Legends of Shiva: Warner Bros. Discovery’s Big Bet on Mythology Content in India

Warner Bros. Discovery is expanding its presence in India with a focus on mythology content, innovative storytelling, and local talent. In an exclusive conversation with Deccan Chronicle, Sai Abishek, Head of Factual and Lifestyle Cluster for India and South Asia, Warner Bros. Discovery, shares insights into the company's content strategy and plans for the Indian market.

We identified a viewer need gap about five years ago when launching Discovery Plus in India. We realised there was a huge need gap for high-quality stories from India, focusing on Indian history and mythology. We did shows like Secrets of Sinauli with Neeraj Pandey, Secrets of the Kohinoor, and Legends of Ramayana. We have been building this audience yearly, trying to create authentic, high-quality storytelling. There’s no other authentic source in the country that can deliver this kind of storytelling.

With the success of these shows, Legends of Shiva is the natural next step. We are developing five other stories, but this is our next big launch. I believe we have the best hand in this category, and this show will set the tone for the rest of the year.

With the rise of streaming platforms and changing viewer preferences, how does Warner Bros. Discovery plan to stay ahead of the curve in the factual entertainment space in India?

We are the leaders in factual entertainment in India, and it’s our job to innovate and keep pushing the genre. We spend a lot of time developing and looking for stories, whether it’s crime, history, or adventure. We marry what we do best in factual entertainment with high-quality programming and build talent in India.

We incubate projects from various producers in the country and outside India, giving them time to develop. Not everything will make it to screen, but we develop 10 projects, and maybe one or two will get commissioned.

The team has dedicated researchers, producers, and journalists who contribute to making these stories. With technology constantly changing, India has no dearth of editors, cameramen, directors, and others wanting to showcase their skills.

We are always listening – to pitches, people, the audience, and taking feedback. It’s a two-way communication. We do what we have to do because we are trying to evolve the Discovery brand for the current generation and the future.

What genres of content are currently performing well on Warner Bros. Discovery’s platforms in India?

We have seen two broad buckets working well on our channel. The first is reality-based programming, such as adventure and survival shows. We have reality shows like Reality Ranis of the Jungle, which brought a lot of mass audiences to the table. It marries reality and drama, but also authentic Discovery-style hardcore survival. The second bucket is high-quality, noisy documentaries like Cult of Fear or Legends of Ramayana. These have a very dedicated audience who come to see that cinematic experience. It immerses deeply into those worlds. Indians love to see stories from their own region, and there’s a hunger for local stories in various categories. That’s what’s been working on our channels as well as on the platform.