Discovery to launch its first Hindi general entertainment channel

Discovery Communications today announces its plan to roll out Discovery JEET, a new entertainment channel across India, starting in late 2017. The new channel will be the flagship for the network’s ambitious investment into original local productions in India, superservingsuperfans and nurturing communities around a range of programme genres including true crime investigations, small-town heroes and gritty survival.

Discovery is scaling up investment in over 200 hours of local content originals which will premiere on this new channel. Targeting young male audiences, [not just in the metros, but also in tier II and tier III cities,] Discovery JEET will be a highly-charged entertainment channel, immersing viewers in a world where gripping stories, heroic characters and tales of achievement are the status quo.

“We are excited to launch Discovery JEET, which will bring a new style of entertainment, in a truly local, bespoke, ground-up offering. It borrows the best of Discovery’s ethos, seeded in fact and purpose-driven content, and leveraging global resources to mount it at a scale that delivers larger-than-life stories,” said Karan Bajaj, SVP and GM, South Asia, Discovery Networks Asia Pacific. “JEET marks an important milestone in our continued commitment to entertain and inspireIndia’s young minds!”

Arthur Bastings, President and MD, Discovery Networks Asia Pacific, further elaborated on the importance of this evolutionary step, leveraging new ways to extend the reach and relevance of Discovery across the subcontinent.“The expansion into general entertainment with JEET redefines how Discovery will connect and interact with new young audiences across the heartlands of India. JEET is fun, relatable, and exciting and brings to life the captivating, real stories of India’s own in a manner never seen before!”

Designed to inspire the aspirational, young Indian male who not only loves great video content, but is looking for a truly differentiated viewer experience, Discovery JEET will hit screens later this year with a vibrant programming lineup that will include, Swami Baba Ramdev: The Untold Story, a scripted biopic series tracing Swami Baba Ramdev’s fascinating and inspirational journey from a life of anonymity to national icon, international cult figure and now business mogul; Saragarhi - India’s Bravest Day, a large-scale, action-packed, scripted drama series about one of the greatest, yet largely uncelebrated, last stands in Indian military history; Gabru: The Birth of Hip Hop, a scripted series on the Rap & Hip Hop revolution that has taken India by storm, from the far ends of Punjab to the slums of Mumbai; Gangs of Mumbai, a scripted series on the colourful, larger-than-life characters from the thriving underworld of India’s Maximum City.

Discovery Channel continues to be the leading factual entertainment channel in India, and the premier destination for Indian viewers looking for the best of global and local non-fiction entertainment from blue-chip nature, science and technology, ancient and contemporary history, adventure, cultural and topical documentaries.