iWorld
Discovery+ introduces India-special original shows
KOLKATA: Launched earlier this year, Discovery+ is all set to up the ante by foraying into original programming for the India market.
With an eye on audience demand, Discovery+ has planned a slew of original shows starting from 9 December, which includes Mission Frontline, featuring movie star Rana Daggubati; Ladakh Warriors: The Sons of the Soil, narrated in Hindi by actor Randeep Hooda; and Secrets of Sinauli: Discovery of the Century, which will be presented by acclaimed Indian Film director Neeraj Pandey along with National Award-winning actor Manoj Bajpayee as the host.
A new original content slate
Since debuting in the Indian OTT space in March 2020, Discovery+ has added over 600 marquee shows across 60 different sub-genres including survival, sports, biopics, mystery, lifestyle, nature, science, military, crime, investigation, adventure, food, travel, to name just a few.
Within the first half of 2021, Discovery+ will have the largest-ever content offering in the real-life entertainment and learning space with a wide range of more than 200 new and exclusive (local and global) titles to further strengthen its content offerings. Along with India produced originals, Discovery+ will also be launching other Indian titles including shows such as Amma & Appa, The Indian Dream Hotel, The Ganges with Sue Perkins, Aerial India as well as exclusive premieres like A Perfect Planet featuring Sir David Attenborough, The End of The Storm, The Impossible Row and the latest seasons of Top Gear and Gold Rush among many more.
‘For those who want to be entertained & informed’
Discovery South Asia MD Megha Tata said, “We’re only a few months old but Discovery+ has exceeded our expectations of user adoption. The traction that the product has seen demonstrates the immense appetite Indian consumers have for real-life entertainment and learning space. With Discovery+, we are seizing a global opportunity with a single aggregated product. No other media company is better positioned to do this.”
Discovery APAC direct-to-consumer head Issac John added that the platform’s Indian originals have been specially produced for heartland audiences who love real-life entertainment and learning. “These shows reflect the particular needs of our consumers – who seek to be both entertained and informed. They will provide our viewers unprecedented access to real-life stories that have never been told before. We’re delighted to launch Discovery+ Originals with such a varied and differentiated slate of shows.”
New features on the app
Furthermore, subscribers of the app will also be able to relish 12 live feeds from the Discovery bouquet from varied genres and channels including Dkids, HGTV, Eurosport India HD, Food Network HD, Travel Channel HD, DMAX HD along with Discovery HD, Animal Planet HD, TLC HD, Investigation Discovery HD, Discovery Science and Discovery Turbo, starting 15 December.
To commemorate the global launch of Discovery+, the India-based app is also rebranding itself, unveiling a brand-new logo keeping in line with the global rollout of the offering across 25 international markets.
eNews
Barc India, Nielsen launch Barc | Nielsen One Ads, a unified cross-media ad measurement tool
JioHotstar to deploy cross-screen measurement during T20 World Cup 2026
MUMBAI: Broadcast Audience Research Council India and Nielsen have joined forces to launch Barc | Nielsen One Ads, a cross-media measurement system designed to give advertisers a unified view of advertising performance across television and digital platforms.
The new framework combines Barc India’s linear television viewership data with digital audience measurement from Nielsen One Ads. The result is a single dataset that measures advertising reach and frequency across four screens: linear tv, connected tv, mobile and computer, while removing duplicated audiences across devices.
The move comes as India’s media landscape grows increasingly fragmented, with advertisers struggling to reconcile data from multiple platforms. The joint system aims to provide a single, deduplicated picture of campaign performance and audience reach.
“This marks a defining moment for cross-media ad measurement in India,” said Barc India chief executive Nakul Chopra. “Barc | Nielsen One Ads brings together television and digital screens in a unified system, enabling advertisers to understand their true reach and incremental impact across the entire media ecosystem.”
Nielsen chief product officer Akhil Parekh, said the collaboration addresses a long-standing challenge for advertisers. “Brands have had to stitch together fragmented data to understand how campaigns perform. A single, deduplicated view across screens is something the industry has needed for years.”
The first deployment will take place on JioHotstar, which will use the system to measure advertising during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 hosted by India and Sri Lanka. Barc India said the framework could expand to include more broadcasters and platforms if industry demand grows.
Among the system’s key features are unified four-screen reporting, advanced reach deduplication to eliminate duplicate viewers across devices, and detailed metrics including average frequency, gross rating points and demographic performance.
