Marking 20th year in India, Animal Planet to sharpen focus on conservation, Indian wildlife

Leading wildlife channel Animal Planet is revamping its programming line-up with a focus on animal conservation and will adopt a refreshed brand identity as it completes 20 years of operations in India.

In a bid to offer exclusive short-form wildlife content online and strengthen engagement with wildlife enthusiasts, the broadcaster is also launching Animal Planet India YouTube channel.

It will also add a Tamil language feed in addition to the existing English and Hindi audio feeds.

Megha Tata, Managing Director – South Asia, Discovery Communications India said, “We are kick-starting the 20th anniversary of Animal Planet in India by refreshing our brand identity and brand personality. As part of the new brand purpose, Animal Planet will sharpen focus on stories linked to animal conservation, as it aims to awaken viewers to the need for animal welfare and conservation.”

The channel will adopt a new logo depicting a “leaping elephant”, as part of its new brand identity.

“The launch of a YouTube channel is a strategic step to support our linear feed. The aim is to build an online community of passionate animal lovers, so that we can engage and converse in a deeper manner as we intensify focus on conservation-led messaging,” she added.

The broadcaster, which will begin its 20th anniversary celebrations on Monday, will increase its focus on content based on Indian wildlife besides offering globally acclaimed content. As part of this strategy, it plans to premiere India-based shows such as Snake Squad and Heroes of the Wild Frontiers in the coming weeks. Snake Squad will showcase snake rescue stories, Heroes of the Wild Frontiers will feature stories of forest guards, who are working to secure and conserve Indian wildlife, from various national parks and reserves.

The broadcaster will launch multiple initiatives through the year to promote animal conservation in India. It already supports tiger conservation programmes in the Manas Tiger Reserve Park and Sundarbans Bio Reserve.