Discovery+ SVOD expands service to India

Discovery+, the upstart subscription streaming video service featuring Discovery Channel, HGTV, Food Network, TLC, Investigation Discovery, OWN, Travel Channel, Motortrend, Animal Planet, Science Channel, DIY Network, and the Cooking Channel, among others, is entering the Indian market.

The streaming platform March 25 announced availability on Jio streaming media devices. Jio is one of India’s largest wireless carriers. Through the partnership, Discovery+ will afford Jio high-speed fiber internet users content across 40+ genres such as science, adventure, food, lifestyle, and animation, among others, in multiple languages, including Hindi, English, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Bengali.

“Our partnership with Jio presents a distinct opportunity to take discovery+ and its repository of storytelling to deeper pockets of the country,” Issac John, head of direct-to-consumer, APAC, Discovery, said in a statement.

Discovery Network’s shows and specials, include “Into the Wild,” featuring Rajinikanth and Akshay Kumar; “Man vs. Wild,” “Gold Rush,” “Expedition Unknown,” “90 Day Fiancé” and “How the Universe Works,” as well as Indian titles, “Breaking Point,” “Revealed: Rashtrapati Bhavan,” “Himalayan Tsunami,” and “India 2050.” Subs will also be able to access discovery+ originals, including “Vande Bharat Flight IX1344: Hope to Survival,” “Secrets of Sinauli,” “Mission Frontline,” “Super Soul” and “Ladakh Warr.”

India has become a hotbed for U.S. streaming services, including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+ — the latter accounting 30% of its subscribers in India through Disney’s acquisition of streaming platform Hotstar.