Discovery to launch its first Hindi general entertainment channel in India

Discovery Communications on 10 May 2017 announced its plan to roll out Discovery JEET, a new entertainment channel across India. The channel will be started by the end of 2017.

After its launch, the channel will be airing a 65-episode scripted biopic series on Baba Ramdev with title Swami Baba Ramdev: The Untold Story.

An official release said, "Discovery Jeet will be the flagship for the network’s ambitious investment into original local productions in India, super-serving superfans and nurturing communities around a range of programme genres including true crime investigations, small-town heroes and gritty survival".

It seeks to supervise superfans and nurture communities around a range of programme genres like small-town heroes, crime investigations and gritty survivals. In addition to the biopic on Ramdev, Discovery Jeet has planned to air other programmes like Saragarhi — India’s Bravest Day, Gangs of Mumbai and Gabru: The Birth of Hip-Hop.

Details of the programmes

Swami Baba Ramdev: The Untold Story: The biopic series on Baba Ramdev will speak his inspirational journey from anonymous to a national icon, international cult figure and business mogul.

Saragarhi – India’s Bravest Day: It is a large-scale, action-packed, scripted drama series about one of the greatest, yet largely uncelebrated, last stands in Indian military history

Gabru: The Birth of Hip Hop: It is a scripted series on the Rap & Hip Hop revolution that has taken India by storm

Gangs of Mumbai: It is also a scripted series on the colourful, larger-than-life characters from the thriving underworld in India.

Karan Bajaj, Senior Vice President and General Manager, South Asia, Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific said, "We are excited to launch Discovery JEET, which will bring a new style of entertainment, in a truly local, bespoke, ground-up offering. It borrows the best of Discovery's ethos, seeded in fact and purpose-driven content, and leveraging global resources to mount it at a scale that delivers larger-than-life stories”.

Arthur Bastings, President and MD, Discovery Networks Asia Pacific, further elaborated on the importance of this evolutionary step, leveraging new ways to extend the reach and relevance of Discovery across the subcontinent. “The expansion into general entertainment with JEET redefines how Discovery will connect and interact with new audiences across the heartlands of India. JEET is fun, relatable, and exciting and brings to life the captivating, real stories of India’s own in a manner never seen before.”