iWorld
Discovery to launch digital channels, ties up with telcos
Mumbai: Discovery Communications India (DCIN) is planning to disrupt the digital space with the launch of bespoke direct-to-consumer and mobile-first channels in February 2018. The new mobile-first channels will focus on four core-interest areas—military, girlist, automotive and food. The first two channels to launch will be Veer by Discovery and Rise by TLC in the first quarter of 2018. These will be followed by specialist automotive and food-focussed mobile-first channels later in the year.
With an unrivalled content library across these areas, DCIN is uniquely positioned to launch and further develop these special-interest verticals across various social and mobile platforms while also nurturing and nourishing these audience communities with meaningful content. The initiative leverages on the unprecedented growth of passionate online communities that is driving a sizeable 15 per cent of digital video consumption in India in the lifestyle/factual genre.
Zulfia Waris, VP, premium and digital networks, Discovery Communications India, said, “The clutter-breaking digital-first content proposition of Veer and Rise is designed to help us achieve our ambition of being the number one mobile content brand in the country. These will be independent digital channels and not catch-up TV—from the best in military to girl power to automobiles and world food, our aim is to create and nurture passionate interest-based communities with edgy world-class content that resonates.”
DCIN has identified a big market opportunity in this space in India, which has no major at scale digital/mobile-first channels and all OTT services mostly offer long-form linear content on digital even though the consumption trends indicate that 76 per cent of all online videos watched are short-form (less than 10 minutes long). In the first year, Veer by Discovery and Rise by TLC will offer consumers more than 100 hours of original content in India.
DCIN has partnered YouTube, Reliance Jio, and Vodafone Play to optimise the launch of these channels and maximise its reach across social and mobile platforms.
Karan Bajaj, senior VP and GM, Discovery Communications India, said, “We are thrilled to take Discovery digital in India and accelerate engagement with the growing base of young consumers who are increasingly snacking short-form content. These passionate communities form an integral part of the consumption pattern across digital media and we see this trend accentuating further in future. Our digital channels will help us ramp up reach across linear and digital platforms by almost three times making it an irresistible proposition for the advertisers who will now have the option to reach out to premium consumers across our linear network and presence across the most popular social and mobile platforms.”
Also Read:
Discovery APAC MD & president Arthur Bastings resigns
Kids prefer entertainment over edutainment on TV
iWorld
T20 World Cup ’26: India–England semi-final sets global streaming record of 619 million views on JioHotstar
India–England semi-final records 65.2 million peak streams
MUMBAI: The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 set a new milestone in global sports streaming, as the India–England semi-final drew record digital audiences on JioHotstar.
The match on 5 March registered 65.2 million peak concurrent viewers, the highest ever recorded for a live event on any streaming platform worldwide. The semi-final also generated 619 million views, making it the most streamed T20 international match in history.
The landmark audience numbers were driven largely by viewers in India, setting a record achieved within a single market, rather than through aggregated viewership across multiple countries.
The high-scoring encounter between India national cricket team and England cricket team produced 499 runs across both innings, fuelling widespread fan engagement across platforms.
According to the International Cricket Council, the digital record surpassed the previous global benchmark of 65 million concurrent viewers, set in November 2024 by another international streaming platform.
Across television and digital platforms combined, the semi-final reached more than 320 million viewers, while total watch time exceeded 23 billion minutes, making it the most watched T20 international match ever.
“This World Cup demonstrates the immense passion of cricket fans and the progress made in bringing the game closer to audiences worldwide,” said ICC chairman Jay Shah.
“This moment reflects the scale of cricket fandom in India and the technological capability required to serve hundreds of millions of viewers simultaneously.”
JioStar vice-chairman Uday Shankar, said the audience surge underscored the future of large-scale digital entertainment.
“One in every three Indians tuned in to watch the second semi-final. Delivering such an experience at scale requires the very best of technology,” he said.
The 619 million views during the match also eclipsed the 533 million views recorded during the final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.
With the final yet to be played, the 2026 tournament has already set multiple benchmarks in audience reach and digital engagement.
India will face the New Zealand national cricket team in the final on 8 March at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The match will be broadcast on the Star Sports Network and streamed on JioHotstar.
