News Broadcasting
Discovery US probing the reality genre
MUMBAI: Last year Discovery US entered the reality genre with American Chopper. The documentary style reality series chronicled a family-owned motorcycle building business in a small upstate New York town. Encouraged by the response the broadcaster is said to be developing 12 primetime pilots.
A Reuters report indicates that the broadcaster is trying to find new ways to innovate its Discovery genres. Discovery already has begun airing pilots on Friday nights and gauging their ratings performance in consideration of a full-series order. Gold Star Racing a three-episode arc about the world of go-kart competition is being tested, with Discovery expected to make a decision soon. Another potential series being prepared focuses on a family in the Alaskan crab fishing business.
Meanwhile film and video production company Hoggard Films will produce Forbidden Zone for the broadcaster. The show is expected to go on air during the last quarter of the year. This 13-part series will explore the culture of urban exploration. It will go into abandoned structures, tunnels, bridges, towers, the hidden zones in American cities where people fear to walk into or at least have no idea that they exist.
Hoggard Films is in the process of assembling a team comprising of four individuals with plenty of flair, expertise and character. They will set out on various exotic urban adventures. At each stop they will meet members of the local urban exploration community, who will help them along their way.
The company has announced a casting call. People interested have to submit tapes of themselves by 13 February. The people being sought are
– An adventurous, dynamic, structural engineer –interest in urban exploration & archeology is a plus.
– A hip, buff female rock climber/extreme athlete
– A dynamic, young caver
– A quirky cutting-edge electronics whiz.
News Broadcasting
News18 India to air Sabse Bada Dangal on 4 May counting day
Channel promises fastest results, live trends and analysis across five states.
MUMBAI: Ballots will do the talking and screens will do the shouting. As counting day approaches for high-stakes Assembly elections across West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry, News18 India is gearing up for an all-day broadcast of its flagship election show, Sabse Bada Dangal, on 4 May from 6 am onwards. The Hindi news channel plans to deliver continuous, real-time updates as votes are tallied, combining live counting data with on-ground reporting and studio analysis. With political fortunes set to shift through the day, the coverage will track every swing, surge and surprise as trends turn into results.
The broadcast will feature a mix of senior political leaders, analysts and experts, offering instant reactions and decoding the evolving electoral picture. Expect heated debates, quick takes and detailed breakdowns as the numbers settle across all five states.
For News18 India, counting day has long been a high-visibility moment. The network is banking on its reporting reach, editorial bandwidth and technology-driven coverage to stay ahead in what is often a fiercely competitive news cycle.
With multiple battlegrounds and shifting narratives, the day promises both drama and data in equal measure. And if all goes to plan, Sabse Bada Dangal will once again turn the counting of votes into prime-time spectacle.
