Factual
TLC to target Tamil, Telugu markets
MUMBAI: The groundswell of serving Indian audiences with regional content has now proved to be a battlefield. Broadcasters are realising the potential in the southern areas of India. Days after Living Foodz decided to add southern language feeds, Discovery Networks-owned TLC is all set to target the Tamil and Telugu markets.
Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, Discovery Networks Asia Pacific VP premium and digital networks Zulfia Waris said, “We are particularly keen on the Tamil and Telugu languages.” She adds that the languages are in the pipeline and no specific launch date has yet been decided.
She says that TLC has a strong line-up of international shows and other franchises that will be launching one by one. “We have kept our focus on what we are good at and we ensure that we telecast the best programming that our audience may like,” she added.
Highlighting on today’s marketing strategies, she says that they have taken a very different form and the traditional marketing roots are not completely relevant in the case of TLC.
The channel has lately been inclusive of Indian faces and local content. Last year, it launched a comedy series titled Queens of Comedy, dedicating it entirely to the female comedians who will compete and be judged. At the time of launch, Waris had said that this was one of the several shows the company has in mind to reach out to Indian female millennials.
Broadcast Audience Research Council’s historical data shows that lifestyle channels have equal male and female viewership. The top six cities witness highest numbers coming from the age group of 41 to 50 followed by 2-14 years.
Giving an update on Discovery’s recently launched digital channels that focus on categories like military, girlist, automotive and food, Waris said that the first two genres on the channel Veer had done well. For now, all of Discovery’s digital channels focus on Hindi language unlike the TV channels.
Waris claimed that when they kick-started the first digital channel—Veer, it had crossed 10 million views within a month. Marketing and promotion were entirely dependent on digital.
Veer will now be available on Jio, Airtel Wynk and YouTube along with its four-episodic new show named Breaking Point: The Indian Submariners that will premiere on Discovery Channel starting 19 March at 9 pm. The series has attracted marquee advertisers including Byju’s The Learning App, Skybags, Too Yumm, BigBasket, Woodland, Toyota Kirloskar Motors and Abu Dhabi Tourism to its fold.
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DUBLIN: Ireland is betting big on reality television. In a move that has Hollywood scouts scrambling for their passports, Dublin has unveiled Europe’s first tax credit dedicated solely to unscripted programming—think The Traitors rather than Game of Thrones.
The scheme offers producers a juicy 20 per cent rebate on qualifying expenditure, capped at €15 million ($17.5 million) per project. It’s a cultural credit with strings attached: programmes must pass a test proving they genuinely promote Irish and European culture. No word yet on whether Love Island derivatives need apply.
Ireland tánaiste and minister for finance Simon Harris says the incentive will cement Ireland’s reputation as a “centre of excellence” for audiovisual production. His colleague, minister for culture, communications and sport Patrick O’Donovan, insists Ireland has “the talent, creativity and production expertise to lead” in unscripted television. Bold claims for a nation that has spent decades exporting scripted drama.
The timing is canny. Unscripted production costs have soared globally, making Ireland’s existing infrastructure—and now its tax breaks—increasingly attractive. Fox Entertainment Studios already churns out shows like Beat Shazam and The Floor from Irish studios. Whether these American productions will pass the cultural test remains to be seen.
Producers must secure an interim cultural certificate before filming begins, allowing them to claim credits during production rather than waiting until wrap. A final certificate follows completion. The European Commission has blessed the scheme through December 2028.
Minimum thresholds apply: productions must cost at least €250,000, with eligible expenditure above €125,000. Only one season per project can claim relief in any 12-month period, though producers can juggle multiple projects.
Britain, take note. The UK industry has clamoured for similar support for 18 months, but Westminster has dithered. India’s ministry of information and broadcasting pay heed. Its incentive scheme for co-productions excludes unscripted television. To what end, no one knows! Ireland, meanwhile, is already rolling out the red carpet—or should that be green?
The message from Dublin is clear: when it comes to backing reality TV, Ireland isn’t messing about. Lights, camera, tax action.
