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Tag: discovery+

  • Non-metro cities drive 60% of consumption on Discovery+ : Megha Tata

    Non-metro cities drive 60% of consumption on Discovery+ : Megha Tata

    KOLKATA: The leading infotainment network Discovery entered the cluttered streaming space in India last year with the launch of Discovery+. Taking note of the consumer needs, the platform has expanded its portfolio after operating in the market for more than a year, aiming to position itself as a platform that caters to every member of the family, Discovery Inc South Asia managing director Megha Tata said on Wednesday.

    “We had an amazing response from our customers, consumers, and partners since launch. It was a pre-crowded market when we launched, with most players fighting the fiction game. We brought about that differentiation in Discovery+ that worked well for us,” Tata said.

    However, they soon realised that the platform’s offering was more in the world of infotainment. So, they decided to add more genres to offer a wholesome family viewing experience. The platform has also diversified its content library focusing on fun, facts, and family. A large portion of its content will address those aspects going forward. “We tend to make it more entertaining, interactive and we believe that these two are symbiotic. We are prioritising the kind of content the audience loves watching,” Tata said.

    The platform is expanding its library with the acquisition of titles from the A+E Networks’. It is enriching kids’ content portfolio with shows like Mr. Bean, Little Singham, Kids Baking Championship, My Little Pony, Hanuman, Mister Maker. Discovery+ also plans to attract eyeballs of sports buffs by introducing the likes of FIM MotoGP World Championship. These are the three key buckets of enhancing Discovery Plus’ content offering. Apart from acquiring titles, it has also decided not to shift focus from original titles as well.

    In the course of realigning the content library, the platform has considered audience feedback through available data addressing the content needs. One of the things the platform observed was that it had certain gaps in content offerings when it comes to kids and family specifically. For instance, it had limited content in store for women but the female viewership jumped immediately after adding Star VS Food.

    “One of the surprises was that our content was getting an encouraging response in tier II, tier III markets, because of our language strategy. We got seven languages on the platform, which has brought in engagement from tier-II, tier III cities as well. In fact, nearly 60 per cent of the consumption on our platform is outside of the eight cities and it is increasing quarter by quarter. There is an audience need for content like ours which is being seen in our number as well. Our viewership is a combination of metro cities, tier II, tier III cities,” Tata shared.

    Discovery Plus’ audience cuts across age groups, from six to sixty. The platform has rich content created over the years, a library of 3000 hours of content. A lot of this content has not seen the light of the day in India due to the limitation of slots on linear TV. But, Discovery+ has come up with a solution for this.

    By adding up new content, the platform hopes to acquire new subscribers more rapidly. On the other hand, it also has an ad-based segment. “Our approach with that line is we are a content creating company and that’s our expertise. We want to bring in our expertise, experience to brands who can create their brand communication through the content we create for them,” she explained.

    To reach more viewers, Discovery+ is also striking many partnerships like other platforms and the one with Jio has benefited the platform significantly. Many more b2b2c partnerships will be unfolded in the coming months ranging from smart TV brands, telcos, hardware companies.

    In what could be a big boon for the platform in India, if HBO Max content is integrated with the platform in the coming days, the way Disney-21st Century Fox merger panned out for Hotstar. Nonetheless, it is still not clear how the merger will pan out for the platform in India.

    “It’s a great partnership. We are excited. It’s a great opportunity to bring these two media companies together and create huge possibilities. Now the business is usual for us and we will continue to focus on our priorities. The merger will bring the two companies that have shared value, complementary assets, iconic brands, franchises. This will be a great marriage which is in the works. And we are looking forward to how this unfolds in the coming months,” Tata signed off.

  • Discovery+ bolsters content portfolio, changes pricing

    Discovery+ bolsters content portfolio, changes pricing

    KOLKATA: Discovery+ on Wednesday announced its largest content portfolio expansion to make it the go-to app for viewing families. Starting from June, over 100 new shows for Kids and library content from A+E Networks (including from History TV18) will be added to its content slate.

    The platform has also changed its pricing. The old rate of Rs 299 will be available only till 8 June 2021, post which subscription will be priced at Rs 399.

    With the largest addition to its content library across sub-genres like reality, sports, kids, learning, food, travel, history et al since its inception, discovery+ will be a one stop destination for wholesome a family viewing experience across seven languages, to include English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Bengali, the company stated.

    Covering shows from a wide array of genres, audiences across different age groups and interests will now have access to diverse exciting, informative and entertaining content. From fresh weekly episodes of key acquisitions like Hell’s Kitchen featuring  Gordon Ramsay, the chef with a cult following, live races from thrilling 2021 FIM MotoGP World Championship, to highly appreciated motoring television series, Top Gear America hosted by Dax Shepard, Rob Corddry, and Jethro Bovingdon.      

    Be it walking with migrating elephants in Walking with Elephants ft. Levison Wood, or navigating love under overbearing mothers’ eyes in I Love A Mama’s Boy, along with new episodes of the most loved franchise Undercover Billionaire: Comeback City, the discovery+ audience is assured of entertainment in more ways than one.

    The plaform will be expanding its library even further with the acquisition of global and local titles from the A+E Networks’ (including from History TV18) library. From top-rated reality TV series like Pawn Stars based on a family-owned pawn shop to America’s favourite treasure hunters, Storage Wars to OMG! Yeh Mera India, the longest-running and most successful History TV18 franchise hosted by Krushna Abhishek and Kumbh: Among The Seekers based on a famous religious festival amongst other enthralling titles, users will have world-class content available at their fingertips. 

    Adding to the delight, a special curated kids content slate including exciting and appealing new shows like Mr. Bean, Little Singham, Kids Baking Championship, My Little Pony, Hanuman, Mister Maker among other fun titles are to be introduced. Children will be able to immerse into the world of fantasy and never-ending adventure while increasing their knowledge through informative titles like How Do Animals Do That, MythBusters Jr, to name a few.

    Expanding its local original production in 2021, with standout titles including Star vs. Food, Secrets of Sinauli: Discovery of the Century, Mission Frontline, Ladakh Warriors and Vande Bharat Flight IX 1344: Hope To Survival, the app has become home, to strong locally differentiated content in the real-life entertainment and learning space. 

    Discovery Inc South Asia managing director Megha Tata said: “We at discovery+, have always strived to provide world-class infotainment content to our users. Our partnership with A&E is a testament of how innovation for consumers remains core to discovery+ and reinforces our commitment to our audience by bringing to them content they like consuming under one platform. While we have our broad and engrossing portfolio for adults from varied genres, with the addition of kids we now have more content catering to the entire family. She also added, “We are confident that these additions will further strengthen our family, facts & fun premises that bring us close to our aspiration of being an aggregate platform catering to every member of the family.”

  • Warner Media-Discovery merged outfit named Warner Bros.Discovery

    Warner Media-Discovery merged outfit named Warner Bros.Discovery

    MUMBAI: When two well-known media firms fuse, there’s always a big debate about what the new organisation should be called? But the folks at Discovery and AT&T have kept their life simple: they have decided to call the proposed global entertainment outfit being born out of the merger between Hollywood entertainment powerhouse Warner Bros and  the firm founded by John Hendricks as ‘Warner Bros.Discovery.’

    A press release issued by Discovery stated that “The Warner Bros. Discovery name will honor, celebrate and elevate the world’s most-storied creative studio in the world with the high quality, global nonfiction storytelling heritage of Discovery.”

    David Zaslav, President and CEO of Discovery and the future CEO of the proposed Warner Bros. Discovery combined company, unveiled the new name to WarnerMedia employees from the Warner Bros. studio lot in Burbank, CA, where he said:

    “Warner Bros. Discovery will aspire to be the most innovative, exciting and fun place to tell stories in the world – that is what the company will be about.  We love the new company’s name because it represents the combination of Warner Bros.’ fabled hundred year legacy of creative, authentic storytelling and taking bold risks to bring the most amazing stories to life, with Discovery’s global brand that has always stood brightly for integrity, innovation and inspiration. There are so many wonderful, creative and journalistic cultures that will make up the Warner Bros. Discovery family. We believe it will be the best and most exciting place in the world to tell big, important and impactful stories across any genre – and across any platform: film, television and streaming.”

    The initial wordmark for the proposed company includes the iconic line from the Maltese Falcon, “the stuff that dreams are made of,” an additional homage to the rich legacy of Warner Bros. and the focus of what the proposed company will be about.

    In May, AT&T and Discovery reached a definitive agreement to combine WarnerMedia’s premium entertainment, sports and news assets with Discovery’s leading nonfiction and international entertainment and sports businesses to create a single company.

    Warner Bros. Discovery will bring together leadership teams, content creators, and high-quality series and film libraries in the media business, while accelerating both companies’ plans for leading direct-to-consumer (DTC) streaming services for global consumers. The new company will unite complementary and diverse content strengths with broad appeal — WarnerMedia’s robust studios and portfolio of iconic scripted entertainment, animation, news and sports with Discovery’s global leadership in unscripted and international entertainment and sports.

    The “pure play” content company will own one of the deepest libraries in the world with nearly 200,000 hours of iconic programming and will bring together over 100 of the most cherished, popular and trusted brands in the world under one global portfolio, including: HBO, Warner Bros., Discovery, DC, CNN, WB Games, Turner Sports, Cartoon Network, HGTV, Food Network, TNT, TBS, Turner Classic Movies, Wizarding World, Adult Swim, Eurosport, Magnolia, TLC, Animal Planet, ID and many more.
    Warner Bros. Discovery will be able to increase investment and capabilities in original content and programming; create more opportunity for under-represented storytellers and independent creators; serve customers with innovative video experiences and points of engagement; and propel more investment in high-quality, family-friendly nonfiction content, says the press release.

  • Discovery+ has documentaries on Pele, Niki Lauda, Damon Hill, ‘Jacky’ Ickx

    Discovery+ has documentaries on Pele, Niki Lauda, Damon Hill, ‘Jacky’ Ickx

    Real-life entertainment streaming app Discovery+ has added two more titles to their documentary streaming list for Indian audiences. 

    The first one, Pele: The Last Show is based on the life of legendary Brazilian footballer Edson Arantes do Nascimento, popularly known as Pele. The documentary narrates the football legend’s journey through his last competitive game, giving rare insights into his personality through the eyes of people who knew him.  

    Pele: The Last Show will show real-life events that happened during Pele’s final game for the New York Cosmos team, which dominated the golden age of football in the US in the late seventies and the early eighties. 

    The second documentary named Ferrari 312B will enthral formula one lovers. The documentary features legendary race drivers like Niki Lauda, Damon Hill, and Jacques Bernard aka ‘Jacky’ Ickx in the star cast. The feature narrates the crazy happenings before the revolutionary Ferrari model was restored and brought back on the iconic Monza circuit track, after a gap of 46 years.  

    Ferrari 312B is also a tribute to its original designer in the seventies, the legendary Mauro Forghieri, under whom the restoration project also took wings. 

  • Amazon buys Hollywood studio MGM for $8.45 billion

    Amazon buys Hollywood studio MGM for $8.45 billion

    KOLKATA: Content is the engine of the streaming economy. Recognising this, the streamers have been going through a dizzying series  of acquisitions and mergers. The latest to do so is tech giant Amazon which has finally signed on the dotted line to buy up Hollywood studio MGM for $8.45 billion. This is its  second largest acquisition after it bought Whole Foods for nearly $14 billion in 2017. For the last week or so, speculation was running rife that a deal between the two was on the cards.

    MGM has real gems under its brand that movie lovers have voraciously consumed across the world. The studio is behind classics such as Gone with the Wind and Rocky, the famous Bond franchise, Singin’ in the Rain, 12 Angry Men. Its library also includes popular reality TV shows like The Voice and Shark Tank.

    “The real financial value behind this deal is the treasure trove of IP in the deep catalog that we plan to reimagine and develop together with MGM’s talented team,” Amazon Studios and Prime Video SVP Mike Hopkins has been quoted as saying in media reports internationally.

    Amazon has 200 million prime members worldwide with access to its video service, chief executive jeff Bezos revealed recently. “As Prime Video turns 10, over 175 million Prime members have streamed shows and movies in the past year, and streaming hours are up more than 70 per cent year over year,” he later said in April.

    Prime members who watch video have higher free trial conversion rates, higher renewal rates, and  higher overall engagement. The company has been ramping up  its spend on content , to stay  competitive with the fare being churned out by  Netflix and  Disney and now with the merged Discovery+Warner Media juggernaut.

     “I am very proud that MGM’s Lion, which has long evoked the golden age of Hollywood, will continue its storied history, and the idea born from the creation of United Artists lives on in a way the founders originally intended, driven by the talent and their vision. The opportunity to align MGM’s storied history with Amazon is an inspiring combination,” MGM board chairman Kevin Ulrich said in a statement.

  • Discovery extends David Zaslav’s employment contract

    Discovery extends David Zaslav’s employment contract

    MUMBAI:  When you swing a deal like he has done, you probably deserve to be rewarded. Discovery president & CEO David Zaslav played a key role in getting AT&T’s WarnerMedia to align itself with the network he leads, an announcement of which was made earlier this week. Well, his labour has yielded fruit as his employment contract has been extended to run through 31 December 2027 from its previous effective date of 2023.

    Of course, we all know that the merger of the two media firms will lead to the creation of a behemoth offering WarnerMedia’s premium entertainment, sports, and news assets and Discovery’s leading nonfiction and international entertainment and sports businesses. And it was announced that Zaslav will lead the proposed new company.

    Since joining it in 2007, Zaslav has steered Discovery to new heights starting with taking it public in 2008, stream rolling it into the Fortune500 in 2014, acquiring Scripps Networks Interactive, in a transaction which closed in 2018 and ramping up its direct-to-consumer efforts under discovery+. The definitive real-life subscription streaming service launched in the US in January 2021 with more than 55,000 episodes, and internationally, continues its rollout to more than 25 markets and accounts for 15 million subs already.

    The Discovery comprises nearly 20 per cent of ad-supported pay-TV viewership in the US and nearly seven billion monthly video views, making it the No 1 pay-TV portfolio in Uncle Sam, claims a press release. And its global distribution has surpassed three billion viewers.

    Before Discovery Zaslav had a distinguished career at NBCUniversal, where he was instrumental in developing and launching CNBC and also played a role in the creation of MSNBC.

  • AT&T and Discovery agree to merge media assets, form new streaming giant

    AT&T and Discovery agree to merge media assets, form new streaming giant

    KOLKATA: Paving the way for a blockbuster merger and acquisition deal, AT&T and Discovery Inc. have agreed to combine their media assets. The new company formed as part of the deal will be led by Discovery president and CEO David Zaslav. The move will create the world’s second-largest media company by revenue after Disney.

    The combination will be executed through a complex all-stock transaction called the Reverse Morris Trust, under which WarnerMedia will be spun or split off to AT&T’s shareholders via dividend or through an exchange offer or a combination of both and simultaneously combined with Discovery. According to the latest reports, the deal will close in 2022, subject to shareholder and regulatory approvals.

    In connection with the spin-off or split-off of WarnerMedia, AT&T will receive $43 billion (subject to adjustment) in a combination of cash, debt securities and WarnerMedia’s retention of certain debt. 

    AT&T’s shareholders will receive stock representing 71 per cent of the new company; Discovery shareholders will own 29 per cent of the new company. The new company’s Board of Directors will consist of 13 members, seven initially appointed by AT&T, including the chairperson of the board; Discovery will initially appoint six members, including CEO David Zaslav.

    Giving rise to a content powerhouse, the merged entity will bring together brands like HBO, Warner Bros., Discovery, DC Comics, CNN, Cartoon Network, HGTV, Food Network, the Turner Networks, TNT, TBS, Eurosport, Magnolia, TLC, Animal Planet, ID.

    “The new company will compete globally in the fast-growing direct-to-consumer business — bringing compelling content to DTC subscribers across its portfolio, including HBO Max and the recently launched discovery+,” an official statement read.

    More to come…

  • Does the Discovery-AT&T Warner Media merger make sense?

    Does the Discovery-AT&T Warner Media merger make sense?

    MUMBAI: In one word. Yes. At least it gives them a chance in hell to play catch up with the well-muscled and well-entrenched rivals like Netflix, Disney, Amazon Prime Video, and Apple TV in the streaming race. While Netflix announced 208 million subscribers worldwide in its latest financial meet with investors, Disney declared that it had roped in 108 million subs in just a year and a half of its existence.

    As compared to that, Discovery recently disclosed that it had managed to lasso 15 million subscribers to its streaming business, and Warner Media’s HBO Max revealed its sign-ups at 9.7 million. Combining the two – if all subs stay put – gives a total of around 24.7 million. That’s still an ant-like figure compared to the jumbo numbers of Netflix, Disney, and hey even Amazon Prime. Both continued to concentrate on linear TV, and on cable, even as others were laying it out thick on OTT services. Their coming late to the streaming party means they have to work harder to ramp up subs. By teaming up it might be a little easier, but the hard work will need to be put in.

    Netflix – when it launched – did to HBO, what HBO did to other cable TV programmers two to three decades ago. The Reed Hastings-led OTT introduced cutting-edge, well-produced and edited, hard storytelling in its series and gave subscribers something to get glued onto almost every month. At an affordable price too as compared to cable TV’s high rates in the US.

    Can HBO do a Netflix to Netflix in terms of content in the current streaming world? 

    Many think that can be done, but it requires deep pockets as well as a global vision such as that is available aplenty with the Netflix top management. As well as a strong heart to tolerate negative cash flows, take on what some may consider strangulating debt while spending tens of billions of dollars on content, churning out fresh shows o

    Fusing Warner with Discovery will definitely give the two a lot more financial ammo as well content. Both are at the top of their game when it comes to their respective genres. Warner Media has dramas, series, movies in the case of HBO, TNT, TBS, and Warner Bros and kids programming in Cartoon Network; news in CNN, and sports in Turner Sports. Discovery has gold standard factual programming, along with its live sports lineup in Eurosport, real estate shows in HGTV and lifestyle programming in TLC, and food competitions in the Food Network.

    If the merger does see the light of day, the question about who will lead the operation will need to be answered. Warner Media’s Jason Kilar has shown he has the hunger; Discovery boss David Zaslav is no chicken; he’s a mean rooster and is extremely ambitious.  Observers believe that AT&T is likely to call the shots; so Kilar will get a shoo-in as head, while Zaslav will get a very rich golden handshake. Others however point out that the latter has the confidence of media baron John Malone who  controls about 30 per cent of Discovery’s equity and it’s quite likely that his word will carry weight.  This means Zaslav and Kilar might both be accommodated in the new organization.

    Of course, the merger will mean the joint entity  will boast of a neat bundle of offerings for viewers – covering everything from sports to drama to factual to kids to movies to reality. Scale is crucial in streaming service offerings, and that can be achieved by offering the Discovery Warner service at an extremely appealing price, in keeping with what rivals are charging. Discovery Plus has a price tag of $6.99 while HBO Max is available at $15. This is why the latter has remained as a niche offering attracting a thin sliver of viewers as compared to Netflix and Disney.

    In the Indian context, both Discovery and Warner Media, have kind of been left behind in the broadcast sweepstakes as compared to the mainline TV broadcasters and streamers. Both have kids channels, while HBO and WB channels have been wound up in the country. Discovery has its international slate of channels while it also has localised its factual programming. Hence, a merger within India would definitely bring in economies.

    Clearly, all that is in the future. Right now the two companies’ boards and management have to decide whether they are going ahead or not. You can’t forget that there was strong talk that Comcast and AT&T were conversing  for a deal between NBC Universal and Warner Media. But that kind of stalled and did not move ahead. Now, Discovery looks to have beaten NBC Universal to the punch. The days ahead will tell us if it results in a knockout or not.

  • AT&T’s Warner Media & Discovery Inc closing in on merger?

    AT&T’s Warner Media & Discovery Inc closing in on merger?

    Mumbai: The growing power of Netflix, Disney and Amazon and other larger media entities is forcing strange alliances on the industry. US telecom giant AT&T, which acquired Warner Media (then named Time Warner) for around $85 billion in 2018 is all set to fuse Warner Media with Discovery Inc, which itself is valued at around $16 billion with an enterprise valuation of $30 billion. That’s according to a report by US business news channel CNBC.

    The purpose: the two want to stay relevant in the new media ecosystem in which billions of dollars are being spent on content on customer acquisition and retention.

    A new publicly traded company holding the combined assets is to be created with ownership lying with the two media giants’ shareholders. CNBC stated that insiders had informed the channel that a deal is likely to be announced Monday sometime. But it also said no one was willing to come on record on what the stock holding split would be like. It also added that the deal – while it was in the final stages – may even fall through.

    Earlier Bloomberg had reported that the two were in talks to combine the two firms to form a giant media conglomerate.

    AT&T houses brands like CNN, HBO, Cartoon Network, TBS, TNT, and the Warner Bros. studio. Discovery owns networks such as HGTV, Food Network, TLC, and Animal Planet. If such a deal were to be completed, it would be the largest media merger since Viacom and CBS combined their businesses to form ViacomCBS in December 2019.

    Both companies have recently entered the streaming wars. With a platter of content in entertainment, lifestyle, the combined company can create a better international footprint. Moreover, it can emerge as a strong rival to players like Disney, Netflix which are turning out to be more aggressive every day in the streaming war.

    However, there is no information yet on how the assets will be combined. Despite the ongoing discussion, there is no certainty at this moment that it would lead to an actual transaction, Bloomberg reported.

    The report also comes amid the speculation over Comcast’s NBCUniversal and AT&T’s Warner Media merger after research firm LightShed Partners said both the entities should be spun off and merged for long-term health.

    Back in February, AT&T sold 30 per cent of satellite pay-TV operator DirecTV to private equity firm TPG to offload its debt, largely caused by its acquisition spree in the last few years.

  • Discovery Q1: d2c arm leads growth, income tumbles

    Discovery Q1: d2c arm leads growth, income tumbles

    NEW DELHI: Discovery Inc has 15 million total paying direct-to-consumer subscribers across its global portfolio, it said on Wednesday, as it reported financial results for the quarter ended 31 March 2021.

    The growth was primarily led by discovery+, having crossed 13 million total paying direct-to-consumer subscribers, since its launch on 4 January early this year.

    “The global rollout of discovery+ is off to a fantastic start by any measure. Key metrics, including subscriber additions, customer engagement, and retention, are exceeding our expectations and demonstrating sustained momentum into the second quarter,” said Discovery president and CEO David Zaslav. “Our strong direct-to-consumer performance underscores the outstanding value and appeal of our content, brands and personalities to both consumers and distribution partners alike. We continue to expand the reach of discovery+ with recent launches on Comcast Xfinity and Amazon Prime Video Channels. At the same time, we continue to extend our overall engagement with viewers across screens, anchored by another quarter as the most-watched pay-TV portfolio in the US and our seventh consecutive quarter of international share growth.”

    The media company’s net income dipped 62.9 per cent to $140 million, or 21 cents per share, during the quarter.

    However, revenue rose four per cent to $2.79 billion, edging past Wall Street estimates of $2.78 billion.

    The international advertising revenues increased 16 per cent and distribution revenues were flat, or decreased two per cent ex-FX. Advertising revenue in the US declined two per cent, partly due to lower overall ratings, and to a lesser extent secular declines in the pay-TV ecosystem and lower inventory.

    For the first quarter, Discovery was among the most-watched pay-TV portfolio in the US among key demographics, driven in part by TLC, which was popular among its key female demographics, the company said.

    Internationally, the company said it enjoyed an impressive seventh consecutive quarter of linear share growth, anchored by growth in female genres and best ever quarterly performances in several markets, including the UK, France and Germany. International networks revenues increased 6.9 per cent year-on-year to $987 million. Advertising revenues were up 15.7 per cent, while distribution revenues were down 0.2 per cent.

    The broadcaster said it will invest more than ever in the content across the board to support these platforms in 2021.

    “We expect international distribution revenue to accelerate to mid-single-digit growth during the second quarter,” said Discovery chief financial officer Gunnar Wiedenfels, adding that though the company is investing against a rigorous financial framework, it is also gearing up for two sets of Olympic games this summer and in Q1 next year, both of which will be tentpole events for the marketing of its d2c and linear brand.