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Tag: Sai Abhishek

  • Kids cluster head Uttam Pal Singh departs from Warner Bros Discovery

    Kids cluster head Uttam Pal Singh departs from Warner Bros Discovery

    MUMBAI: Live frugally has been the mantra in the world of content creation for quite some time now. Almost every genre has been impacted with large advertisers shaving their ad budgets. The kids genre too has been buffeted by the stormy winds of a shrinking ad universe.

    Kids broadcasters have in turn cut the per episode production allowance given to producers, apart from reducing the number of fresh content hours. Additionally, OTT platforms which have been going through a tough period have slashed their per unit purchase price for animation content.  

    Net outcome: studios are either resorting to massive layoffs or shutting down.

    “The heady days of two or three years ago and the pre-pandemic era when we were producing 200 minutes of animated content have gone, now we are producing just 30 minutes of content,” says a studio owner. “Look at the number of artists who have been without a job with the shutting down of Technicolor, The Mill and MPC and Jellyfish pictures.”

    Broadcasters are tightening their belts on the manpower front as well now in order to stay afloat. The buzz in the market is that Warner Bros Discovery India south Asia kids cluster head Uttam Pal  Singh is no longer working with the company. Apparently his role became redundant with Discovery programming head Sai Abhishek being asked to additionally shepherd the kids portfolio which includes Discovery Kids, Cartoon Network and Pogo channels.  

    Uttam Pal Singh was with Warner Bros Discovery for eight years. He was first hired as head of content of Discovery Kids in 2017, then elevated to head the channel, and finally given charge of the entire kids cluster in 2022.

    Indiantelevision.com reached out to Warner Bros Discovery for a comment but no one was willing to come on record. 

  • Warner Bros. Discovery announces South Asia leadership team

    Warner Bros. Discovery announces South Asia leadership team

    Mumbai: Warner Bros. Discovery has unveiled its new leadership team for South Asia. The business is led locally by a general manager – South Asia Arjun Nohwar and includes brands such as Discovery, HGTV, Eurosport, Cartoon Network, POGO, Discovery Kids, DC, and the discovery+ streaming service.

    Ruchir Jain has been named head of distribution & Eurosport and heads up the integrated network distribution function. Jain led the finance team at Discovery Network from 2018 to 2021, and then distribution. He continues to lead the Eurosport channel.

    Tanaz Mehta has been appointed as head of ad sales, tasked with growing revenues across all networks in South Asia. Mehta is a seasoned sales leader with deep expertise and a nuanced understanding of the market.

    Uttam Pal Singh will head the kids’ cluster and is tasked with developing a compelling content strategy for growth. In his previous capacity at Discovery Kids, Singh led the team behind successful original IPs, including Little Singham and Fukrey Boyzzz. The combined kids portfolio now includes Cartoon Network and POGO, in addition to Discovery Kids.

    Sai Abhishek was named head of the factual and lifestyle cluster and will be responsible for delivering growth and profitability across the genre. Sai comes with a strong background of leading original productions, programming, and acquisitions.

    “With this exceptional new-look team, Warner Bros. Discovery is well-positioned to achieve our ambition of being the leading and most dynamic media company in the region,” said Nohwar. “All our leaders are looking forward to working closely together across divisions as one united team.”

    Nohwar also paid tribute to two outgoing executives who will be exiting the organisation. Rohit Khetarpal will be leaving the company after 14 years, having been a key member of the legacy WarnerMedia and Turner network distribution team. Abhishek Dutta also departs, having led the legacy WarnerMedia Kids team in South Asia, including programming strategy, acquisitions and original production.

    Other lines of business, shared services and corporate functions that support the wider region will be announced at a later date.

    The new company combines WarnerMedia’s premium entertainment, sports and news assets with Discovery’s leading non-fiction and international entertainment & sports businesses.

  • discovery+’s new original documents India’s space programme

    discovery+’s new original documents India’s space programme

    Mumbai: Streaming platform discovery+ is coming up with its all-new original titled “India’s Space Odyssey.” The documentary premiering on 7 October, celebrates the 60-year-long successful journey of India’s space programme. 

    Produced by Miditech Studios, “India’s Space Odyssey” features former chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Dr G Madhavan Nair, along with other ISRO experts and space historians and researchers. 

    Using a combination of expert interviews, archive footage and graphic representations, the film documents India’s journey to pioneering space technology and becoming a leader in space exploration that was started by Dr Homi J Bhabha and Dr Vikram Sarabhai, and how their able successors like former president of India Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, Prof Satish Dhawan, and Dr G Madhavan Nair scripted the success story with the SLV3- India’s first individual rocket launch vehicle, and more recently the ‘Chandraayan’ and ‘Mangalyaan’ missions.

    “Since its inception the Indian Space programme has achieved significant feats, thanks to the contribution of all the people who have worked on it. We are delighted that a platform like Discovery is taking these initiatives to the people in an attempt to encourage and inspire them,” stated ISRO chairman and DOS secretary Dr K Sivan.

    The docu-film will showcase the different technologies developed by ISRO including the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) which recorded a success rate of 95 per cent and is the workhorse of ISRO’s satellite launch programme, and its most ambitious ‘Gaganyaan’ programme which will be India’s first manned mission to space.  

    The actor and space enthusiast R Madhavan will narrate the film in Hindi. “Curiosity has brought humans to where we are today, and it will continue to do so. I thank Discovery India for this wonderful learning opportunity, and I feel honoured to have lent my voice to a project that could inspire future generations to embark on their quest to explore space,” said the actor.

    “Discovery is invested in being a worldwide leader of original edutainment with an immersive range of space-related documentaries and is now bringing a detailed and truly inspirational documentary on the much-appreciated Indian Space Programme,” said Discovery Inc South Asia original content head Sai Abhishek. “We believe India’s Space Odyssey will delight Discovery fans and draw in all the space enthusiasts from across the country.”

  • Discovery Channel wins big at Asian academy creative awards

    Discovery Channel wins big at Asian academy creative awards

    MUMBAI: Achieving a new milestone, Discovery Channel has scored an impressive hat trick by bagging top honours for three phenomenal shows Man vs Wild with Bear Grylls and Prime Minister Modi, India 2050 and Man, Woman and #MeToo at the Asian academy creative awards, held recently  in Singapore. 

    One of the most popular episodes of the adventure show Man vs Wild with Bear Grylls and Prime Minister Modi won the award for the best non scripted entertainment. The documentary India 2050 produced by Wide Angle Films for Discovery Channel, India received an award for best direction while, Discovery Channel’s documentary on patriarchy and its various ramifications in Indian society which was produced by Vice India, Man, Woman and #MeToo, won the award for the best current affairs programme or series. 

    Man vs Wild with Bear Grylls and Prime Minister Modi features survivalist Bear Grylls as he embarks on an adventure into the jungles of India with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This special episode had been shot in the Jim Corbett National Park, and showcased a frank and freewheeling journey, throwing light on wildlife conservation and highlighting issues related to environmental change. The adventurous pair even had to make a raft & cross a jungle river together! 

    India-2050 takes a hard-hitting look at the existential threat of climate change in India. Combining visual effects built on projected outcomes, with compelling human stories from across the nation, this is a riveting, first-of-its-kind account of the impending climate crisis. The documentary begins with Jaipur, known as the pink city of India, but imagined as in 2050, completely buried under piles of sand. It then moves into the future of currently flourishing metropolises of Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai and Kolkata, giving viewers a terrifying glimpse of what is to come, for each of these metro cities. 

    Man, Woman and #MeToo, while tracing the #MeToo movement across India, delves into the origins of patriarchy in the country, the magnitude of the problem and how each one of us has played a part in it – as enablers, almost on a daily basis. It also features specialists who explain the reasons of India's inherent patriarchy through real-life examples and case studies.

    Entertainment factual & lifestyle original content PR director Sai Abishek said, “It is our constant effort to offer world class documentaries to discerning Indian fans which not only entertains them but also encourages and inspires. I am proud to learn that India 2050 and Man Woman and #MeToo have been recognized globally with these wins at the Asian Academy Creative Awards, Singapore. Another feather in our cap and a testament of our constant endeavour to deliver impactful documentaries. It is also a delightful feeling to have Man vs Wild with Bear Grylls and Prime Minister Modi bring home yet another prestigious win.” 

    Man Vs Wild With Bear Grylls and PM Modi is produced for Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific Pte. Limited by Bear Grylls Ventures & Electus a Propagate company, where Bear Grylls, Delbert Shoopman, Rob Buchta and Elizabeth Schulze are executive producers and Ben Simms is co-executive producer. India 2050 is produced by Wide Angle Films for Discovery Channel while, Man, Woman and #MeToo is a Vice India production. All three titles are streaming now on India’s first aggregated real-life entertainment streaming app- discovery+.

    The Asian academy creative awards (AAA’s) have been established to serve the creative industries as the pinnacle of their achievement in content creation and media production.