MxMIndia

Tag: Discovery

  • Strengthening initiatives for a sustainable future

    Cartoon Network and Pogo roll out 17th Edition of School Contact Programme

    Cartoon Network and Pogo are set to engage with one million children across nearly 1400 schools across 17 cities as part of the 17th edition of the School Contact Programme (SCP).

    Said Uttam Pal Singh, Head of Kids Cluster, South Asia, Warner Bros. Discovery: “We are excited to launch the 17th edition of the School Contact Programme and continue with our commitment to foster a sustainable and compassionate society. With the 2023 themes ‘Titans of Tomorrow’ and ‘Heroes of Kindness’, SCP became one of our most successful programs and we aim to continue building on the success by inspiring students to embody values that will contribute to a kind and future-forward world. This program has been a cornerstone of our outreach efforts, and we look forward to its continued success in nurturing the next generation of leaders and changemakers.”

    Talking about the 17th Edition of the School Contact Programme, Tanaz Mehta, Head of Advertising Sales, South Asia, Warner Bros. Discovery, added: “We are thrilled to reintroduce the 17th Edition of the School Contact Program. For 16 years, this initiative has been a powerful tool for our partner brands, enabling them to connect with children through beloved cartoon characters and make a significant impact with their new launches and initiatives. Thank you to our partners for their ongoing support and collaboration; we look forward to the opportunities ahead and another year of impactful engagement and inspiration.”

  • To unveil a giant mural art of movie ‘Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire’

    Warner Bros. Discovery partners with Posterscope

    Warner Bros. Discovery has teamed up with Posterscope to launch a new campaign for ‘Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire’. Posterscope has created a larger-than-life mural painting in Mumbai to generate buzz around the film.

    Speaking on the initiative, George John, Director – Marketing (Theatrical), Warner Bros. Discovery said: “We are delighted to announce the creation of a larger-than-life painted Mural featuring the iconic characters Godzilla & Kong. This awe inspiring artwork is a part of our exciting marketing campaign for the film, ‘Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire’ which brings these legendary monsters to life, capturing the imagination of fans and passersby alike. We invite everyone to witness this incredible piece of art that celebrates the size and scale of the Titans and thereafter enjoy this epic film in a cinema near them!”

    Added  Imtiyaz Vilatra, Managing Partner, Posterscope: “Despite being among the oldest forms of advertising, murals have emerged as a powerful force in OOH advertising. Pop-culture-focused brands that appeal to a youthful and energetic audience have benefited from this medium. Therefore, we believe murals would work best for Warner Bros. Discovery’s upcoming film, given the colossal stature of its characters and the ardent fan base it has. The meticulous planning and execution required to bring this vision to life are nothing short of extraordinary. With this campaign, we hope to have left an indelible mark on the pop-cultural fabric of Mumbai.”

  • Partnered by Economictimes.com

    Discovery platform GapUp launched

    By Our Staff

     

    Rigi, an online content creator, has launched GapUp, a curated discovery platform designed for users to access and learn from influencers and online content creators across various domains. The platform is now live on Economictimes.com.

     

    Commenting on the launch, Swapnil Saurav, Co-founder of Rigi, said: “The inception of GapUp is driven by our mission at Rigi to empower creators continually and, by extension, their communities. While the creator economy burgeons, it’s essential that we reinforce trust, authenticity, and value in online learning and decision-making.”

     

    Speaking on the partnership, Sanjeev Kumar, Business Head of EconomicTimes.com, added: “The partnership between GapUp and EconomicTimes.com is a well-thought-out strategy, featuring content creators sharing their expertise, various events, and more. We are enthusiastic and eager to present our readers with a broader and more enriched content selection.”

     

  • Announce exclusive content partnership

    Viacom18 shows its intent with Warner Bros. Discovery agreement

    By Our Staff

     

    The joint announcement by Warner Bros. Discovery and Viacom18 on Thursday is being looked at it with much interest in M&E circles. This surely more than a new multi-year agreement, making JioCinema India’s new streaming home of HBO, Max Original and Warner Bros. content from next month. It’s the beginning of an aggressive Viacom18 with JioCinema in tow. Clearly, the combination of Jio, Uday Shankar/Jamesh Murdoch and Paramount Global is now beginning to exert itself.

     

    The partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery, includes exclusive content rights across digital and linear.  The deal includes current and future seasons of HBO’s globally acclaimed series such as House of The Dragon, The Last of Us, Succession and The White Lotus, and returning seasons of True Detective: Night Country, Euphoria, Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty and Perry Mason. Also featured as part of the agreement are highly anticipated HBO Original series including The Idol, White House Plumbers, The Sympathizer and The Regime. In addition, HBO’s esteemed series and documentaries, including Game of Thrones, Sex & The City, Big Little Lies, Chernobyl and Veep, will be available for users.

     

    Said Clement Schwebig, President, India, Southeast Asia, and Korea, Warner Bros. Discovery: “Warner Bros. Discovery’s brands are incredibly popular across India, and we are pleased to partner with Viacom18 to bring our premium HBO, Max Original and Warner Bros. content to local fans. This new agreement demonstrates our commitment to South Asia as we seek to entertain audiences across more platforms, and further strengthens the scale of our regional business as a whole.”

     

    Added Ferzad Palia, Head – SVOD & International Business, Viacom18: “JioCinema has become the biggest platform for live sports. We are now on a mission to build the most magnetic destination for entertainment for all Indians. The strategic partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery is a big milestone in our journey to offer the best of Hollywood content to our elite consumers. We believe that Warner Bros. Discovery sets the global standards for premium content and this partnership allows us to create the best and the most comprehensive destination for our users.”

     

  • Key appointments made for Network Distribution, Ad sales and Content Clusters

    Warner Bros. Discovery unveils new top deck

    By Our Staff

     

    Warner Bros. Discovery has unveiled its new leadership team for South Asia. The business is led locally by Arjun Nohwar, General Manager – South Asia and includes brands such as Discovery, HGTV, Eurosport, Cartoon Network, POGO, Discovery Kids, DC, and the discovery+ streaming service.

     

    Meanwhile the following appointments are confirmed for South Asia:

    Ruchir Jain is Head of Distribution & Eurosport and heads up the integrated network distribution function. Jain led the finance team at Discovery Network from 2018 to 2021, and then distribution. He continues to lead the Eurosport channel.

     

    Tanaz Mehta is Head of Ad Sales, tasked with growing revenues across all networks in South Asia. Mehta is a seasoned sales leader with a deep expertise and nuanced understanding of the market.

     

    Uttam Pal Singh is Head of Kids Cluster and tasked with developing a compelling content strategy for growth. In his previous capacity at Discovery Kids, Singh led the team behind successful original IPs, including Little Singham and Fukrey Boyzzz. The combined Kids portfolio now includes Cartoon Network and POGO, in addition to Discovery Kids.

     

    Sai Abhishek is Head of Factual & Lifestyle Cluster and will be responsible for delivering growth and profitability across the genre. Abhishek comes with a strong background of leading original productions, programming, and acquisitions.

     

    Said Nohwar: “With this exceptional new-look team, Warner Bros. Discovery is well-positioned to achieve our ambition of being the leading and most dynamic media company in the region. All our leaders are looking forward to working closely together across divisions as one united team.”

     

    Nohwar also paid tribute to two outgoing executives who will be exiting the organisation. Rohit Khetarpal will be leaving the company after 14 years, having been a key member of the legacy WarnerMedia and Turner network distribution team. Abhishek Dutta also departs, having led the legacy WarnerMedia Kids team in South Asia, including programming strategy, acquisitions and original production.

     

    Other lines of business, shared services and corporate functions that support the wider region will be announced at a later date.

     

  • Calls for best practice considerations in dealing with one another

    IAA appeals to the industry for Covid sensitivity

    By Our Staff

     

    The India Chapter of the International Advertising Association (IAA) is appealing to all segments of the industry to take a deep breath in this hour of crisis. The campaign was created by the Madison BMB team of Rohan Joseph CD Copy, Vallabh Yeolekar CD Art, Raj Nair, CEO and CCO.

     

    Megha Tata
    Megha Tata

    Said Megha Tata, President IAA India and Managing Director – South Asia Discovery Communications India: “Yes, we are passing through an unprecedented crisis. There is pain and grief all around us. But as they say, extraordinary times need extraordinary responses. Corporates have responded with alacrity and fortitude to the call of the nation. Money and material is being raised to help those in need. Communication is being used, and will be used, to strike a chord of positivity. And this time around, as a responsible industry Association with a unique mix of members including leaders from the world of marketing advertising and the media, we are appealing to all stakeholders in our industry to deal with one another with a degree of sensitivity, understanding, empathy and kindness. It’s as simple as that. And as important. I thank Raj Nair and his team at Madison BMB for immediately responding to our appeal to prepare a communication campaign that will convey this message to our community.

     

    Nandini Dias

    Added Nandini Dias, Chairperson IAA Leadership Awards Committee and CEO Lodestar UM, India:  “For three years now IAA through a well-managed campaign has been urging industry leaders to save lives by adopting flexi-timings. It evoked a very positive response. This time the challenges are different. We need to rebuild lives and livelihoods irrespective of where you work from or whether you belong to a local or global organization. Our industry members at every level of the corporate ladder are facing unique challenges. And we believe this is the time to introspect, look within, and dip into the reserves of goodness that exist in all of us and create strong foundations for long term renewal.”

     

  • Will lead marketing and communication teams across the network

    Azmat Jagmag to head marcom at Discovery

    By Our Staff

     

    Azmat Jagmag

    Discovery Communications India has brought on board Azmat Jagmag as Head of Marketing and Corporate Communications. As a part of her profile, Jagmag will lead the marketing and communications teams across the network including 14 linear channels and OTT brand Discovery+ for India. Based in Mumbai, she will report to Megha Tata, Managing Director-South Asia.

    Said Tata: “These are exciting times as we strategically step up our investments to take advantage of very dynamic growth in both Digital and Linear. Azmat brings that rare combination of creative flair, a strong instinct for the Indian millennial and a cutting-edge brand expertise in heading marketing for multiple iconic brands. We are very excited to welcome Azmat into the Discovery family.”

    Added Jagmag: “Discovery is a brand with incredible people and exceptional storytelling in real-life entertainment space and to get an opportunity of being a part of this passionate brand for India is very exciting. With so many interesting initiatives and launches coming up, I look forward to working closely with the team here to take the brand to even greater heights. I am truly excited for this journey with Discovery.”

  • Previously, Chendira was Revenue Head for Kids & Vernacular, Discovery India

    Shaun Nanjappa Chendira to head adsales at Discovery Sales

    By A Correspondent

     

    Discovery has elevated Shaun Nanjappa Chendira as Head of Advertising Sales – South Asia. Previously, Chendira was Revenue Head for Kids & Vernacular, Discovery India. A media industry veteran having two decades of experience, majority of which has been in leadership roles, prior to Discovery, Chendira was General Manager, India at Da Vinci Media India Pvt Ltd. His prior engagements include working with Warner Media as Senior Director, English Entertainment Vertical (HBO, HBO HD & Warner Brothers) and Director, Kids vertical (Cartoon Network & www.cartoonentworkindia.com) for the India region.

     

    Speaking on the occasion, Megha Tata, Managing Director, Discovery – South Asia, said: “Shaun has displayed strong and mature thinking required for the future of both, our linear and our digital platforms. With his stellar record of accomplishment and proven experience of driving business revenue, he is well placed to lead the company to the next level of growth in his new position as the Head of Advertising Sales. I wish him all the very best.”

     

    Added Chendira: “I am delighted and grateful to Discovery India for giving me this opportunity. While these last few months have been tough for the entire industry to say the least, here’s looking forward to a better tomorrow. I know there will be a lot of challenges to face going forward, and all I can say is, I am ready to meet them head on. I step into this role with much excitement and a clear vision for Discovery as we step into the future.”

     

     

  • Pradeep Dwivedi, CEO- Eros India of Eros STX Global Corporation was elected Vice President and the other officebearers include Jaideep Gandhi, Founder -Another Idea as Hon. Secretary, Abhishek Karnani, Director-The Free Press Journal as Hon. Treasurer.

    Megha Tata is President, IAA India

    By A Correspondent

     

    Megha Tata, Managing Director – South Asia, Discovery Communications India was unanimously elected President of the India Chapter of the International Advertising Association (IAA) at its AGM held in Mumbai today (Sept 28) in Mumbai.

    Speaking on her new role as the President of IAA, Tata sai:, “It is an honour and a privilege to be leading the India Chapter of IAA.  The legacy of past presidents, the great work they have done, will be continued as I endeavour to strengthen the India chapter and help build a strong ecosystem for the common good of the industry.  The strong representation of women in marcom is a welcome change and am sure will lead to more meaningful work in the coming year.”

    Speaking at the occasion, Immediate Past President Punit Goenka added: “It was an absolute pleasure for me to lead the entire team of IAA, India Chapter during my tenure as the President of this prestigious association. I attribute the success and milestones achieved over the last 2 years to each and every member of the team. The association is blessed with dedicated professionals who are focused towards bringing a positive change across the industry. I am very glad to note that the mantle is now handed over to Ms. Megha Tata. Her able leadership and experience will add immense value to the association and I wish her and the entire team all the very best. As a proud member of IAA, I will continue to contribute my best, in order to enable the association to achieve its set goals for the industry at large.”

     

    Pradeep Dwivedi, CEO- Eros India of Eros STX Global Corporation was elected Vice President and the other officebearers include Jaideep Gandhi, Founder -Another Idea as Hon. Secretary, Abhishek Karnani, Director-The Free Press Journal as Hon. Treasurer. Goenka will continue to guide the new team as Immediate Past President. ​

    The Members of the Managing Committee elected include Anant Goenka (Executive Director The Indian Express (P) Ltd), Avinash Pandey (CEO ABP News Network Pvt. Ltd.), Janak Sarda (Managing Director, Deshdoot Media Group), Nandini Dias (Chief Executive Officer, Lodestar UM), Prasanth Kumar (CEO-South Asia GroupM- A WPP Company). The list of members co-opted and invited to the Managing Committee will be shortly announced.

     

     

  • Plans to augment Discovery’s global direct-to-consumer product portfolio

    Discovery acquires adtech startup AdSparx

    By A Correspondent

     

    Discovery Inc has announced the acquisition of the assets of AdSparx, the ad-tech start-up offering a cloud-based technology platform that provides server side in-stream dynamic ad insertion (DAI) across live and on-demand streaming.

     

    Said, Avi Saxena, CTO, Global Digital, Discovery: “This acquisition is part of a larger strategy to develop a robust portfolio of digital products, as we continue to scale-up our DTC proposition with locally relevant video experiences in key international markets,” adding: “We are also delighted to expand our footprint in India with a strong technology organization and view the country as an emerging key development hub in the future for our global D2C portfolio.”

     

    Discovery also plans to utilise AdSparx’s DAI solution to deliver personalised virtual linear channels.

     

     

  • Launched in March 2020, the Discovery+ app has seen a rapidly expanding user base, notes a communiqe

    Zeux partners Discovery India for entertainment app

    By A Correspondent

     

    Zeux Innovation has partnered with Discovery India to design the Discovery+ app. The app was launched on 18th March 2020 and continues to garner good reviews across app stores for its content and user experience.

     

    Commenting on the Zeux and Discovery collaboration, Issac John, Business Head, Discovery India said: “As a product, our team was very conscious of solving barriers for user adoption in a cluttered OTT market like India. The various researches and design workshops that Zeux led for us, placed user motivations at the heart for solving these barriers. The iterative work, completed over several months, has paid rich dividends for us as expressed by the umpteen user reviews that have highlighted the rich yet simple to navigate UI & UX of Discovery Plus”.

     

    Added Saurabh Gupta, Co-founder, Zeux Innovation, said, “We are proud to be the UX design partner for Discovery+. We leveraged the science of human performance and persuasion design to craft an OTT experience that is a perfect balance between delivering specific business outcomes, addressing diverse user needs and effectively managing technology considerations”.

     

     

  • Priced at Rs 299 pa, the app has been developed and curated specifically for India

    Discovery goes OTT with ‘Discovery Plus’

    By A Correspondent

     

    Leading infotainment network Discovery has launched launch of ‘Discovery Plus’, a new direct-to-consumer streaming app. Priced at an introductory offer of Rs 299 per annum, the app has been developed and curated specifically for India. According to a communque, tn the initial phase, the company will reach out to a 25 million base of core TV infotainment consumers across Tier I and Tier II towns (defined as those who watch over three hours of infotainment every month).

     

    Furthermore, in order to drive engagement, Discovery Plus is launching with one-of-a-kind rewards with India’s leading mobile payments app, Google Pay. Google Pay users who tune-in to the premiere of Into the Wild with Bear Grylls featuring Rajinikanth on March 2d at 8:00 PM on Discovery can match the audio for the first four minutes of the show or the promos leading up to the show with Google Pay’s ‘On-Air’ feature, and get a reward upto 100% off on Discovery Plus annual subscription price.

     

    The content will be curated from Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, BBC, TLC, Discovery Science, Discovery Turbo, ID, Food Network, HGTV, Cooking Channel, Travel Channel, DIY Network, Motortrend and VICE.

     

    Speaking on the occasion, Simon Robinson, President APAC & CFO International, Discovery, Inc said: “Globally, we are observing healthy trends from direct-to-consumer businesses and Discovery Plus, with its India focused strategy, is a valued addition. The launch of Discovery Plus is a significant development for our business in India and reflects our commitment to this critical market.”

     

    Megha Tata

    Added Megha Tata, Managing Director – South Asia, Discovery: “The consumer is spoilt for choice in the scripted content space but doesn’t have a dedicated offering in the unscripted space – a place we intend to fill with the launch of Discovery Plus,”, “Our large global library of 300,000 hours of premium content and expertise in owning passionate communities will give us a huge competitive advantage in the digital domain.”

     

     

    Issac John

    Added Issac John, Business Head – Digital (South Asia), Discovery: “In a digital world that’s laden with hours and hours of scripted content, Discovery Plus offers a unique and untapped opportunity for us to build on the trust of the flagship brand and offer content that truly powers people’s passions across verticals as varied as Adventure, Science and Lifestyle to name a few. Over the next 12 months, the lineup includes premium content across all our key genres such as Into the Wild with Rajnikanth, Expedition Unknown, Coronavirus: The Silent Killer, Food Factory, Mythbusters, Wild Karnataka and Project Runway among many others.”