Mumbai: Discovery Inc has virtually showcased its annual upfront presentation to advertisers and marketers in India, outlining its content strategy and programming lineup for 2022.
In the presence of Megha Tata (MD- South Asia), Ruchir Jain (head of Eurosport India and distribution - South Asia), and Shaun Nanjappa (head of advertising sales- South Asia), the event saw Discovery reinstate its brand promise of bringing diverse content covering lifestyle, kids and sports genres, spanning across its linear brands like Discovery Channel, Discovery Kids, TLC and Eurosport.
To amp up linear programming in India, Discovery will introduce five times hours of original content across factual entertainment, lifestyle and sports categories. Discovery Kids will introduce two times hours of content in the first half of 2022. This will include the launch of two new properties "Little Singham 3D" and "Baby Little Singham."
The year’s content slate comprises titles like "Into the Wild with Bear Grylls" featuring Vicky Kaushal, "Star vs Food: Season 2" starring Anil Kapoor, Janhavi Kapoor, Ananya Panday, Nora Fatehi, Badshah and Zakir Khan, "Mission Frontline" featuring Sara Ali khan, Farhan Akhtar and Rohit Shetty, "Money Mafia: Season 1&2," and "India’s Space Odyssey" - the documentary that looks at the 60-year journey of the space sector in India. The Indian version of the hit international franchise "Say Yes" to "The Dress! India" will also premiere on TLC.
The event highlighted how Discovery Kids has diversified their offerings and built a roster of engaging content. One of its flagship properties, "Little Singham v/s Black Shadow" was pronounced as top show of 2021 demonstrating the popularity of the franchise. To further build on it, Discovery Kids will be expanding the franchise with two new properties "Little Singham" in 3D and "Baby Little Singham" as a treat for its young fans in 2022. With a renewed focus on experimentation, and diversification of business, the channel aims to add two times hours of content in the first half of 2022.
Eurosport India also promises an extravaganza for all sports enthusiasts with sporting events that will further build on the cult appeal for MotoGP, along with AFC Women’s Asian Cup, PGA Tour, UCI Track Champions League, AEW, Tour de France, amongst others. With a renewed vision to embrace homegrown leagues and sports, Eurosport India will continue to focus on being the go-to-destination for passionate sports fans across the country.
“over the previous year, Discovery India network has cemented its position as a leader, commanding close to 50 per cent category share in the infotainment category with nine out of top 10 shows of 2021 belonging to Discovery Channel. Pushing the envelope further in creating inspiring content, the network successfully emerged amongst the top four in terms of growth,” said the statement.
“2021 proved to be a year of new milestones for Discovery Network, with the brand garnering 182 per cent higher reach than the English News Genre and 112 per cent higher than that of leading English GEC and English movie channels combined in terms of the weekly data. Adding further value and credibility, Eurosport also witnessed growth in viewership from Q1 within two years of its launch. The response thus encourages Discovery to take a leap ahead in its vision for 2022 by bringing five times hours of original content - the highest number of originals ever produced in the infotainment category across genres and formats,” it added.
Reinstating Discovery Inc’s consistent efforts to be a partner of confidence to eminent stakeholders, the event offered a look-back at the key branded properties across categories like edtech, auto, finance, telecom, and more. From Discovery School Super League Powered by BYJU’s, to the association with Hershey’s Jolly Rancher Lollipops for Little Singham, to projects with the government, the network plans to create stronger synergies across short and long format content in the year ahead.
Speaking at India Sales Upfront 2022, Discovery Inc MD South Asia Megha Tata said, “As a network, we are driven by creative solutions and committed to offer a holistic and integrated brand experience to the diverse stakeholders. With innovation at core, we aim to leverage the power of Discovery’s legacy to create ground-breaking stories and emerge as a brand of confidence to our partners. We’ve had a heady kickstart to 2022 and are set for a riveting content repertoire ahead. We hope to further amplify the momentum not only with offerings that are genre-binding and authentic but also create seamless synergies across touchpoints adding value to the ever-evolving appetite of our target demographic.”
"Overwhelmed with the success of Discovery's Virtual Upfront 2022, I would like to thank our partners and advertisers for their unwavering support in making Eurosport India a household name in no time,” remarked Discovery head of Eurosport India and distribution - South Asia Ruchir Jain. “Delving beyond the realms of mainstream sports has spiked our viewership by a whopping 158 per cent since Q1. Our upcoming line-up of sports has been liked by all the stakeholders and we are excited to bring it all on Eurosport in the coming months, making 2022 certainly look bright for us!"
Discovery head of advertising sales - South Asia Shaun Nanjappa added, “As a network, Discovery in the past year has not only completed over 40 projects successfully but carved a niche for itself with constant support received from our stakeholders throughout. Our varied offerings across diverse genres and tailor-made 360-degree business solutions helped us strengthen our footprint in the infotainment category and we will continue to focus on making content the hero. We will continue to experiment as the trends change and come up with differentiated offerings through our partnerships that emerge as successful milestones for the brand as well as our stakeholders."
