This year, FYI TV18 launched a wedding-based show My Big Bollywood Wedding, exploring behind the scenes settings of the traditional and modern in today’s ‘Bollywood’ wedding culture amongst Indian – Americans. Small Budget Big Makeover featured the stories of different families across India and each makeover unravelled the story behind the change.

TLC

The network owned by Discovery Communications, focussing on educational and learning content, premiered a bold new short-format series The Poetist,— aiming to give a platform to leading female artists from across sections of society to use their art to express and stand up for what they believe in.

Travelxp

The network opened a window in 2017 for the viewers of Slovakia Czech Republic and Germany, through its fully localised launch on Slovak Telekom. Travelxp is already fully localised in Serbian and Croatian apart from the primary English feed.

Viewers weren’t short of new shows to pick from this year. Let the appetite keep growing in 2018 as well.

January 22, 2018
Dsport acquires exclusive India rights for Bellator MMA

MUMBAI: Dsport has acquired the rights from Electus International to air the popular mixed martial arts franchise, Bellator MMA, in India starting January 2018.

Owned and operated by Viacom, Bellator MMA is a leading mixed martial arts and kickboxing organisation available to nearly 1 billion people in over 160 countries featuring many of the world’s best and most recognisable combat sports stars.

According to a statement released by Discovery India, subscribers in the Indian subcontinent can soon enjoy exclusive linear broadcast transmission of Bellator’s world championship events from venues around the world.

The first fight card of 2018 season, ‘Bellator 192: Lima Vs MacDonald’ from The Forum in Los Angeles, features world welterweight title bout between Rory MacDonald and Douglas Lima and the first round of the Heavyweight Grand Prix between two MMA icons, Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson and Chael Sonnen.

In 2018, Bellator MMA will present 24 live, prime-time combat sports events from venues in the US and across the globe. Sixteen of the fights will be in the US, and eight will be international, with more events to be scheduled.

Overall, Dsport now has rights to broadcast more than 250 hours of fresh combat sports programming over the next 12 months.

Also Read:

The BCCI India rights conundrum

DSport sends notice to Impress Matra for protecting its BPL T20 broadcast interest

Dsport to telecast Poker Sports League’s season 2

January 15, 2018
Discovery Communications to move global headquarters to New York

MUMBAI: Discovery Communications, in a recent release, has announced plans to relocate its global headquarters from Silver Spring, Maryland, to New York City in 2019. Contingent upon the closing of the company’s acquisition of Scripps Networks Interactive, Discovery also will establish a National Operations Headquarters at Scripps’ current campus in Knoxville, Tennessee.

“The media industry is rapidly evolving, increasingly global, more consumer focused and more multi-platform and Discovery must evolve with it,” said Discovery’s president and CEO David Zaslav, announcing the changes first to employees. “The decision to move our global headquarters from its founding home is one we do not make lightly. We remain unwavering in our support of the Maryland and Greater Washington, DC area and we thank the leadership of the State of Maryland, Montgomery County and, most importantly, our employees for their cooperation and understanding as we make this important next step for the long-term success of Discovery.”

To take advantage of the proximity to business, investment and production partners in New York, the company will bring together all current Discovery and, pending closing of the transaction, Scripps employees currently located across several different facilities in New York in a new global headquarters. Planning for the space and location in New York is underway with an anticipated move to a new building by the second half of 2019.

Following an in-depth financial and operational analysis, and based on the strengths, capabilities and advantages of the current Scripps Knoxville campus, the facility will become Discovery’s National Operations Headquarters pending closure of the transaction. Knoxville is a self-contained campus with many amenities and benefits for a National Operations Headquarters, including a low cost of living, and built-in facilities and operational capabilities. It will continue to house the major Scripps brands and creative digital teams along with corporate functions.

Discovery’s state-of-the-art media distribution facility in Sterling, Virginia, which originates over 80 global feeds, will become a global technology centre.

Founded in Landover, Maryland, in 1985, Discovery moved its global headquarters to Bethesda, Maryland in 1991 and then to its current headquarters building in Silver Spring in 2003. The company employs approximately 1,300 people in the Silver Spring area. Scripps’ Knoxville headquarters houses more than 1,000. The sale and closure of Discovery’s Silver Spring building is expected approximately one year from closing the Scripps transaction.

Also read:

Discovery Jeet gears up for Feb 12 launch

Discovery Jeet signs content deal with Netflix

Video consumption by premium audience on digital exploding: Karan Bajaj

January 15, 2018
Discovery Jeet signs content deal with Netflix

MUMBAI: The upcoming bull in the competitive general entertainment channel (GEC) space, Discovery Jeet, has already signed up with Netflix as its exclusive global OTT platform, even before the channel has launched. The deal will ensure that Jeet’s marquee content will be available to audiences in more than 190 countries worldwide.

Netflix viewers can binge-watch all Discovery Jeet shows after they have aired. Discovery Communications India SVP and GM Karan Bajaj revealed that the major idea behind the tie up was the similarity in philosophy regarding differentiated content. The other reason was Netflix’s global reach, which would be ideal for Jeet’s content to reach the vast diaspora. It also adds more screen on which the network’s content will be viewed.

Discovery’s partnership with Netflix comes almost a month after the broadcaster announced the launch of four niche digital channels (in partnership with video streaming platforms YouTube, Reliance Jio and Vodafone Play).

Bajaj considers Discovery as a strong leader in the digital infotainment space and wants to develop very passionate niche communities.

In an earlier interaction with Indiantelevision.com, Bajaj said that the channel’s focus is on ‘perception selling’. With premium and purposeful content, Jeet will scrape a good chunk of the creamy layer. He said, “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.” 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 top layer of India’s TV consumers.

At present, Discovery operates 12 factual entertainment channels in India, including Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Discovery HD World, Discovery Science, Discovery Turbo, Discovery Kids and sports channel Dsport.

Starting 12 February 2018, the channel will launch with five hours of programming band daily, out of which three hours will be ground-up original programming built on the thesis of the underdog emerging as the winner, available in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu languages.

Discovery plans to focus on mass and premium audiences in India. As part of the plan, Jeet, and kids channel Discovery Kids will target the mass audience, while to tap the premium audience segment, which is shifting towards digital platforms for content consumption, the network is planning to launch multiple theme-based digital channels.

Discovery Communications India VP head of mass entertainment-South Asia Sameer Rao said, “Discovery Jeet’s differentiation comes from our lineup of dramatic, compelling stories of real, relatable characters presented in a cinematic, larger than life format. It is a representation of a strong emotion of ‘hai mumkin’ which is palpable in tier II and III towns across the country.”

While Discovery has completed two decades of operations in India, its focus was on factual entertainment only. However, under the new leadership, the company has decided to significantly scale up the investment as it has set an ambitious target of making India one of the top three fastest growing markets with entry into new genres.

Discovery Jeet’s marketing campaign will focus on key tentpole properties Swami Ramdev: Ek Sangharsh, 21 Sarfarosh: Saragarhi 1897 and Mere Papa Hero Hiralal capturing the insurmountable odds that the protagonists had to overcome in their lives to achieve success.

Also Read:

Video consumption by premium audience on digital exploding: Karan Bajaj

Discovery Jeet gears up for Feb 12 launch

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

January 10, 2018
Discovery hikes stake to majority in Oprah Winfrey JV

MUMBAI: David Zaslaw-headed Discovery Communications has been on an aggressive acquisition spree as it seeks to increase its relevance in an increasingly fragmenting multiplatform video world. It first acquired Eurosport completely in 2015 and followed it by acquiring Scripps Networks earlier this year for a massive $14.6 billion. Now, it has gone ahead and signed an agreement with Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Inc to acquire another 24.5 per cent stake in the 50:50 joint venture it has with her in the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN).

This transaction represents Winfrey’s first payment from Harpo ownership stake in OWN in the 10 years since forming the joint venture with Discovery. Winfrey’s Harpo will retain a significant minority interest in OWN and Winfrey will continue in her role as CEO, with her exclusivity commitment to the network extended through 2025.

“Ten years ago, Oprah and I began to imagine what a network, inspired by her vision and values, could mean to viewers across the US,” said Discovery president & CEO David Zaslav. “In an increasingly crowded landscape, OWN has emerged as the leading destination for African-American women and one of the strongest super-fan brands across all screens and services. This transaction allows Discovery and Oprah to unlock more value from our partnership; extends once more her commitment to the network; and lets us continue our strong work together to nourish OWN viewers with the content they love.”

“Creating OWN and seeing it flourish, supported by Discovery and a rapidly growing group of the finest storytellers in film and television, is one of my proudest achievements,” said Winfrey. “I’m thrilled with the network’s success and excited about this next chapter in our partnership. Together, we’ll continue to inspire our viewers with real-life stories that are emotional and entertaining, connecting them to each other and to their greatest potential.”

Launched in 2011, OWN has become the #1 network for African-American women with the top four original scripted series on ad-supported cable. The network is led by hit series including Queen Sugar andGreenleaf, the top two original series on all of television Wednesday nights for African-American viewers. OWN and Winfrey have created unparalleled social media engagement, delivering the most social shows on ad-supported cable with three shows in the Top 10. The network has recently expanded its relationships with premier storytellers and producers including Ava DuVernay, Mara Brock Akil and Salim Akil, Academy Award-winning “Moonlight” writer/producer Tarell Alvin McCraney and prolific filmmaker Will Packer.

December 5, 2017
GUEST COLUMN: From Juggle To Juggernaut: Localising content for India

There is an unassailable advantage in being the first to do something – there is so much to do that one is spoilt for choices. Opportunities lie aplenty and the emotional response is that of a kid at a candy store. All of us, in the local factual entertainment space, are that kid staring at a world full of temptations and wondering not ‘what to do’ but ‘what ALL to do’.

In many ways, we enjoy this beautiful predicament only because we are blessed to be here at a very opportune time. Television has come a long way from showing the world in graceful grayscale to this universe of 8K video, immersive 3D and augmented reality. From a box in the village enjoying divine status to being carelessly stuffed into jeans pockets, the medium itself has morphed from a product for mass consumption to a service available en-masse with the ability to deliver packets of content with extraordinary precision. The very dynamics of ‘what ALL can be made’ from a stand-point of both feasibility and viability has grown exponentially such that ‘local factual content’ is a business reality in an industry that made its bones by constantly reinventing the meaning of ‘massy’.

The ground rules for factual entertainment were laid decades ago with media mammoths like Discovery, National Geographic and BBC introducing a world that was still not flat and borders were both political and geographical. One may argue that ‘what ALL to do’ is an exaggeration given their long shadow of achievements. Yet, when one takes the eye away from the keyhole that introduced us to factual entertainment and takes a step back, one realises that the door is no longer there! The wide furrow that seemed never ending is but a rut with the entire planet waiting to be tilled and that the narrative even in content has shifted from globalisation to localisation. From trying to stretch and squeeze the world into one commandment, we are thankfully exploring several narratives to experience the world.

It is this shift, in the very fabric of factual entertainment, which has made a channel like Epic a reality. Where an ever-increasing audience is eager to participate in an exploration of their own country in their own language. The urge is to discover an India they grew up seeing through a filter designed for a global audience from a lens crafted especially for them. The journey of factual entertainment has evolved from concept to context.

And in this bountiful harvest available to the local content producer flutters the original question – what is the Indian context? It is as much a cipher as it is rhetorical. The debates, points of views and nitpicking can be endless. It is a minefield that the producer will have to navigate at every step of his creation. But perhaps, it is in this exploration that those who prefer the journey to the destination will revel?

What to create in an Indian context of factual entertainment is an endless potluck and many will indulge; however, give form to this creation is a question that requires us to take a pause and think. The pitfall of making it to the party late is that there is a lot to catch up. From craft and technology to training of personnel in them: the worldview of the producer is fraught with tough decisions and scarce resources especially since the market is global and the competition is with the very Goliaths who invented the game. It is a delicate scenario but with the silver lining that ‘necessity is after the mother of invention’ and jugaad is very much an Indian patent.

For the optimistic local factual entertainment industry, the words ’What next?’ are sweet chimes that may sound the death knell. In a world where exponential progress arrives regularly by leapfrogging off the shoulders of giants, will this beautiful bubble be recorded in history as one of soap or silk?

( The author is a programming head of Epic Channel. The views expressed are personal and Indian television.com need not necessarily subscribe to them. )

November 22, 2017
Discovery uncovers true stories of reality-based movies

MUMBAI: Discovery Channel is launching a new series Real story of… which will premiere on 26 November and will air every Sunday at 10 pm. The series uncovers true stories behind some of the Oscar-nominated movies of recent years to separate fact from fiction.

Discover how Louis Zamperini, subject of Angelina Jolie’s Unbroken, underwent his biggest transformation after the plot of the movie ended and the reality behind the movie depiction of American Sniper Chris Kyle.

Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific VP and head of premium and digital networks South Asia Zulfia Waris said, “The iconic movies featured in the series are classics that appeal to audience across the world. The series will reveal interesting facets to these stories that will surprise as well as entertain viewers. For instance, it isn’t widely known that Donnie Brasco’s character, an FBI agent (played by Johnny Depp), was supposed to be undercover for a few months and it ended up being six years.”

November 21, 2017