HISTORY™ LAUNCHES IN INDIA ON OCTOBER 9TH
Channel Launches in HD and Reaches 40+ Million Homes
October 11, 2011 – New York/Mumbai – HISTORY™ launched in India on Sunday, October 9. The channel will be operated by AETN18 Media Pvt. Ltd., a joint venture between A+E Networks and Network18.
HISTORY launched in HD, and is available across all major markets in India, reaching more than 40 million households within two weeks of its debut. The channel will be available across leading cable TV platforms such as DEN NETWORKS, HATHAWAY CABLE, IN CABLE and leading DTH platforms such as TATA Sky, AIRTEL & DISH TV as well as other leading independent analogue and digital platforms in the country.
From launch, HISTORY in India is available in a record 6 languages – English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali and Marathi – more than any other factual entertainment channel in the market. This diversity of languages allows the channel to reach more than 70% of the television audience in their native language.
HISTORY has retained Bollywood icon, Salman Khan, as its brand ambassador – a first for any television channel in India. Khan will be incorporated into the launch advertising, marketing and PR campaigns, and is featured in on-air promos for the channel.
“India is a critically important market to us, and we are thrilled to be launching HISTORY there in partnership with Network18,” said Sean Cohan, Sr. Vice President, International for A+E Networks, parent company of HISTORY. “Under Ajay Chacko’s leadership, we have built a strong, talented team at AETN18 across programming, marketing, digital and operations. With their combined expertise I have no doubt HISTORY will be an impact player from launch.”
Ajay Chacko, President of AETN18, said, “One of the primary reasons for us entering the factual entertainment genre is because we truly believe that Indian audiences are now looking for alternative formats to soaps and sitcoms for entertainment. Factual entertainment is emerging as the new preferred choice and the genre has the potential to become relatively mainstream. Also, HISTORY’s show selection and content mix in India are based on exhaustive studies and content testing with a variety of audiences. We are confident that the themes we’ve chosen will appeal to majority of audiences, including younger demographics and also discerning audiences. History, Made Everyday, the channel’s positioning, encompasses the breadth of content and themes that HISTORY brings to Indian audiences.”
HISTORY features award-winning programming that covers a variety of topics, including contemporary history, conflict, technology and transport, military history, and more. In India, the channel will feature an entertaining and engaging mix of the top-rated programming from the HISTORY US catalogue, including IRT Deadliest Roads, Swamp People, Top Shot, and Sliced. The channel’s program strategy calls for local productions and acquisitions in the near future.
HISTORY India is developing extensive community outreach programs, with a strong focus on education and conservation initiatives. It is launching a comprehensive partnership in the education space with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and with UNESCO on conservation of monuments. Details of these initiatives will be made available shortly. HISTORY will also reach out to schools, teachers and students across the country to build communities and raise awareness and support for these two issues.
In the US, HISTORY recently finished its best 3rd quarter of all time, posting increases in all key demos. Driven by the strength of the network’s original hit series – American Pickers, American Restoration, Ice Road Truckers, Pawn Stars, Top Gear, Top Shot and Swamp people – the channel was ranked the #2 cable network with Adults 25-54 and #3 with Adults 18-49. This is the 9th consecutive quarter of year over year growth for HISTORY among Adults 25-54.
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About A+E Networks™
A+E Networks is an award-winning, global media content company offering consumers a diverse communications environment ranging from television networks to websites, to DVDs to gaming and educational software. Led by three iconic brands A&E Network®, HISTORY®, and Lifetime®, A+E Networks also includes Lifetime Movie Network, BIO™, H2, Lifetime Real Women®, Military History™, History en Español™, Crime & Investigation Network™, and A&E IndieFilms®. A+E Networks channels and branded entertainment reach more than 300 million households in over 150 countries around the world. A+E Networks is a joint venture of Disney-ABC Television Group, Hearst Corporation and NBC Universal.
Network18 Boilerplate
The Network18 Group is one of India’s leading media companies with interests in television, internet, filmed entertainment, e-commerce, magazines, mobile content and allied businesses. Through its holding in ‘TV18 Broadcast Ltd.’ [BSE: 532800, NSE: ibn18], the group operates India’s leading television broadcasting and distribution assets. This includes India’s leading business news channels – CNBC-TV18 and CNBC Awaaz, India’s premier general news channels – CNN-IBN and IBN 7, and IBN-Lokmat, a leading Marathi regional news channel in partnership with the Lokmat group. ‘TV18 Broadcast’ also operates a joint venture with Viacom, called Viacom18, which houses a portfolio of India’s market leading entertainment channels – Colors, MTV, VH1 and Nick – and Viacom18 Motion Pictures, the group’s filmed entertainment business. In a pioneering foray into television distribution, the group has established a strategic alliance with Sun Group, SUN18, the first truly Pan-India distribution company and slated to be one of the biggest distribution entities in the market. The group has also recently announced a move into the Indian factual entertainment space through AETN18, a joint venture with A+E Networks (formerly A&E Television Networks) which operates acclaimed global brands like History, Bio, Crime & Investigation Network and Lifetime. Through ‘Network18 Media & Investments Ltd.’ [BSE: 532798, NSE: Network18], the group operates its digital, publishing and e-commerce assets including one of India’s largest internet players Web18 which houses the country’s leading web content properties such as moneycontrol.com, ibnlive.com, in.com and firstpost.com. ‘Network18′ also operates India’s leading ecommerce properties – HomeShop18 and bookmyshow.com, and Forbes India, the nation’s first local edition of a foreign news magazine title and the world’s most influential business brand, in collaboration with Forbes Media. In addition, through ‘Network18′, the group operates Newswire18, one of India’s leading real time financial information and news terminal services, and Infomedia18, the country’s leading player in the special interest publishing space as well as E18, the group’s full spectrum event management venture and Sport18, its sports management and marketing venture. ‘Network18′ holds a controlling interest in ‘TV18 Broadcast’ and investments in Yatra, DEN Networks and other Capital18 portfolio companies. For more information, log on to www.network18online.com.
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Contact:
FOR A+E NETWORKS:
Kerri Tarmey, +1 212 551 1504
Kerri.tarmey@aetn.com
Shannon Kerr, +1 212 641 3341
Shannon.kerr@aetn.com
Celine Xerri-Brook, +44 (0)1273 719 340
Gibraltar.brook@virgin.net
FOR HISTORY INDIA:
Sangeetha Aiyer, +91 22 49001672
Sangeetha.aiyer@network18online.com