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Sai Abishek, head of factual entertainment, lifestyle & kids in Discovery South Asia,
The makers of Man v/s Wild, A Haunting, and the David Attenborough classic, Planet Earth, were recently back with a new format, but this time it was not the usual Discovery.
This October, Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. aired Reality Ranis Of The Jungle, an all-female adventure reality show where celebrities from all walks of life are stripped of their comforts and pitted against both the wilderness and each other.
While Discovery has always been associated with nature and adventure (think Man vs. Wild, Naked and Afraid, and Dual Survival), Reality Ranis was part of Discovery’s India-first initiative to cater to the evolving tastes of one of its largest and fastest-growing markets. Discovery completed 30 years in India on August 15, 2025.
“When you bring a big show or even an unknown format from another market, you have to use a lot of elements that the Indian audiences are used to watching," notes Sai Abishek, head of factual entertainment, lifestyle & kids in Discovery South Asia.
"We love to fight, we love conflict, we love drama, we love seeing a differentiated cast, and we like to see things that are a little bit over the top than what a European audience would be used to watching. We are not very subtle,” explains Abishek, elaborating on what it took to customise the original Dutch show, Echte Meisjes in de Jungle (Real Queens in the Jungle), to the Indian audience.
Infusing 'Discoveriness' into reality
The core of Discovery’s localisation strategy is blending the intrinsic drama of Indian reality television with the brand's established focus on adventure and survival. This process begins long before the cameras start rolling.
"Whether it's a dating show, a captive reality show, or a survival reality show, a lot of these things are pre-engineered in the casting and in the formatting so that when you switch on the cameras, you don't have to do much. That's what we as creators have to think about. Keep the Indian audience in mind, their tastes, likes and dislikes," notes Abishek candidly.
However, remaining true to the Discovery brand is paramount. "What is very important when you take the format and localise it is that you also have to be true to the brand you're making the show for," he explains.
Co-existence of documentaries and reality shows
Abhishek is also quick to clarify that the focus on reality doesn't mean a departure from the network's legacy.
"We haven't deviated from documentaries to reality. They co-exist," he asserts. "So, the way we look at it is, on the documentary side, we've been like leaders in producing documentaries on history, mythology, and true crime docs."
Discovery has created several successful India-specific documentary franchises, often leveraging high-profile creators and hosts to broaden appeal:
- Legends franchise: Legends of Ramayana and Legends of Shiva with Indian mythology writer Amish Tripathi.
- Secrets franchise: Secrets of Sinauli, Secrets of the Kohinoor, and Secrets of the Buddha Relics, hosted by Manoj Bajpai.
- True crime: Three seasons of Money Mafia, My Daughter Joined a Cult on Swami Nityananda, Cult of Fear: Asaram Bapu, and Love Kills.
- Hidden history: Defenders of Bharat: Ek Tha Raja on kings and queens "who were lost to Indian history."
"The documentary space continues to be on a parallel track with reality," Abishek confirms. The goal with both genres is to expand Discovery's reach.
"But the example of Reality Ranis is actually a little bit of a step in the direction to make brand Discovery slightly bigger and bolder, and also mass consumption in terms of appeal," he says, explaining the casting of personalities like Neeraj Pandey and Manoj Bajpai and the collaboration with Amish, "who is the highest-selling author in India".
On the reality front, Reality Ranis is a "natural progression" for the unscripted genre, particularly in India, following popular shows like:
- Into the Wild with Bear Grylls (featuring Narendra Modi, Rajinikanth, Akshay Kumar, and Ajay Devgn).
- Mission Frontline (taking celebrities like Rana Daggubati, Rohit Shetty, Farhan Akhtar, and Sara Ali Khan into the armed forces).
- Star Vs Food (with Chef Ranveer Brar).
Abishek reveals that the success of Reality Ranis has already led to an expanded commitment, with Season 3 slated for the first quarter next year and two more undisclosed large local reality shows launching within the next six months.
Discovery versus Discovery Plus
The discussion then shifted to the role of Discovery Plus, launched during the pandemic. The streaming platform has become the "one-stop shop for all things unscripted", offering a wide range of content, including food, survival, kids' animation, sports, lifestyle, and documentary content from BBC and A&E Networks.
Abishek notes that the viewing habits across platforms have diverged:
- TV Audience: The core Discovery lovers remain the mainstay, but with connected TV's growth, they seek "more and more spectacle, can't-miss, must-see programming."
- Streaming Audience: This group "gravitates more towards... the deeper genres like crime, the hardcore documentaries, the more layered storytelling" where they have "deep viewing time available."
The core audience for both platforms, however, is the urban 15+ demographic, with the "sweet spot... somewhere between 22 to 40."
Venturing into short-form content
When asked about the influence of social media and micro dramas, Abishek views the impact as "only in a good way because it shows that there is an appetite for all other kinds of formats" He points out that the conventional wisdom about short attention spans has been proven wrong by the success of long-form content, even by three-hour podcasts.
"The appetite for deeper storytelling has been very clearly proven across the world, not just in India," he says, adding that this has "widened the scope of what we want to be doing." This is why Reality Ranis was extended from 10 to 20 episodes in its new season.
Discovery is currently exploring new formats, thinking aloud, Abishek wonders, "If there is micro drama, why can't there be micro factual?"
Ultimately, Discovery’s main differentiator across all platforms remains authenticity. "There's so much content on social media, sometimes not all of it is authentic," he notes. "Whereas a lot of vetting happens across many layers for what airs on Discovery. That level of authenticity, very few people can bring to the table," concludes Abishek.
