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Tag: Megha Tata

  • IAA appoints Megha Tata as president

    IAA appoints Megha Tata as president

    The India Chapter of the International Advertising Association (IAA) has appointed Megha Tata as its new president. She is the MD of Discovery South Asia and was elected as vice president of the association last year.

    The association announced the appointment in a tweet congratulating Tata on her new role.

    She is an industry veteran with nearly three decades of experience. Tata joined Discovery Communications in 2019 and has been spearheading the operations there. Prior to joining Discovery, Tata was serving as the chief operating officer at Business Television India (BTVI).

    Tata has held senior positions at Star India, HBO India, and Turner International. She has received many industry accolades and has had an illustrious career.

  • MEGHA TATA – MANAGING DIRECTOR – SOUTH ASIA, DISCOVERY to be Conference Chair and APARNA PUROHIT – HEAD OF INDIA ORIGINALS, AMAZON PRIME VIDEO INDIA to be Awards Chair for the ‘RE-INVENT’

    MEGHA TATA – MANAGING DIRECTOR – SOUTH ASIA, DISCOVERY to be Conference Chair and APARNA PUROHIT – HEAD OF INDIA ORIGINALS, AMAZON PRIME VIDEO INDIA to be Awards Chair for the ‘RE-INVENT’

    Promax is delighted to announce Megha Tata, Managing Director -South Asia, Discovery as the Conference Chair for ‘Re-Invent’ Promax India Virtual 2020 – Conference & Awards. Joining her is Aparna Purohit – Head of India Originals, Amazon Prime Video India as Awards Chair for ‘Re-Invent’ Promax India Virtual 2020 – Conference & Awards.

    ‘We are indeed fortunate and delighted to have Megha and Aparna on board as Conference Chair and Awards Chair at our 17th India edition of the PROMAX INDIA VIRTUAL 2020 CONFERENCE & AWARDS. Both Megha and Aparna come with a wealth of experience and knowledge that is invaluable and so relevant, given where the industry is headed today. I welcome you both to be a part of the Promax family’ says Rajika Mittra – Country Head & Strategic Partnerships for India, Hong Kong & Philippines.

    Megha Tata, Managing Director – South Asia, Discovery says, “We all know it has been an unprecedented year-a period of time which will never be forgotten by generations. Yet, in these challenging times, there have been creative geniuses who have inspired all of us with their out-of-the-box thinking and creativity.  We will aim to shine light on such talent as part of Promax 2020 Conference & Awards.”

    Aparna Purohit, Head of India Originals, Amazon Prime Video says “Despite the unprecedented and challenging circumstances, this has been an incredible time for artistes to find newer expressions for their art and it is so evident from the entries we have received at this year’s Promax India Awards. I believe, stories connect, provoke, inspire and provide us with an escape from the chaos outside. I am truly inspired to be surrounded by such diverse and authentic ideas.”  

    Keeping with this year’s theme of Re-Invent, Promax India promises to be entertaining and energetic with a mix of world-renowned speakers and an amazing panel of local experts across different disciplines to discuss and share their experiences about the extraordinary possibilities ahead.

    Promax India Virtual 2020 will be available complimentary to our Promax members while Early Bird registration for Non Members has commenced. Do register your teams at https://www.promaxindia.tv/event-registration/ 

    RE-INVENT' PROMAX INDIA VIRTUAL 2020 – CONFERENCE & AWARDS goes LIVE officially on 8th & 9th of October 2020 and opens on the 7th of October with all the past webinar series.

    For more information, please contact: 

    Yi Ling – yiling@promaxasia.tv 
    Promax Asia Pte Ltd  
    3C Tank Road, Singapore 238060 
    www.promaxindia.tv 

  • Discovery Kids partners with Doordarshan to inspire & entertain children across the country

    Discovery Kids partners with Doordarshan to inspire & entertain children across the country

    MUMBAI: Discovery Kids ass partnered with  national broadcaster Doordarshan with an aim to inspire and entertain children across the country.  As part of the understanding, starting July, select episodes of animated series, Little Singham, Kisna and Sheikh Chilli and Friendz are being showcased on National broadcaster at 8 am on DD National, every day.

    “Discovery Kids is committed to bringing high-quality content for the little minds that also keeps them inspired,” said Discovery MD – south Asia Megha Tata. “We are sharing some of the most exciting Indian animation with Doordarshan to give another reason for children who don’t have access to Discovery Kids to stay at home even as the lockdown is over.”

    Prasar Bharati CEO Shashi Shekhar Vempati said, “Over the last three months, we have showcased iconic programming to engage and entertain audiences even as the country braced with a pandemic. Discovery Kids’ programming on Doordarshan is another important chapter in this journey. I am grateful to Discovery for coming forward and sharing this content for the larger good of society.”

    Little Singham, launched by Discovery Kids in collaboration with Rohit Shetty Picturez and Reliance Animation, is an animated adaptation of ‘Singham’, India’s most successful supercop brand and biggest Bollywood blockbusters of all time, showcases the fun and thrilling adventures of a brave kid super-cop with Lion powers as he defends his town, country and the world from Bad guys, scary mutants and alien invasions. Sheikh Chilli and Friendz, co-produced by Apsons Entertainment Pvt Ltd, revolves around the adventures of an innocent boy Sheikh Chilli and his friends of Jhunjhun Nagar. His heart in the right place, but his plans and actions are a source of humor as well as trouble for his friends. Kisna, co-produced by Cosmos Maya, is a story of an adventurous and amusing young boy from Anandnagri and his adversary the wicked Raja Durjan of Andhernagri. Using his superpowers, Kisna, along with his friends, try to solve every problem with wit and valour.

  • Discovery channel India celebrates 25 years

    Discovery channel India celebrates 25 years

    MUMBAI: On 15 August 2020, Discovery channel will commemorate its 25th anniversary in India by hosting celebrations on-air, online, and in the heart of communities around the country. To mark the milestone, Discovery has launched a new campaign #KeepExploring with noted actor Rahul Bose doing the voice-over. The network is also unveiling a slew of blue-chip documentaries and specials across genres such as dventure, survival, mystery, and wilddlife to celebrate the 25th anniversary. The breath-taking line-up for the next few months includes titles including ‘Into The Wild with Bear Grylls’, ‘Expedition Unknown’, ‘Savage Builds’, ‘Mysteries at the Museum’,’ Body Hack S3’ and ‘Walking The Elephants’ among many more.

    “Discovery is dedicated to satisfying curiosity, engaging and entertaining viewers with high-quality content. In these twenty-five years, Discovery has emerged as the foremost, the most trusted broadcaster in real-life entertainment in the country,” said Discovery MD – south Asia Megha Tata. “We are proud to say that Discovery has ignited the passion inside all of us to be curious, explore and be more engaged with the natural world.  We will further accelerate our efforts to showcase never-seen-before Premium Discovery titles, must-watch documentaries, India originals, and exclusive acquisitions.”

    “I have been a passionate Discovery watcher and fed hugely on science, travel, and nature shows when the channel was initially launched in India. Being a part of this campaign took me down memory lane – How The Universe Works, Man vs Wild…I can go on,” said Bose. “I love the thought #KeepExploring – because that’s what Discovery leads you to do – explore new places, new concepts, new ideas for the future that you never dreamt existed. It urges people to go beyond the limits of human imagination.”

    Over the past 25 years, Discovery has launched iconic, all-time favorite shows, such as ‘Morgan Freeman’s Through The Wormhole’, ‘How The Universe Works’, ‘How It’s Made’, ‘How Do They Do It?’, ‘Storm Chasers’, ‘You Have Been Warned’, ‘Man Vs Wild’, ‘MythBusters’, ‘Expedition Unknown’, ‘Walking The Himalayas’, ‘River Monsters’ and ‘Gold Rush’ et al.

    In India, the channel has launched a series of impactful shows on Indian armed forces including ‘India’s Paratroopers – Earning the Badge’, ‘Revealed: LOC’,’ Battle Ops’, ‘Revealed: National Defence Academy’, ‘Revealed Siachen’, and 1965: India’s Battles and Heroes’  and Breaking Point franchise on ‘Air Force Academy’, ‘Indian Submariners’, ‘High Altitude Warfare School’, ‘Women Fighter Pilots’ and ‘Commando School Belgaum’.  Discovery’s ‘Man vs Wild with Prime Minister Modi’ is the highest-rated show in the genre to date followed by ‘Into The Wild with Bear Grylls and Superstar Rajinikanth’.

    Discovery Channel was launched in India on 15 August 1995.  The infotainment channel is available in seven languages including Hindi, English, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, and Bengali. Discovery India, today, offers 14 channels and has recently launched India’s first real-life entertainment streaming application Discovery Plus.

  • Virat Kohli’s Wrogn joins hands with Animal Planet for the cause of endangered species

    Virat Kohli’s Wrogn joins hands with Animal Planet for the cause of endangered species

    MUMBAI:  USPL’s apparel line Wrogn, in association with India’s leading wildlife channel Animal Planet, is launching a new collection – Animal Planet X WROGN. The apparel range aims to shine a light on the cause of endangered species in a never-before-seen-or-done manner. Conceptualised by Black White Orange, Animal Planet’s licensing arm, each style in the range portrays an endangered animal including the Tiger, Sea Turtle, Gorilla, Sumatran Elephant and Panda, amongst others.

    “I’ve been associated with Wrogn since inception and we take some exciting initiatives season after season. I couldn’t be happier that Wrogn is taking a step in the direction of creating awareness around animal endangerment,” said Virat Kohli, the face of WROGN.

    Discovery managing director – south Asia Megha Tata said, “Animal Planet has been striving hard to drive attention towards the importance of saving the endangered species in impactful ways. We are confident that this innovative collaboration with WROGN for this inspirational apparel line will help in spreading the message of conservation of endangered species as well as the wildlife.”

    Universal Sportsbiz Pvt Ltd CEO Anjana Reddy said, “Animal endangerment is real. It’s a pressing issue and I’m aware that it really bothers the youth all over the world. We like the essence of this collaboration with Animal Planet as it enables people to wear their cause that they feel so strongly about and spread the word at the same time. The rorschach art design is very interesting and hard to miss.”

    Black White Orange Brands Pvt Ltd founder & CEO Bhavik Vora added, “In the tough times the world is going through, it is important to build something relevant. What better way to spread awareness on endangered species among the youth of today, than collaborate with leading players in the segment – WROGN and Animal Planet. We worked closely with the Animal Planet team for almost a year, to conceptualize the art that you see on the range and it's fantastic to see it come to life."  

    The Animal Planet X WROGN apparel will be available in over 250 counters across retail channels like Shoppers Stop, Central, Pantaloons, WROGN’s exclusive stores, Myntra.com and on www.Wrogn.in.

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  • Discovery to feature Rajinikanth in first episode of ‘Into The Wild with Bear Grylls’

    Discovery to feature Rajinikanth in first episode of ‘Into The Wild with Bear Grylls’

    MUMBAI: Discovery, after featuring PM Modi in the first episode of Man Vs Wild, which was shot in India, has now signed Superstar Rajinikanth, to feature in the first episode of a new format series called ‘Into The Wild with Bear Grylls’ produced by The Natural Studios and Banijay Asia. The show marks the television debut for Rajinikanth, admiringly addressed as Thailavia, who has gained a cult status for being a Humane Superstar – simple, humble, generously loved – and adored by millions for more than four decades.  Rajinikanth will join the world's most recognizable face of survival and outdoor adventure, Bear Grylls.

    Into The Wild with Bear Grylls is an innovative new format inspired by Man Vs Wild, which is one of the most watched wilderness survival television series in the world. Last year, ‘Man Vs Wild with Bear Grylls & PM Modi’ episode disrupted the Indian media landscape, establishing itself as the TV event of the year. Beyond Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bear Grylls has also hosted prominent celebrities in the past such as then sitting American President Barack Obama, Kate Winslet, Roger Federer, Julia Roberts and many more.

    “Into The Wild is a truly unique show – at one level it offers adrenaline pumping action, while at another, the show lends itself beautifully to driving a specific purpose for the larger good of society. So, when, officials from Discovery, a brand globally respected for offering inspiring real-life entertainment, approached me, I agreed to finally make my debut on TV after more than four decades of Cinema. Kavithalayaa, the iconic Production house founded by my guru, K. Balachander also played a significant role,” said, Rajinikanth. “Bear Grylls has tested the survival skills of multiple celebrity guests, pushing them to their limits; I look forward to the survival challenge in the mesmerizing wilderness of India.”

    Talking about raising awareness about water conservation, Rajinikanth, said, “Every Indian will need to come forward and contribute in conserving water; this war has to be led at all levels including government, community as well as on the individual front. I believe this show on Discovery is a perfect platform to take the message of conserving water to every home across the country.”

    “Our team is all very excited to work closely with Thalaiva! Much more than a cine star, Rajinikanth is a phenomenon who has captivated audiences across the world with his on-screen and off-screen work,” said, Bear Grylls. “He has always shown such energy and flair in all he does and he will need that courage and determination again on our journey into the beautiful wilds of India.”

    “The combination of Rajinikanth in a never seen before avatar and Bear Grylls’ edge of the seat challenges, will make the show a must watch for every Indian,” said, Discovery South Asia managing director Megha Tata. “We have decided to give a layer of purpose to each episode of the newly commissioned series, Into The Wild with Bear Grylls, as we aim to contribute to humanity in our unique way. Last year, the show featuring PM Modi, generated much desired attention on conservation of Wildlife; we are confident that the forthcoming episode featuring Rajinikanth will sensitize each one of us about conservation of water.”

    Into The Wild with Bear Grylls is produced for Discovery Communications India by The Natural Studios and Banijay Asia, where Bear Grylls, Delbert Shoopman and Deepak Dhar are Executive Producers.

  • TV & Video People of 2019: Part III

    TV & Video People of 2019: Part III

    In the final installment of TV people who mattered in 2019, we take a look at executives who left an impact on the industry. As mentioned earlier, this is a representative list and by no means comprehensive. And it is in random order, with no order of importance in the listing. Read on and give us your feedback on our selection.

    Megha Tata

    Discovery India was reeling from a failed foray into the factual general entertainment genre; it’s India boss Karan Bajaj had parted, when it turned to media vet Megha Tata to come and stabilise what looked like a rocking boat. Motivation was at a low with teams unsure of the direction the network would take. Professionals who had been brought in for the GEC foray had to be pared, the existing team for factual programming had to be given the confidence that all was well and would be going forward.

    Tata – who changed her name from Monica to Megha a few years ago following guidance from her spiritual guru – has since done admirably. She has reallocated roles for senior managers, put in place her senior A team and Discovery Communications India looks set to be on a good growth path once again.

    With an advertising sales and management background, Megha has forged and strengthened relationships with major advertisers. This at a time when the industry has been going through a severe slowdown. Along with her team, she has been working on launching new language channels, apart from unveiling its streaming app.  Programming investments which were on a slow track are being ramped up.

    Megha’s management and growth efforts will begin to yield fruit in the coming months. But for now, she has earned respect from her peers on the path she has taken.

    Partho Dasgupta & Sunil Lulla

    He finally did it. Partho, the former Times group professional, put in his papers at the ratings agency Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC), bidding adieu to an organisation he helped build from ground up.

    Said he at the time of his departure: “I have enjoyed my innings at BARC. Now it’s time to get some well-earned rest.”

    What he did not say is that he was constantly torn apart between the carping and cribbing of the various broadcasters, someone or the other of who suffered at the hands of the weekly Thursday ratings death knell.

    What happened at The Times group took place even at BARC. Sunil Lulla who replaced Dasgupta when he left The Times Network stepped into his shoes at BARC too. Sunil has his task cut of for him, he has to find solutions for diversifying the ratings firm into digital ratings, something which could not take off under Dasgupta as they could not get industry consenus.

    Kalli Purie 

    For long Arun Poorie was the face of the India Today group, but over the past couple of years, it is his daughter Kalli who has come to the forefront, driving it into new areas, apart from consolidating  existing properties. With her father as chairman, Kalli occupies the vice-chairperson’s position in a group which reaches a gargantuan 120 million plus visitors across all its properties every month.

    A clutch of 20 digital first multiplatform channels – News Tak, Sports Tak, Bharat Tak, UP Tak etc – and The Lallantiop are some of the properties which keep the millenials engaged on their handsets. News channel Aaj Tak continues to be the top news service in an ecosystem, even as its YouTube version has crossed more than 20 million subscribers.

    Then she runs the the print publications ranging from India Today to Reader’s Digest to Cosmopolitan to Harper’s Bazaar. Of course, there is the group’s globally well-known conclave which brings in business, political, art, scientific, leaders from all over the world, including India.

    Sources within the group say, this despite, Kalli, an Oxford graduate in politics, philosophy and economics, who began her career as a journalist, is just getting started. Forays into esports, gaming, are being studied.

    She was honoured with 'Outstanding Media & Entertainment Award' at the annual 21st Century Icon Awards in London two weeks before being awarded as a powerful woman in media in September 2019.

    Shibasish Sarkar

    For the Anil Ambani group which has been struggling and sunk to its lowest in terms of revenues, a company that has been a shining star is Reliance Entertainment. Leading it has been Shibasish Sarkar who was elevated as chief executive officer — content, digital and gaming at the beginning of 2019. Shibashish joined the company as group chief financial officer in 2007 and has held several positions such as chief financial officer (over eight years) and chief operating officer (three years) since then.

    He was instrumental behind changing the face of the company after setting up a joint venture business model with leading Bollywood filmmakers such as Rohit Shetty, Neeraj Pandey, Anurag Kashyap among others. The company has also been producing television shows through its division Big Synergy, animation shows for kids channels and digitial premium originals for channels as well as streamers such as Netflix.

    He has put in place professionals of the likes of former Discovery marketing head Rajiv Bakshi as CEO of the TV division, and Tejonidhi Bhandare for the animation unit to help him accelerate the growth of Reliance Entertainment. All eyes will be on the upcoming theatrical releases Love Aaj Kal and Kabir Khan’s 83 which is on India’s win in the 1983 cricket world cup.

    Karan Bedi

    If before last year, one were to ask industry professionals about Karan Bedi, the answer would be Karan, who! But it’s no longer so. The son of filmaker Bobby Bedi came into his own in 2019 with the successful rollout of the Times group’s MXPlayer. As CEO of the streamer, he leads a team of more than 300 professionals. MXPlayer has more than 175 million active users in India and it ended 2019 with more than 280 million monthly actives.

    With a recent fund raise of $110 million in his coffers, Karan is charging into launching digital video originals. The streamer already has 15 of them on the platform, 10 of them exclusive, with a plan to launch a score or more premium shows in the next four months in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi, Punjabi, Bhojpuri and Bengali in partnership with some of the big industry players. 

    The young professional who has more than a decade’s experience as an entrepreneur and professional is also steering the service into music, gaming and international markets.

    Aditya Pittie

    Aditya is the dark horse whom TV is finally beginning to take note of. The six foot seven inch executive – probably the tallest entrepreneur  in the industry – reorganised his group in 2019 under the umbrella of In10 Media. It currently consists of EPIC TV – which many had written off – its OTT version EpicOn, free to air channel ShowBox, documentary app DocuBay, production house Juggernaut, and digital news portal Latestly.

    With a family background in real estate, Aditya was an absolute stranger to media, cutting his entrepreneurial teeth as a national distributor of Patanjali products. It was then that billionaire Anand Mahindra called on him to partner and run the ailing EPIC TV. A quick learner, Aditya cobbled together a team of professionals with better experience than him and since then there has been no looking back.

    He believes that the group is a work in progress and has just started on its road to growth.

    Deepak Dhar

    Deepak Dhar is among the rising stars in India’s production landscape. Since convincing Marco Bassetti to have him as his equal equity partner for Banijay Asia two years ago, Dhar has produced more than 600 hours of content, 14 shows on air with another eight currently under production.

    Amongst the shows: Hostages and Roar Of The Lion for Hotstar Specials, Parchhayee for Zee5, The Kapil Sharma Show for Sony TV, ARRived for YouTube, Nach Baliye 9 for StarPlus and Masters Of Taste With Gary Mehigan for FoxLife.

    This aside, Dhar has forged strategic partnerships with actor Salman Khan’s Salman Khan TV to create linear broadcast content and digital formats, as well as cricketer MS Dhoni’s production banner for premium content for multi-platform distribution in India and Southeast Asia. A deal with GroupM’s Motion Content Group has also been signed.

    The much experienced former Star India and Endemol Shine India executive, has his eyes on expanding into south east Asian countries like Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand and Malaysia. He believes he can use India as a production hub, creating content in different Indian and Asia languages for the region.  

  • Discovery India appoints Black White Orange as L & M partner for Fukrey Boyzzz

    Discovery India appoints Black White Orange as L & M partner for Fukrey Boyzzz

    MUMBAI: Fukrey Boyzzz, a rib-tickling production from Discovery Kids, launched in association with Excel Entertainment, which helped the channel reach the top 3 position in the first week of launch itself, has attracted lots of queries in the Licensing & Merchandising space. Discovery India has appointed Black White Orange (BWO) as the Licencing partner to harness the full potential of the newly launched IP beyond TV.

    BWO is working closely with Discovery India and Excel Entertainment to conceptualise designs and represent the IP across a wide range of categories. BWO is targeting to reach out to interested partners in back-to-school, apparel, toys and novelty products’ space.

    “Fukrey franchise extends beyond demographics; Fukrey Boyzzz has added another level of zing to it – which is what we are targeting to leverage in the L&M space,” said, Discovery Managing Director – South Asia Megha Tata. “We are delighted to partner with BWO in our endeavour to ensure that Fukrey Boyzzz fans get to experience and engage with the iconic characters beyond TV, both online as well as offline, by early 2020.”

    “Fukrey Boyzzz has opened new vistas; new horizons for us. An L&M partnership is a natural extension to fully tap the hidden potential of this iconic franchise whose following transcends varied demographics,” said, Excel Entertainment  Co-Founder Ritesh Sidhwani. “We are keen
    to work with partners who understand and imbibe the ethos of the Fukrey franchise.”

    “The Fukrey franchise has a huge fan base in India and Fukrey Boyzzz is a treat for kids with extremely entertaining content! We are excited to work with the Discovery Kids team to take the brand to the next level with merchandise and interesting licensing partnerships,” said,  Black White Orange Brands Pvt. Ltd Founder & CEO Bhavik Vora.

    ‘Fukrey Boyzzz’ features characters from the Excel Entertainment film – Choocha, Hunny, Laali and Bholi Punjaban – in their animated avatars. At the press launch of Fukrey Boyzzz, all lead actors including Richa Chadha, Pulkit Samrat, Varun Sharma and Manjot Singh were seen in
    Fukrey Boyzzz inspired fashion wear. The style guide being developed for the L&M leverages the well-defined characters of the franchise in a fun way.

  • IAA India Chapter re-elects Punit Goenka as president

    IAA India Chapter re-elects Punit Goenka as president

    MUMBAI: The India chapter of the International Advertising Association (IAA) has re-elected Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) MD and CEO Punit Goenka as its president. This will be Goenka’s second term in a row.

    Discovery South Asia MD Megha Tata was named as the vice-president. According to reports, Indian Express Group’s Anant Goenka, Free Press Journal’s Abhishek Karnani, Deshdoot’s Janak Sarda, Mathrubhumi’s MV Shreyams Kumar and Eeenadu Group’s I Venkat have also been elected to the Managing Committee.

    Speaking on his re-election, Goenka said, "IAA will continue to invest its time and energy in addressing key industry level interests, in order to enhance the overall professional ecosystem. As one team, we will continue to roll out our intellectual properties, with an enhanced focus on regional markets. As an institution, we will also continue to play an important role in espousing cause-related initiatives, which are in line with our ethos of "what's good, is good for business”. It has been a wonderful experience serving such an esteemed institution and I look forward to working closely with its members for the second term. I shall continue to seek their support and co-operation and wish them all the very best.”

    On being named as vice-president, Tata said on Linkedin, “Humbled to be elected in two of the leading industry bodies! As a director in Indian Broadcasting Foundation and as a Vice President in IAA India Chapter! Looking forward to contributing in a meaningful way to the industry from whom I have got so much!”

  • Discovery Kids’ eyes top 3, improved time spent with ‘Fukrey Boyzzz’

    Discovery Kids’ eyes top 3, improved time spent with ‘Fukrey Boyzzz’

    MUMBAI: Discovery Kids is all set to achieve its goal to be in the top three positions of the kids' genre and probably address the issue of time spent on the channel with the strategic launch of Fukrey Boyzzz. In an interaction with Indiantelevision.com, Discovery Kids business head Uttam Pal Singh informed that the channel has gained its viewership back post NTO regime but it needs to address the challenge of time spent and hopes the new show will help there.

    When Discovery managing director South Asia Megha Tata joined the company in April 2019, she made the kids genre as a crucial focus area with an aim to raise its level to the top three channels.

    Tata admitted that the kids' genre hasn't grown dramatically in the last few years. It is stuck in a particular space and has become more competitive. As a result, there are more players entering the space but the share is not growing.

    Singh said that the aim is to invest, invent and innovate the content to engage with as well as expand audiences. “In the kids’ genre, there is a plethora of content targeted at 4-8 years, however, there is a prominent white space for content targeted at pre-teens broadly bracketed between 8-14 years old. With Fukrey Boyzzz and its hilarious ensemble of Choocha, Hunny, Lalli and Bholi, we are launching a new contemporary series which will have a much wider appeal. In fact, we are confident that this innocent fun feast will attract co-viewing – parents watching along with their children.”

    “Fukrey Boyzzz is an apt representation of our ambition in the kids’ genre.  We will continue to innovate and invest heavily in the genre with an aim to be a consistent top 3 player,” said, Tata at the launch of the series. “We are also working towards skinning the Fukrey Boyzzz IP in multiple ways including launching branded merchandise.”
     
    “The launch of Fukrey Boyzzz opens new horizons for us. We are making our foray into animation and are enamoured with how this series has shaped-up. I am extremely excited to have characters from our film Fukrey spread joy to everyone with their crazy antics at school,” said Excel Entertainment co-founder Ritesh Sidhwani as the show preview was unveiled.

    Last year, the channel also premiered a similar animated series called Little Singham which was adopted from the Bollywood movie Singham.

    "Little Singham has done really well for us; it was a Bollywood movie which became a fabulous kids franchise making Little Singham the most-loved animated character in the country today. One of the things that we learned from Little Singham is that it’s not just about creating an animated series out of a successful Bollywood movie, it’s important to make it relatable to our target audience i.e., kids and package it with the right storytelling. We have got all those things in place with Fukrey Boyzzz. The series will bring another disruption like Little Singham in the kids genre and it will also take us to towards our goal to be in the top three positions," she said.

    Fukrey Boyzzz is the animated series of Bollywood franchise Fukrey and Fukrey Returns which is set to premiere on 12 October on Discovery Kids. Discovery Kids will air 156 episodes in season 1 at 1.30 pm and 7.30 pm every day in six languages – Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and English.  The channel will launch an aggressive marketing campaign based on the core ethos of the show ‘Friends + Masti = Fukrapanti’.  Fukrey Boyzzz is produced by award-winning production house Paper Boat for Discovery Kids.