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Tag: Rahul Johri

  • Mehul Shah is Discovery director ad sales West

    Mehul Shah is Discovery director ad sales West

    MUMBAI: Discovery has announced the appointment of Mehuli Shah as director – advertising sales, West.

    Shah will be responsible for generating advertising revenue along with planning and implementing business development activities in new market segments for all DNAP’s networks in India.

    Based in Mumbai, Shah will report to Karamjit Dua, Vice President – Advertising Sales.

    Prior to this appointment, Shah was working with the Network18 Group, heading up sales for the CNN IBN and IBN 7 in the Western region. This will be a return home for Shah who was previously with Discovery for six years.

    Shah is an Economics graduate from St. Xavier’s College.

    Discovery India senior VP, GM Rahul Johri said, “We are pleased to welcome Mehuli back to Discovery. She brings a solid performance track record to the job coupled with a high degree of commitment to the client, both of which align perfectly with Discovery’s values. Her broad range of proven sales experience in similar markets will be beneficial to building our ad sales business”.

    Discovery has six brands in its portfolio– Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, TLC, Discovery Science, Discovery Turbo, and Discovery HD World – reaching over 160 million cumulative subscribers.

  • ‘Discovery identifies India as a growth market’ : Discovery Communications India SVP Rahul Johri

    ‘Discovery identifies India as a growth market’ : Discovery Communications India SVP Rahul Johri

    Discovery Communications India is readying for a major expansion to ride on India’s rapidly growing digital pay-TV environment. The roadmap includes the launch of three channels – Discovery Science, Discovery HD and Discovery Turbo.

    The existing three channels – Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and Discovery Travel and Living – have built distinct brand propositions. And as the viewership pattern is shifting particularly in the non-fiction genre, Discovery hopes to capitalise.

    In an interview with Indiantelevision.com’s Ashwin Pinto, Discovery Communications India senior vice president Rahul Johri talks about the company’s growth plans.

    Excerpts:

    Having got the government nod, when are you planning to launch the three new channels?
    We are finalising the launch plans. Discovery Turbo will be India‘s first male lifestyle channel. Discovery Science will be dedicated to make science programming accessible, relevant and entertaining. Discovery HD, on the other hand, offers programming in 1080i with 5.1 surround sound, far superior to both NTSC and PAL. It lends itself perfectly to the type of rich and spectacular images that Discovery is renowned for.

    How are you going to tackle distribution?
    We have planned to launch Discovery Science and Discovery Turbo on both analogue and digital platforms. Discovery HD will be launched on the digital platform.

    Do you see niche channels gain as the digital environment grows?
    We currently have three distinct networks in India, each with immense brand equity. Digital platform, besides offering an enhanced viewing experience and an increased choice to viewers, demonstrates the real value of the brands and their unique propositions. Companies with strong bouquet of channels, be it mass or niche, will certainly stand to gain as the digital penetration goes up in India.

    Do you see the new channels broadening the audience base for infotainment?
    Viewers today are looking for distinct and credible content. We are witnessing a dramatic shift in the viewing patterns in India, especially in the non-fiction genre where our channels dominate.

    Considering that 60 per cent of India‘s population is under 30 years of age, this trend should only get amplified in the coming years. Each of our channels, existing and planned, has a distinct brand proposition and will resonate with viewers, advertisers and affiliates alike.

    There has been a lot of talk about how HD is changing the television viewing experience globally. But at the moment the infrastructure is not there to support this in India. How does this impact the launch plans for Discovery HD?
    India is witnessing a substantial increase in the sale of HD-technology TV sets. With the growth of digital delivery platforms, HD would emerge as a premium offering.

    Besides, we like to be ahead of the curve, be it in our programme offerings or production technologies.
    ‘Viewers today are looking for distinct and credible content. We are witnessing a dramatic shift in the viewing patterns in India, especially in the non-fiction genre where our channels dominate‘

    In terms of revenue where does India stack up vis-a-vis other Asian markets like Singapore, Hong Kong and South Korea?
    India has a considerable viewer and advertiser base and has been identified as a growth market for Discovery.

    Do you expect revenue growth this year given the economic downturn?
    It is my belief that leaders in respective categories will be least affected. Going by the current environment, we would be able to achieve our targets.

    What are the challenges that Discovery and other players in the infotainment space face this year?
    The challenge is to continuously refresh the programming to suit the viewers‘ changing demands. At the same time you have to maintain the brand‘s core propositions.

    Last year Animal Planet re-branded itself globally with a more adult-centric focus. How has this been reflected in India?
    Animal Planet revealed its fresh brand identity last year. Its new show line-up reflects intense drama, rich humour, unexpected choices and wonders of the animal kingdom.

    In order to strengthen its prime time slots, the channel introduced two new programme bands. Masters Of The Jungle at 9 pm takes viewers to meet the most celebrated wildlife experts from around the world who have dedicated their lives to animals.

    The Hunt at 8 pm presents nature‘s predators in their raw and merciless form every night. There has been a ratings increase.

    Has the look and feel been changed to reflect the channel‘s aggression?
    The new logo, communication and content allow viewers an immersive experience. Introducing new time bands, Masters of the Jungle, The Hunt and multiple new titles like Jockeys and Animal Gladiator; the channel today offers a close-up encounter with wildlife.

    What are the major programming properties coming up on the channel?
    From this month, Animal Planet‘s new series, Stranger Among Bears, will reveal the isolated life of a teacher who has received national attention for his unique but controversial relationship with the black grizzly bears for last 20 years.

    We will launch a new series in the Master of the Jungle band – Into The Pride in which the host Dave Salmoni will land himself in the middle of a ride of lions with just a walking stick. In a remarkable story of the bond between man and animal, we will present a reunion between two young men and a 500 pound pet lion in A Lion called Christian.

    Discovery Travel and Living has completed five years in India. What progress has it made in boosting lifestyle programming in the country and serving the SEC A+ demographic?
    Discovery Travel and Living has emerged as the definitive lifestyle channel in India. Surpassing all lifestyle television benchmarks, it has continuously added new genres, bringing the finest experience to its discerning audience. Even this year, it added three new genres – music, dance and relationship.

    On the Indian programming front, it explored unique Indian lifestyle themes – wedding, travel, food, fashion and hotels. It recently premiered a new series with one of India‘s leading columnists and food writer Vir Sanghvi. And in the biggest of all shows, we will present a series on India‘s biggest superstar Shah Rukh Khan, where for the first time ever viewers will be taken into his private and exclusive world.

    Has there been any change in strategy compared to previous years?
    Our focus has been to expand the existing genres like food, travel, fashion and makeover while at the same time adding new genres like music, fitness and relationship. We strengthened our prime time offerings with two strong bands – What A Life at 9 pm and Turn It On at 10 pm. Our efforts to up the weekend offerings with Brunch on Sundays and day time properties like Chew at 1 pm presented good results.

    On the advertising front, are clients more cautious in terms of committing spends?
    We value our advertisers and believe in long term associations. Just like in the past, we will continue to offer higher values to our advertisers.
     

    On the advertising front, are clients more cautious in terms of committing spends?
    We value our advertisers and believe in long term associations. Just like in the past, we will continue to offer higher values to our advertisers.

    Has there been any change in strategy compared to previous years?
    Our focus has been to expand the existing genres like food, travel, fashion and makeover while at the same time adding new genres like music, fitness and relationship. We strengthened our prime time offerings with two strong bands – What A Life at 9 pm and Turn It On at 10 pm. Our efforts to up the weekend offerings with Brunch on Sundays and day time properties like Chew at 1 pm presented good results.

    On the advertising front, are clients more cautious in terms of committing spends?
    We value our advertisers and believe in long term associations. Just like in the past, we will continue to offer higher values to our advertisers.

  • ‘It is a good time to launch specialised channels as they help break through the clutter’ : Rahul Johri – Discovery India senior VP

    ‘It is a good time to launch specialised channels as they help break through the clutter’ : Rahul Johri – Discovery India senior VP

     Discovery is in restructuring mode. Earlier this year, it announced a reshuffle at the top to handle India operations. And the India office, which was reporting directly in to the Discovery headquarters at Silver Spring, Washington DC, will now come under Singapore as part of the integration strategy.

     

    On the content front, Animal Planet introduced a Hindi feed in April to increase penetration. Discovery Travel and Living is eyeing to put its personality-driven shows at the 10 pm slot.

     

    The company is also adding new channels like Discovery HD to grow the market in India.

     

    Indiantelevision.com’s Ashwin Pinto caught up with Discovery India senior VP, GM Rahul Johri to find out more about the company’s aggressive plans in India.

     

    Excerpts:

    What is the main reason behind the restructuring that took place in Discovery recently?
    Discovery went into local markets in Europe a few years back, and this yielded very good results. Applying the same model, the Asia Pacific region has been broken up into six – the Saarc countries which include India, China, Japan, North Asia, Australia/New Zealand and South East Asia (Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore).

     

    In India, people have moved up a level. I have management responsibility for India while Rajiv Bakshi looks after marketing. Then there is a regional managing director who sits in Singapore.

     

    We now work and coordinate with Singapore. The response time is much quicker.

     

    Earlier when we reported to Washington, the time zones were different. Also, what is a priority for us may not be as important for them. Now operations are easier in terms of taking decisions and getting clearances.

    How does the new operational structure help Discovery India?
    Discovery Asia has a strong infrastructure. This will now be more accessible to us. We can approach opportunities on an Asia wide basis as opposed to simply focussing on one country. For instance if a local production is being done out of India or Singapore, it can then be expanded to include other Asian countries. Solutions can be provided to enable this. On the client side also, we can provide solutions more easily so that they get visibility across the region and not just in one country.

    What are the key focus areas for India?
    Collaborating with the other regions in Asia to drive growth will be important. Sharing of content and resources will be key. We will also strengthen the branding of our channels by making the content more definitive. We will keep refreshing content across all the channels so that audiences get what they want to watch.

    Are you looking at growth through launch of more channels?
    Yes! As the Indian television market matures, it is a good time for specialised channels to launch as they help break through the clutter.

     

    We have 14 channels and we will bring what we feel will click the best. Discovery HD is definitely a channel we are keen on bringing to India. Discovery Science is another channel that we feel would work well here. Of course, it is also important for cable to go digital. Otherwise getting carried gets difficult.

    Discovery has launched Planet Green, a new channel for environment, in the US. Do Are there plans to launch in India?
    The channel has just launched in the US. A band of the channel will launch in Southeast Asia. We will see how viewers respond to it. We will test the programming in India and then decide on whether or not to launch the channel here.
    ‘Starting Hindi feed worked for our two channels as there is a lot of commentary. This won’t work in Discovery Travel and Living‘

    In terms of revenue, how important is India within Asia?
    India is one of the top markets along with Japan, Australia and New Zealand. Subscription plays a key role everywhere. In India there has been strong growth in ad sales.

    How is Animal Planet faring after going Hindi?
    The most important thing was the Hindi feed being introduced in April. Now we are able to compete better with National Geographic. Going Hindi was, thus, a progressive step. We play to the core strength of the channel which is focussing on the animal kingdom. We also have hosted shows.

    Will you be doing a Hindi feed for Discovery Travel and Living?
    No! It worked for our other two channels as there is a lot of commentary. In Discovery Travel and Living, though, it will not be natural to see, for instance, two Chinese people speaking in Hindi.

    How has Discovery Travel and Living evolved as a brand since launching four years back?
    DTL is perceived as being a distinctive lifestyle channel for upmarket viewers. People are now familiar with our anchors like Nigella Lawson. They also identify with individual shows like our biker content. We keep refreshing our programming. We bring new shows regularly.

    What have been the programming highlights for the channel this year?
    We did a show with Manish Arora. We are doing two more India productions which will premiere later this year. Our big show now is Cheese Slices. Food is a popular genre for us. So we will kick off a show, Indian Food Made Easy, which will be hosted by Anjum Anand.

     

    We will be launching a multimedia campaign to push our 10 pm slot. This is because our viewers tune in a little later. Personality-based shows will air at this time, seven days a week. The message of the campaign is that at this time you will see hosts like Nigella Lawson, Ian Wright and Anthony Bourdain; the campaign theme will focus on the most recognisable faces on the channel. This will be the largest campaign ever done for the channel.

    Is the aim to bring in appointment viewing?
    This is one of the goals. The campaign will showcase our biggest properties. We are hoping that it will help expand the reach of the channel and drive in new viewership. It is important that our campaign not focus on just one show. By pushing a band, the recall will be high among viewers.

    In what way is the programming strategy being fine tuned for local audiences?
    When we started, we had very little India content. We now produce shows from India. Every global show that is being produced, has a segment on India. So if Anthony Bourdain does a new season, he will visit India as well. This is how the relevance of India is growing. Ian Wright used to just host Globetrekker which is about backpack travel. Most of our viewers do not do that. So we tweaked it and now Wright does VIP Weekends. He visits the best hotels globally.
    Has the thematic weekend concept worked?
    It has done well and the thematic weekends are continuing. But over time our aim is to build a theme across a day – rather than having one theme continuing everyday. Our aim is to strengthen the genres. For instance if you take shows like Anthony Bourdain and Cheese Slices, it is not just about food. It is also about travel, visiting new places. Different genres get intertwined.

    What do you look for in a local show?
    We always look out for good local concepts. Our aim is to have a definitive show in a certain genre. Once we have decided on this, then we go with the best talent. So we roped in Manish Arora to do a fashion show. He is suited for television as he is so colourful.

     

    Our shows have to have an individual and distinctive personality. They need to be of the same class and quality as the other shows that we air. There can’t be any compromise as the same shows travel abroad and showcase India to the world.
    What are the other time bands that DTL is developing outside the 10 pm slot?
    We are also looking at the midnight to 1 am time slot. People watch us at that hour. I think that some channels are missing out on viewership by not concentrating on this audience. They simply run repeats at this hour. Many people work till late and then watch television.
    Is it difficult to get clients to commit serious monies for Discovery Travel and Living with the economy in a downturn?
    Our market is on an upswing. Our TG has not been impacted by the downturn. We have over 600 brands with us including L’Oreal and the car companies. Volkswagen is starting a marketing campaign and they are using our channel as a vehicle. Packaged good companies also advertise with us. Companies that want to target the premium audience cut out wastage completely when they come to us.

    What are the tentpole properties coming up for Discovery?
    Ultimate Olympics is a show that we will air. It looks at the work that has gone behind putting the Olympic Games together. The show gets over a day before the Games start. Another show that will air is Download. This focusses on stories from the internet like the competition between EBay and Amazon.

     

    We will also celebrate Nasa’s 50th anniversary with a show When We Left Earth. Nasa has given us footage of the Apollo Missions. This is the first time that Nasa has done this.
    What is Discovery’s new media strategy?
    We already have our website. For the mobile, 3G has to happen; the phones have to support rich media content. Right now one is still with ring tones and music tones.
  • Rahul Johri promoted as senior VP ad sales at Discovery Networks India

    Rahul Johri promoted as senior VP ad sales at Discovery Networks India

    MUMBAI: Discovery Networks India has promoted Rahul Johri to senior VP advertising sales.

    In his role, Johri will partake in the company’s overall growth strategy and new ventures in the region. He will continue to lead the company’s national sales team.

    In addition, he will also spearhead the public relations department. Johri will continue to report to Discovery Networks India managing networks Deepak Shourie, with whom he has worked for many years at Outlook, Hindustan Times, Zee and now at Discovery, informs an official statement.

    Johri joined Discovery Networks India as director-advertising sales in 2001. Promoted to vice president – advertising sales in 2003, he led a strong and motivated sales team and brought the country’s leading brands to advertise on the company’s three channels in India – Discovery Channel, Discovery Travel & Living and Animal Planet.

    Shourie says, “Rahul has significantly contributed to the success of the India growth strategy. He has led a highly motivated team that has firmly established the three channels in the minds of the advertising community.”