NEW DELHI: Factual entertainment network Discovery has launched in India its kids channel, Discovery Kids, to fight in a genre that is struggling to push up revenues amidst strong competition.

Discovery?s eighth channel in India will be in three languages ? English, Hindi, and Tamil. Discovery Kids is priced at Rs 13.75 in analogue and a little over Rs 6 in digital.

Discovery General Manager (South Asia) Rahul Johri said that the channel was aimed at children between 4 and 11 years from amongst the 370 million children under 14 years of age.

Most of the programmes on the channel are in animation but some are in live action. Some of the shows are aimed at children aged between four to six years. The mid-morning is reserved for these young ones, while the other programmes will be aired later in the evening.

Discovery Kids is already running in Latin America and in the Asia Pacific region from the Philippines, but the Indian channel will have several indigenously produced programmes.

Johri said research had shown parents wanted a kids channel that had programming they could trust. Hence, the tagline ?Ignite your imagination?.

Johri told that the channel is presently available only on Videocon D2H and Dish TV among the DTH platforms, but will shortly be available on other platforms too.

While pointing out that the channel will not take advertising immediately but will do so within a month or so, he did not agree that there was a slowdown in advertising. ?In any case, we are here for a long haul?, he added. He felt that experience from the other Discovery channels had shown that it was a healthy market.

Johri said that the channel would use all its usual methods for advertising the new channel, not only on its own channels but on others as well. However, he refused to divulge any figures about the advertising budget.

Positioned as a factual channel, Discovery Kids has no plans at present to take fictional stories. However, he did not rule out taking tales from the Panchtantra since they were moral in nature.

The research had covered focused groups in all the major cities. ?Discovery Kids will offer Indian children an entertaining way to satisfy their natural curiosity and promises to ignite their imagination through stimulating programming. It will form the bedrock for development of their social, cognitive, emotional and personal skills. The channel will usher in a new wave of kids? entertainment in India ? one which will have them engaged and their parents satisfied,? he said.

The channel will have some shared content from the Latin American or Asia Pacific channels but will also have some indigenous stories. Johri said some of the animation was also being done in India. The channel will be working on more Indian shows in the near future.

Discovery Kids website will launch next week. Discovery already runs the Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, TLC, Discovery Turbo, Discovery Science, Discovery HD, and Discovery Tamil Nadu.

The channel will cover a variety of programming ranging from iconic global content to multiple India-themed series. Committed to offer a comprehensive viewing experience and cater to diverse demands of Indian kids, the programming formats will include highest-quality animation and engaging live action series under multiple genres such as adventure, mythology, nature, history and science.

The core values of Discovery Kids include playful (by stimulating learning and imagination in a fun and innovative way), smart (by giving creative surprises for enquiring minds), transformative (by providing an immersive world that sparks wonder and curiosity) and learning (by creating a trusting and engaging environment).

Discovery Kids? programming slate features fun, enriching and entertaining programmes such as Kim, Rudyard Kipling?s famous hero; Adiboo Adventure (unveils all the puzzling questions that can bother a kid?s mind); and The Legend of Enyo (takes kids on a spectacular journey of fantasy, fun and wild adventure); and Gali Cricket that takes on a whole new exciting and colourful avatar in the unique animation series Howzzatt.

MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Television Networks, Asia has named James Dumlao as head of its operations in the Philippines.

Designated as director business operations, Dumlao will be based in the company?s Manila office to lead its local team across all strategic operations and brand-building aspects of the business.

Dumlao comes with 13 years of experience in the Filipino pay-TV industry and in his new role, will drive distribution, marketing strategies, and advertising sales for SPT?s networks in the Philippines including AXN, Animax and beTV.

Dumlao is also charged with developing new business opportunities for the company and will report to Sony Pictures Television Networks, Asia Sr VP, business operations and head of Asian content Hui Keng Ang.

"We are delighted to welcome James on board to spearhead the growth of our business in the Philippines. His in-depth local knowledge and experience will prove invaluable in leading the team in an exciting marketplace where we continue to focus and invest significantly in," said Sony Pictures Television Networks, Asia EVP and GM Ricky Ow.

Dumlao was earlier with Pilipino Cable Corp (PCC) where he served as director of marketing and program acquisitions as well as director of advertising sales from 2000 to 2007. Before that, he was manager of PCC?s business in the region of Visayas, and he was with cable network start-up, Telemondial Holdings, Inc. prior to joining PCC.

Following his PCC tenure, Dumlao joined as managing director of the Asiaphil group of companies which is engaged in manufacturing, trading, project management, project financing and energy efficiency solutions. From 2010, Dumlao became an independent management consultant providing consultancy to clients from trading, manufacturing and energy industries including Macondray & Co. Inc. and Asiaphil Management Resources, Inc.

MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Television Networks is rebranding AXN Beyond as beTV across Asia.

Beginning 2 April, the new beTV channel will feature an expanded content line-up and a new on-and-off-air look and feel, with a channel ?personality? to match.

Sony Pictures Television senior VP, GM, Networks, Asia Ricky Ow said, "We have been broadening the appeal of AXN Beyond by introducing a wider range of programming such as Pan Am, Necessary Roughness and A Gifted Man. Renaming the channel to beTV better reflects the broad general entertainment service that it offers. We believe beTV will soon become the new entertainment ?hang-out? for viewers to relax, laugh, catch up with their favourite characters and shows, or just unwind after a long day".

A slate of light entertainment programming will be added including Rob, Rob Schneider?s latest sitcom based loosely on his real-life whirlwind romance and marriage; while reality show ?I Get That A Lot? sets up celebrities like Heidi Klum, Martha Stewart, LeAnn Rimes and Jessica Simpson in everyday jobs such as wait and sales staff, with hidden cameras capturing reactions of unsuspecting customers and passers-by.

Scripted favourites such as ?Everybody Loves Raymond?,

featuring Ray Romano and Touched by an Angel starring Roma Downey and Della Reese, will be familiar additions.

beTV viewers can also continue to enjoy returning seasons of drama series including ?Sherlock? featuring Benedict Cumberbatch, sci-fi themed shows ?Teen Wolf? and ?Supernatural?, comedy dramas ?Chuck? and ?How to be a Gentleman?, along with medical drama ?Grey?s Anatomy?.

beTV will sport a logo and identity in vibrant orange complemented by a set of warm colours to offer an on-air look that is both casual and contemporary. The beTV rebrand will be seen in 15 markets including Brunei, Cambodia, Fiji, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka and Thailand.