MUMBAI: Discovery?s lifestyle channel TLC will double the amount of local content this year to four shows as it seeks to fortify its position in India.

The channel has identified the grooming genre as a popular mix for the Indian audiences and is looking at growing it in a big way.

"As India is becoming an increasingly important market, we are introducing a healthy dose of Indian content. We are doubling the number of local shows on TLC. Local shows help improve the relatability of the channel," says Discovery South Asia senior VP, GM Rahul Johri.

On 3 September, TLC will launch the local version of the international format ?What Not To Wear?. Hosted by Bollywood actress Soha Ali Khan and Aki Narula, ?What Not To Wear - India? will run for 13 episodes at 10 pm every day.

The first local show launched this year was ?Be Blunt with Adhuna?, produced by Red Chillies Entertainment.

Produced by BBC Worldwide, ?What Not To Wear? took a year to make. A scouting agency was appointed to find out the participants. The show will give a clothing makeover to women and the selected ones will get Rs 30,000 for the exercise.

"There will be a mix of Indian and western clothes showcased. Our aim is to show the diversity of the country," says Johri.

Khan is all praise for the ideas behind the show, after initially doubting if she was the best fit for it. "This is the first time I am doing this. It was an incentive and also terrifying as I had to expose my personality on the screen. But there was strong content behind me. There are women who struggle with style. It could be due to a physical or a psychological obstacle. They need ideas to help them overcome these obstacles," she says.

TLC?s earlier local shows for the Indian market include ?Oh! My Gold?, which explores some of the most distinct jewellery and ornamental styles of India. It is hosted by international actress Lisa Ray. "Each of them are a first of its kind in the lifestyle genre," avers Johri.

According to Johri, 60 per cent of Discovery?s revenue figures in India come from ad sales. With digitisation, he expects the revenue to be split equally between subscription and ad sales."Quality content will come out on top in a digital world. Viewers will choose depending on quality which is why we are investing more in local productions. We are prepared for digitisation".

NEW DELHI: TLC, the lifestyle channel, has roped in Adhuna Akhtar and her brother Osh Bhabani to groom women particular about their hair styles and needing a general makeover.

The six-episodic ?Be Blunt with Adhuna Akhtar? will be aired from 16 July at 10 pm with a repeat every day at 2 pm. The show is being produced by Red Chillies Entertainment.

Each woman who will feature in the episodes will later get to meet a star personality who has been groomed for some film or another by the brother-sister duo who began their career with ?Dil Chahata Hai? with Farhan Akhtar.

?Be Blunt with Adhuna Akhtar? will showcases the transformation of the girls selected from across India into dazzling divas.

The Bollywood stars appearing on the show include Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta, Abhay Deol, Arjun Rampal, Farhan Akhtar, and Chitrangadha Singh.

Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific SVP and GM- India, South Asia Rahul Johri claimed that a year-long preparation had gone into the show. He said the show could be extended if found popular with the masses. He also claimed that research was done to study what the young audiences who were the niche audiences of TLC wanted to see.

"TLC has successfully presented and entertained Indian audience with the perfect blend of global and India themed programming through a range of innovative formats and unmatched personalities", he said.

MUMBAI: Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan is leaving no stone unturned to promote his upcoming superhero film Ra.One.

To add to the long list of pre-release associations and to reach out to the young and youth audiences, SRK has now launched the social game based on the movie, in association with UTV Indiagames. UTV Indiagames CEO Vishal Gondal said, "The amazing statistic is that 50 per cent of all users on social networking platforms play games.

So when we associated with Red Chillies to create a game around Ra.One, we decided to make a social game out of the character! The game has the potential to have a global appeal and we hope the sheer power and reach of social gaming will enable us to build a massive gaming franchise appeal, appealing to everyone across the country as well as increase the base of gamers in India."

UTV Indiagames is the exclusive partner of SRK?s company Red Chillies Entertainment, to develop and publish the cross-platform social game on mobile, online and TV.

With an aim to build on the franchise, the game will be episodic in nature, introducing new levels and a story that will keep progressing with the game.

Also, the game will be micro transaction enabled so that users can customise their own game experience.Reaching out to a wider section of casual gamers, the game is designed to simply ?pick up and play? with a theme that is attractive to global audiences.

Khan said, "With the many strategic firsts that Ra.One is bringing to the country, the first ever superhero social game on the most powerful medium today takes it to a whole new level. The game has been specially conceptualised to ensure that it reaches out to all the audiences that are eagerly awaiting to catch a glimpse of the superhero G.One. This is the perfect opportunity for gamers to get introduced and engage with G.One, understand his fantastic abilities and immerse themselves in the game and become superheroes!"

The game will be launched across all the popular social networks like Facebook along with gaming platforms like Nokia Ovi, Android and Apple. UTV Indiagames will also be launching a special version of the game for DTH subscribers.