Discovery to Launch Hindi General-Entertainment Channel in India

Discovery Communications is planning to roll out the new Hindi entertainment channel Discovery JEET across India starting in late 2017.

Discovery is ramping up investment in more than 200 hours of local originals, which will premiere on Discovery JEET. Targeting a young male audience, Discovery JEET will feature such programming genres as true-crime investigations, small-town heroes and gritty survival shows. The programming lineup will include Swami Baba Ramdev: The Untold Story, a scripted biopic series centered on Swami Baba Ramdev; Saragarhi: India’s Bravest Day, an action-packed scripted drama series about one of the last stands in Indian military history; Gabru: The Birth of Hip Hop, a scripted series on the rap and hip-hop revolution that has taken India by storm; and Gangs of Mumbai, a scripted series on the larger-than-life characters from the underworld of India’s Maximum City.

“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,” said Karan Bajaj, the senior VP and general manager for South Asia at Discovery Networks Asia Pacific. “JEET marks an important milestone in our continued commitment to entertain and inspire India’s young minds!”

Arthur Bastings, the president and managing director of Discovery Networks Asia Pacific, added, “The expansion into general entertainment with JEET redefines how Discovery will connect and interact with new young 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!”