Factual
‘Man Vs Wild with Bear Grylls & Prime Minister Modi’ emerges as the TV show of the year
MUMBAI: The special edition of Discovery’s iconic and hugely popular franchise ‘Man Vs Wild’ featuring Prime Minister Modi with world-renowned survivalist and adventurer, Bear Grylls, lived up to its billing to emerge as the TV show of the year. The premiere on Discovery Network (across 12 Discovery channels) created history by garnering highest slot viewership (on active channels) with 3.69 million impressions overtaking GEC leader Star Plus with 3.67 million impressions1. The premiere also delivered the highest ever slot reach for the infotainment genre with 6.1 million tune-in on Discovery Channel which is 15 times more as compared to the last 4 weeks average of the same slot2. The premiere slot performance grew an astonishing 50 times giving an unprecedented 93% channel share to Discovery channel amongst the infotainment genre3. Discovery Channel emerged as the third ranked channel with 3.05 million impressions behind Star Plus (3.67 million impressions) and Zee (3.3 million impressions)1. The show kept the viewers on the hook delivering an impressive average TSV of 29.2 minutes4.
The premiere delivered the highest ever sampling in the infotainment genre with 15.6 million tune-ins5. The premiere of the show on Aug 12 on Discovery Channel rewrote the rules of the infotainment genre emerging as the highest ever rated show in the history of genre in India garnering 6.9 million impressions6.
The cumulative reach for the show across Discovery network, originals & repeat included, & DD National was an imposing 42.7 million7. The special edition of Man Vs Wild with Bear Grylls & Prime Minister Modi is also being showcased on Discovery network of channels across 179 countries.
“The historic edition of Man Vs Wild made a larger point about importance of wildlife conservation and sensitized people about environmental change. In that sense, it was much more than a TV show,” said, Megha Tata, Managing Director – South Asia, Discovery. “We are the undisputed leaders in infotainment genre; our aim is to extend the leadership further with pathbreaking programming. We will go Bigger, Bolder and Better!”
In celebration of the show’s success, Discovery India will make a generous donation for the cause of Tiger conservation in India in alignment with the PM’s message of committing to wildlife conservation. As part of our global Project C.A.T – Conserving Acres for Tigers, Discovery has partnered with World Wildlife Fund to ensure healthy habitats for future generations of Tigers by helping conserve nearly six million acres of biodiversity rich areas across four countries. With this contribution, Discovery India will extend support to Tiger conservation program at Corbett Landscape & Sundarbans Biosphere Reserve in partnership with WWF India.
Man Vs Wild With Bear Grylls and PM Modi is produced for Discovery India by Bear Grylls Ventures & Electus a Propagate company, where Bear Grylls, Delbert Shoopman, Rob Buchta and Elizabeth Schulze are executive producers and Ben Simms is co-executive producer.
MUMBAI: India’s most famous hot seat is about to welcome an unlikely first-timer. For the first time on Hindi general entertainment television, industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla will appear on Kaun Banega Crorepati, the iconic quiz show hosted by Amitabh Bachchan.
The special episode marks a rare meeting point of boardroom heft and prime-time television, bringing one of India’s most influential business leaders face to face with the country’s most enduring screen legend. It is a crossover that blends intellect, leadership and popular culture, all under KBC’s familiar spotlight.
Birla’s appearance dovetails neatly with the show’s current theme, Jahaan Akal Hai, Wahan Akad Hai, which celebrates the confidence that comes from clarity of thought and knowledge. His presence lends weight to the idea that sharp thinking and conviction are as vital in life as they are in the quiz chair.
In a thoughtful conversation with Bachchan, Birla shared an upbeat view of India’s economic journey, pointing to the nation’s rapid growth and the scale of opportunity opening up across industries and communities. He spoke of momentum, ambition and a future shaped by enterprise and ideas.
The episode is not all serious talk. In lighter moments, Birla confessed his long-standing admiration for Bachchan, calling him his favourite actor and admitting to a touch of nervousness at answering questions in front of the Shahenshah himself. The candour adds a human touch to a man more often seen in headlines than on television sets.
The special episode airs on Monday, 29 December at 9.00 pm on Sony Entertainment Television and Sony LIV.
