MUMBAI: Commemorating the 66th year of India?s Independence, Animal Planet will celebrate country?s wildlife and natural diversity through a month-long programming slot ?Yeh Mera India?.

From 15 August, every night at 8 pm, the special programming lineup will rejoice the country?s iconic and enchanting wildlife, epic landscapes and colourful natural beauty.

To mark the celebration, Animal Planet will also launch Yeh Mera India Anthem, a three minute multi-lingual song, composed and performed by renowned music personalities like Lesle Lewis, Shaan, Mathangi and Monali.

The one-hour slot will take viewers on an enthralling journey through India, from the Himalayan Mountains, down the mighty River Ganges, and across to the lost world of the North East, to explore its iconic wildlife, secret locations and exotic terrains.

The Anthem is a tribute to the fantastic wildlife of India which will fascinate the youth of India. Composed by one of India?s finest music composers Lesle Lewis, the anthem is sung by singers Shaan, Mathangi and Monali who have lend their voice to epitomise and celebrate the exuberance of India?s rich wildlife. This anthem cheers for the spirit of freedom in three most widely spoken languages of the country: Hindi, Tamil and Bangla, blending music and visuals.

Discovery South Asia senior VP, GM Rahul Johri said, ?India has snow-capped mountains, deserts, forests, wetlands and fertile plains, and its climate ranges from temperate to tropical monsoon. ?Yeh Mera India? is an initiative to celebrate the country?s natural world enriched with varied environments and unique wildlife. I am sure this small initiative from Animal Planet will act as a catalyst to bring awareness amongst audience and sensitise them towards the protection of Indian wildlife and its habitat. The channel intersperses dedicated programming with most popular form of entertainment ? music.?

The song composer, Lesle Lewis said, ?Animal Planet is the one-stop destination for wildlife enthusiasts. I am proud to be associated with the channel for this initiative and hope that the song creates awareness amongst people and sensitise them towards the amazing fauna of our country.?

Shaan said, ?Music is the strongest medium which entertains and connects people from diverse social and linguistic backgrounds. I am glad Animal Planet has chosen this medium to reach out to viewers to celebrate the essence of freedom of animals.?

Within India?s borders are some of the most charismatic animals on the planet, including lions, tigers, lesser pandas, camels and elephants. It is also home to a bounty of distinctly Indian species such as cobras, chinkaras, blue bulls and a variety of leaf-eating monkeys called langurs. the slot follows the flow of the Ganges, from the glaciers of the world?s highest mountains, the Himalayas, to the largest bay in the world, the Bay of Bengal.

Viewers can find out why this river is a lifeline to an array of wild animals, including India?s rare one-horned rhinoceros, as well as eight per cent of the world?s population. Head high into the Himalayas to find out how its hostile terrain, powerful winds and sub-zero temperatures support one of the largest and most diverse collections of creatures on the planet, including man.

The slot also travels into a lost world, home to head-hunting tribes, tiger-infested forests, unclimbed mountains and pristine rivers. Visit Thar Desert and discover how this harsh environment supports both humans, and some of the toughest and rarest creatures on earth.

There is also a journey into the Western Ghats, a spine of mountains stretching for a thousand miles along India?s west coast, thought to be one of the most bio-diverse places in the world. On one side, tropical rainforests thrive, and explode with life, including the endangered lion-tailed macaque, whilst on the eastern side, tigers and wild dogs compete for prey in its dry forests.

MUMBAI: Discovery Enterprise International, the programme sales and licensing arm of US non fiction broadcaster Discovery, has announced the launch of ?D10?, a series of shorts that can be specially adapted for any client, on any platform.

The new package is being showcased at the on-going television trade event MipTV 2012.

D10 takes Discovery?s tremendous archive of over 10,000 hours of premium content to offer the entertainment package for mobile and online subscribers. With nearly unlimited content that can be personalised to match any client?s needs, these awe-inspiring, one to two minute clips are made of the best top 10 moments from the company?s portfolio of global brands, led by Discovery Channel and including TLC, Animal Planet, Science Channel and Investigation Discovery.

Discovery Enterprises International senior VP Nicolas Bonard said, "As the industry?s leading producer of factual entertainment, Discovery distributes the world?s number one library of nonfiction programing that resonates with an eclectic, widespread, international audience. With enough content to develop any type of customizable short, it is only natural to further expand the company?s offering to clients with subscribers across multiple platforms."

D10 clients will obtain such clips as ?World?s Deadliest Sharks?, ?Top 10 Wild Survival Techniques? or ?Incredible Makeovers?. D10 can be tailored for any platform, including mobile, games, Terrestrial Television, DVD and Publishing. For mobile clients, D10 will be used for streaming video or screen savers. Discovery content will also be tied in to creative interactive games, or used as bonus footage for DVDs. D10, and its collection of the best of Discovery?s riveting content, is available immediately for all digital, mobile and online clients.

MUMBAI: Bollywood actor John Abraham joins Animal Planet to raise awareness about tiger conservation in India. Next month Abraham will share his personal message with the viewers in Animal Planet?s special programming line-up ?Where Tigers Rule? to protect the magnificent animal.

?Where Tigers Rule?, the month long celebration of tigers, kicks off on 1 March and will air every night at 9 pm.

The show will aim to enlighten viewers about tigers? behaviour, predatory skills, family life and issues related to illegal poaching. It will feature man-eating tigers from Sunderbans, the motherly love of a tigress in Bandhavgarh, a family of tigers in Ranthambore forest, amongst others.

Supporting the conservation of Tigers, Abraham said, "The Tiger is the most magnificent animal and its protection and preservation is of national importance. Each of us should contribute in our own way and help increase awareness levels to secure the future of wild tigers. It is a great initiative by Animal Planet to dedicate one full month to tigers, where viewers can enjoy superb programmes and get to know more about the big cat?s behaviour, hunting habits and habitats."

Discovery South Asia senior VP, GM Rahul Johri said, "Animal Planet is India?s foremost wildlife destination that offers immersive, engaging and high quality entertainment to viewers. Where Tigers Rule is a unique initiative that leverages Animal Planet?s reach and popularity to create awareness and support the national cause of tiger conservation."
 

MUMBAI: Infotainment broadcaster Animal Planet is boosting its India content with a new show that will celebrate India wildlife throughout 2012.

The channel will air a 52-week special, ?India: Wild Encounters?, from 26 January?26 February every day at 8 pm and will continue later as a weekly slot every Thursday at 8 pm.

?India: Wild Encounters? provides a tour of the wildlife of India, capturing enthralling stories such as a rhino?s journey from infancy to adolescence, Ranthambhore?s big cats, tigers of Sunderbans and the elephants of North East India. The series also follows the endangered river dolphins of Ganges and King Cobra that lives in the remote forests of South India.

Discovery South Asia senior VP, GM Rahul Johri said, ?We are delighted to bring this unique programming lineup for 52 weeks to television homes in India. India: Wild Encounters will premiere never-seen before wild life encounters and feature global personalities."

Meet the real wildlife explorers - Jeff Corwin, Austin Stevens and Dave Salmoni as they set out on their explorations to learn more about the wild animals of India. In one episode, an individual female Nepalese rhino, Bachada, develops from infancy through adolescence to maturity. The Chitwan Valley in Nepal -- home of the tiger, peacock, langurs and macaques, land of changing river courses and permanent lakes -- is the backdrop for the story of the biology and social behaviour of the greater one-horned rhinoceros, an ancient animal survived the Pleistocene Ice Age and was already venerated by humans as early as 2000 BC.

Said Johri, "This unprecedented content offering is in line with Animal Planet?s strategy to continue to be India?s foremost destination for wildlife television entertainment. We are confident that India: Wild Encounters will generate immense interest amongst the viewers and trade alike.?

MUMBAI: US broadcaster Animal planet kicked off a new season of ?Infested!? on 30 December 2011 with seven hour-long episodes and two "best-of" episodes.

?Infested!? unearths the real-life horror stories of ordinary people plagued by extraordinary infestations inside their homes.

It is not about the occasional bug slipping through a crack in a wall - it?s a full-on war for the victims whose nightmares are relived this season. Every one of these victims has suffered either physical harm or psychological trauma. Some of them may never feel safe and sound again. This season, viewers will get up close and personal with nature?s nastiest squatters, including spiders, opossums, bedbugs, scorpions, bats and rats - all of which can spill out from the tiniest orifices and create a living terror.

In the first episode, a young family moves into a new home in Kentucky only to discover a protected species of bat that cannot be disturbed. Then, a Pennsylvania household combats a deluge of cockroaches and learns that these bugs crawled their way from the neighbor?s house. Across the country in California, a single mom battles the growing number of filthy rodents raging a riot through her home.

Future episodes become deadly when a Tennessee father fights for his life after he?s bitten by brown recluse spiders. Each story is enhanced by macro-lens photography and CGI recreations, which reveal how these critters strip humans of the four walls that protect them from the outside world.