Discovery to launch magazine, produce more India-based shows

Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific is on an expansion drive in India to tap growing acceptance among viewers and plans to add new channels besides getting into the print medium with the launch of Discovery Channel magazine.

The company is also increasing India-specific shows to cash in on its growing viewership, more significantly among young audience in non-metros.

"In the last five years, Discovery Channels' viewership has increased three times. The youth of India have realised that knowledge is the way for economic prosperity. They want to know more and that has helped us," Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific (DNAP) SVP and General Manager — South Asia, Rahul Johri, told PTI.

Elaborating on the audience profile of its channels in India, he said, "Today our core viewer is not just of Delhi and Mumbai, but a person of early twenties sitting outside and that is the change".

Johri said in order to make "Discovery 's bond deeper with the viewers", DNAP is coming with the India edition of its Discovery Channel Magazine.

"We launched the magazine few years back in Asia Pacific and it was a big success and we are trying to bring the same here," he said.

DNAP has partnered with Living Media, which would print and distribute the monthly magazine in India, priced at Rs 150. It will be available on the shelves after January 26.

The company is also increasing the production of India-specific shows, some of which became popular even globally.

Its recent show on Uttarakhand disaster was the highest rated show in the history of Discovery India.

"The number of shows, which we are producing here is continuously increasing. We had (show on) Rashtrapati Bhawan and NDA (National Defence Academy) is in the pipeline," Johri said, adding that the firm has also produced four parts on DRDO, besides a show on M&M’s car plant.

The aim for Discovery is to take shows produced in India to the firm’s global platform.

Johri said DNAP has a viewership base of 230 million in India for its bouquet of eight channels — Discovery, TLC, Animal Planet, Discovery Science, Discovery Kids, Discovery Turbo, Discovery HD World.

Apart from English, these channels are also available in Hindi, Tamil, Bangla and Telugu.

On plans to expand the number of channels or launch of channels in vernacular languages, Johri said it was a constant evaluation process.

"We are evaluating more channels also. Our expectations is that all the Discovery channels, which run globally should be available to the Indian audiences," he added.

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