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Tag: dragons

  • Medusa Beverages to launch House of the Dragon beer in Haryana early next year

    Medusa Beverages to launch House of the Dragon beer in Haryana early next year

    MUMBAI: Dragons have captivated Gen Z ever since eight seasons of The Game of Thrones recorded unbelievable viewership numbers the world over. The prequel House of the Dragon also set the house on fire on HBO Max and linear TV channels, and was renewed for three seasons, and is scheduled to end with the fourth season. 

    In July this year, home grown beer brand Medusa Beverages signed a licensing deal with Warner Bros Discovery Global Consumer Products (WBDGCP) and announced that it was introducing an exclusive House of Dragon variant for beer and dragon lovers as collectibles. This limited-edition brew features a smoky, fiery flavour profile that reflects the mystique and spirit of the HBO original drama.

    The House of the Dragon beer has been rolling out in Delhi, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Himachal Pradesh ever since. Medusa Beverages now says Haryana is expected to join the line up early next year in a press release. 

    The company points out  that the partnership taps into the universal fascination with dragons—symbols of fire, strength, and mythical grandeur—to create a unique sensory experience. The smoky, burnt notes of the beer mirror the fiery essence of roasted malts, while its robust profile is designed to resonate with those who appreciate a drink that tells a story. The House of Dragon beer is more than a beverage—it’s an invitation to indulge in a flavourful journey that aligns with the allure of fantasy and mythology.

    Medusa Beverages founder & CEO Avneet Singh highlights that the brewer believes in crafting beers that tell a story and bring people together and that he wanted beer-guzzlers to experience a drink larger than life. 
    “Our collaboration with Warner Bros. for the House of Dragons beer celebrates boldness and creativity. The smoky, fiery essence is our way of paying homage to the mystical dragons that inspire strength and awe in all of us,” he adds.”

    Medusa Beverages is not the only company and it is not the first time WBDGCP  has extended its House of the Dragon licence for the famed series. Picaddily Distilleries – the maker of the famed Indri single malt brand – had introduced a whisky collection with two distinct flavours inspired by the iconic councils of Westeros in Jully 2024.  The first – the House of Black, and the second – the House of Green.

    In 2022, it had signed up with Bira91 which introduced House of the Dragon beer  in 330ml bottles and 500ml cans across Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi, and Pune.  Then the dragon brand made its appearance on US winery Seven Kingdoms Cellars which launched wines .  Danish brewery Mikkeller,  also released Syrax Rises, a  beer collectible in the same year.

  • Discovery sees ‘Dragons’ taking ratings flight

    Discovery sees ‘Dragons’ taking ratings flight

    Dragons: A Fantasy Made Real, which aired on Discovery Channel earlier this month, has garnered high viewership. |

    Dragons: A Fantasy Made Real received higher viewership than Star Movies, HBO and MTV, all news channels and even general entertainment channels like Star One, Sab and Sahara One.
    Dragons garnered 32 per cent channel share in CS4+ and 39 per cent in AB15+ as per Tam data for week 32, Sunday, 8 pm to 10 pm, CS4+, All India market. This was also more than 60 per cent ahead of Star Movies and almost twice that of HBO, the release states.

    The highest rated show in the week amongst the international channels, it recorded higher viewership than many programmes and movies across other channels including Mummy Returns and Home Alone 3 on Star Movies, MTV Khamosh, MTV Mobbed, Keen on KANK on NDTV 24×7. (Source Tam: 07:00-23:59, Week 32, CS 4+, All India).

    Discovery Channel has staked its claim to the number one position in the last eight weeks amongst all international channels taking into account all viewers and all day across India. (Tam: CS 4+, All India, Week 25-32, 07:00- 23:59 hours)

    Dragons: A Fantasy Made Real aired on Sunday, 6 August at 8 pm.

  • Discovery to focus on dragons, mega builders, science fiction

    Discovery to focus on dragons, mega builders, science fiction

    MUMBAI: Dragons, mega builders and science fiction are just a few of the themes that Discovery will tackle over the coming months.
    Dragons: A Fantasy Made Real airs on 6 August at 8 pm. This was a three year project. Scientific fact, CGI and special effects bring these creatures to life. This is basically a ‘what if?’ special.

    Ruling a make-believe world of fantasy and fairy tales, these terrifying, winged predators never existed in real life – but what if they had? Computer-generated imagery from the same graphics company that created effects for Walking With Dinosaurs, Walking With Prehistoric Beasts and the latest Harry Potter movie provides a look at these creatures from the inside out.

    Viewers will learn how dragons would have evolved into a number of different species through the ages – Prehistoric, Marine, Forest and Mountain Dragons – and how each dragon species was endowed with physical adaptations and behaviors specialized for its environment.

    Viewers can also check out in vivo shots of each dragon’s internal workings and learn the theoretical biology behind claims that these creatures were able to fly and breathe fire. Combining live action footage, natural history and state-of-the-art computer animation, the show will tack viewers on a journey through the annals of the fantastic past and an in-depth, scientific look at one of humankind’s most storied foes.

    Those keen on architecture can check out the six part show Mega Builders. Capturing the biggest, most complex, most stressful and most dangerous engineering projects around the world, Mega Builders chronicles awe-inspiring construction projects in the world and the engineering teams behind them. Viewers can watch as they attempt projects so enormous and challenging that one will be compelled to ask: how will they ever pull this off?

    Dubai takes centrestage on 4 July with the episode Fantasy Islands Dubai. Off the coast of Dubai in the Gulf of Arabia, two mega-builders are pulling off one of the most ambitious feats of marine engineering the world has ever seen. In this episode, witness the creation of the world’s largest man-made islands – three artificial islands built in the shape of a palm tree – which will be the home to a luxurious future city of 100,000 people. When building an island, where do you even begin?

    Canadian immigrant, Ali Mansour and New Zealander, David Smith have teamed up under the direction of Dubai’s property development company, Nakheel, to create this exclusive play land for the world’s wealthy elite. This episode follows the marine engineers as they manage a fleet of monster dredger ships and a convoy of mega-trucks moving 14 million tons of rocks to create the world’s longest breakwater. These enterprising engineers are designing the 50-km² islands to withstand earthquakes and they’ve built the breakwater to help protect the emerging islands against rough seas and erosion. If successful, their work will be instrumental as the tiny emirate re-invents itself as a tourist mecca for the super-rich.
    The episode on 11 July is called Quake Proofing an Icon San Francisco. The challenges of building the new San Francisco Bay Bridge are immense as nothing like it has ever been built in a seismic zone; engineering a bridge that will bend but not break and creating a solid foundation out of a sea of mud.

    World’s Fastest Wheels airs on 25 July 2006. Every weekend for the last seven years Ed Shadle, a fanatical speed racer; and Keith Zanghi, a retired IBM executive who races dragsters for fun, have pursued a very big dream: to build the most advanced racing car in the world. Their goal is simple: take their car, the North American Eagle, supersonic and annihilate the world land speed record – a mind-numbing 1,228 kilometres per hour: the speed of sound.

    The pair of speedsters recruit experts in everything from parachutes to jet plane engines to build this extraordinary car – if you can really call it a car. Shadel and Zanghi ran with the improbable idea of transforming a jet plane into a jet car. After a four month search, the men found a surplus F-104 Starfighter fuselage and began the remarkable conversion. And as they worked, they discovered something amazing – under 15 layers of paint they uncovered the plane’s serial number: 763. This number, and the plane, had belonged to America’s most famous test pilot, Chuck Yager.

    From 18-24 September 2006 Discovery will air a slew of shows under the name Sci Fi Zone. The shows look at H.G. Wells’ explosive ideas and how The Matrix trilogy or Terminator 2 could become a reality in the future.

  • Nickelodeon is No 1 cable network in the US for 11th year

    Nickelodeon is No 1 cable network in the US for 11th year

    MUMBAI: Extending its run at the number-one top spot into its eleventh year in the US, Nickelodeon led basic cable as the top-rated network within the total programming day for the just-completed first quarter of 2006 among total viewers and across all kids’ demos, according to Nielsen Media Research.

    In addition, the network grew double digits in its multiple media offerings, including Nick.com and Nickjr.com from year-to-year, and excelled on its broadband, online gaming and video- on-demand platforms.

    Among the network’s primary demo of kids 2-11, the network posted a 4.0/1.3 million K2-11, up +5 per cent over last quarter and +90 per cent ahead of Cartoon Network (2.1/657,000 K2-11) and +48 per cent ahead of Disney Channel (2.7/857,000 K2- 11).

    With preschoolers, the network also ranked first, averaging a 4.8/597,000 K2-5, up +9 per cent over last quarter, ahead of Cartoon Network by +140 per cent (2.0/244,000 K2-5) and +66 per cent versus Disney Channel (2.9/350,000 K2-5). And with tweens 9-14, Nickelodeon remained flat for the year, earning a 2.5/514,000 T9-14, and beating its competition by double digits.

    Contributing to the Nickelodeon’s quarter-to-quarter growth, were several large events and series’ launches. The Wonder Pets, the newest series on the Nick Jr. block, has averaged a 7.8 rating with kids 2-5, and is now performing well along with top preschool programs Dora the Explorer and Go, Diego, Go!

    In addition, the first-ever Drake and Josh made-for-TV movie event earned big numbers, delivering more tweens than ABC’s Rose Bowl (2.1 million tween 9-14 viewers, +34 per cent higher in delivery than the Rose Bowl), and 5.4 million total viewers (P2+). SpongeBob SquarePants continues to be a top performer, drawing an average of more than 8.6 million total viewers (P2+) for the “Lost In Time” telecast, the highest-rated SpongeBob program with kids 2-11 ever.

    As Nickelodeon continues to build its leadership in new and emerging media platforms, it has increased usership on multiple media platforms in the kids’ space, particularly with its broadband platforms, TurboNick and Nick Jr. Video, and its online sites, Nick.com and Nickjr.com.

    TurboNick, Nickelodeon’s broadband video service on Nick.com, has had more than 30 million content streams, an increase of +29 per cent from fourth quarter 2005. It is heading towards the 100th million stream since its July 2005 launch.

    Nick Jr. Video, Nick Jr.’s broadband video service on Nickjr.com, garnered more than 28 million content streams in first quarter 2006.

    For the quarter, Nick.com has had more than 32 million unique visitors, which is up +26 per cent increase versus fourth quarter and +44 per cent versus first quarter 2005, making 2006 the best year so far for Nick.com.

    Nick.com has also had more than 228 million game plays on the site this quarter. This is partially attributed to the “New Game of the Week,” where Nick.com launches a brand new game on the site every Friday. SpongeBob SquarePants Dunces and Dragons alone racked up more than 15 million game plays since first quarter.

    Nickjr.com has had more than 14 million unique users this quarter, a +14 per cent increase from fourth quarter 2005, and +41 per cent increase from first quarter 2005, also a best-ever quarter for Nickjr.com.

    The network also continues to maintain its leadership position in Video-on-Demand. Nick programming was held the top position for the month in terms of all kid offerings on Comcast (roughly 8.9 per cent of all Comcast set top boxes viewed Nick programming). Nickelodeon garnered 5.7 million Nick VOD views in February 2006, double the number of views versus last year’s like time period.