Discovery channel will now be available to viewers across India in Bengali language, in addition to Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and English.

Bengali is the fifth Indian and 43rd foreign language that the channel will be aired in globally.

While the default language for the channel will be the most preferred local language, digital subscribers will be able to choose their preferred language through the remote control.

“When we started showing Discovery in Hindi in 1998, we were pioneers in the move but now many channels are doing it. But Discovery will be the only channel which airs in five regional languages,” said Mr Rahul Johri, Senior Vice-President and General Manager, South Asia, Discovery Networks, Asia-Pacific.

The strategy has paid off for the channel, and its viewership has increased in regions where it started airing in local languages. In Tamil Nadu, its viewership increased eight-fold, while in Andhra Pradesh, it rose by 175 per cent within four months of the launch.

The channel has been launching itself in a new regional language every six months and the trend is expected to continue.

“We are in the process of constant evaluation and our growth will depend on how far digitisation grows in this country,” said Mr Johri.

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