# Warner Bros. Discovery India

Warner Bros. Discovery India also known as (WBD or WBDI) is a division of Warner Bros. Discovery Asia-Pacific that operates several television channels in India. The division is responsible for delivering a range of content across various genres, catering to diverse audience interests. Additionally, Warner Bros. Discovery India manages the Discovery+ streaming service, which offers on-demand access to a variety of programming.
The company was initially established as two separate entities: Turner International India and Discovery India, both launched in 1995. Following the merger of their parent companies in the United States, these two entities subsequently combined to form Warner Bros. Discovery India, thereby consolidating their operations in the Indian media market.

## History
### Turner International India (TimeWarner)

In 1995 Turner came to India with the launch of Cartoon Network, the first kids channel in India.
In 2004 the company launched Pogo.
Turner's CNN International only reached the urban population in India. To reach the Indian masses Turner Broadcasting System together with an Indian company, Global Broadcast News (currently TV18 Broadcast Limited), launched the channel in India as CNN-IBN (now known as CNN-News18) on 18 December 2005. The channel was completely run by TV18 Broadcast Limited, which only used the Cable News Network (CNN) brand name.
The company launched WB Channel on 15 March 2009. The channel featured a mix of Hollywood films and (formerly) television dramas from the Warner Bros. Vault.
In 2009 Real TV was launched, Real was a Hindi entertainment channel launched by Turner International India in a 50:50 joint venture with Alva Brothers Entertainment on 2 March 2009 based in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The channel ceased all its operations in March 2010 due to low GRPs and minimum viewership. Also, the channel lacked sponsors and new shows since September 2009 and aired re-runs of its former shows.
On 8 December 2009, it was announced that Turner Asia Pacific Ventures (a wholly owned subsidiary of Turner Broadcasting System) had acquired a 92% stake in NDTV Imagine Ltd. NDTV's 76 percent stake in NDTV Imagine would be given to Turner for $67 million, and the Time Warner company would acquire fresh equity worth $50 million to get 92% control. NDTV Imagine Ltd. ran NDTV Imagine, NDTV Lumiere and NDTV Imagine Showbiz television channels and film production transfer of shares, amounting to 85.68% of NDTV Imagine Ltd, by NDTV Networks Plc to Turner Asia Pacific Ventures. The three channels will be under Turner General Entertainment Networks, a holding company that will infuse fresh capital to fund the network's growth. The 'NDTV' brand was dropped, and the channels were relabeled Imagine TV, Lumiere Movies and Imagine Showbiz. Imagine Showbiz was sold in January 2011 to Reliance Broadcast Network.
In 2015, the company launched Toonami.
Before the launch of HBO India, HBO Asia tried replicating the premium model in India. But then HBO decided it wasn't commercially viable, so the channel was launched in India and also in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Maldives.
TiimeWarner in collaboration with Eros International launched HBO Defined and HBO Hits across India on 21 February 2013 on Tata Play, Dish TV and Airtel Digital TV. These channels were advertisement-free. Content on both channels included movies as well as most HBO original programming. When the channels launched, the main HBO channel stopped airing the original series.
In 2015, HBO Asia had decided to exit the Indian market and license the channel to Turner International India previously it was handled by Asian feed. The channel was revamped in February 2016 after a survey conducted by the channel team to better suit the masses. HBO Defined and HBO Hits would be handled by Star India, however HBO Defined and HBO Hits SD was shut down on 31 December 2015 while HBO Hits HD was replaced by HBO HD on 4 September 2016.
On 15 May Toonami got shutown and Cartoon Network HD+ was launched on 18 May 2018.

### WarnerMedia

After AT&T acquired Time Warner in the USA, the company became known as WarnerMedia worldwide.
On October 15, 2020, WarnerMedia announced that HBO and The WB channel would shut down on December 15, 2020. As a result, the HBO channel ceased to be available in India and Pakistan, while The WB channel was discontinued in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and the Maldives.
HBO India closed down at midnight, with the last movie aired on the SD channel being Mad Max: Fury Road (which completed just one hour before the shutdown), and the last movie on the HD channel being Memoirs of a Geisha.

### Warner Bros. Discovery

In July 2022, Discovery Communications and WarnerMedia merged in India. And announced a new team.
In 2023 Warner Bros. Discovery and Viacom18 announced a new multi-year agreement, making JioCinema India's new streaming home of HBO, Max Original and Warner Bros. content.

## Units

* Discovery+
* Discovery School Super League
* CNN-News18- A 24-hour English news channel in partnership with GBN (a TV18 company)
* ZEDO

### Warner Bros. Pictures India

| Year | Film | Notes |
| 2008 | Saas Bahu Aur Sensex | First Indian movie distributed by Warner Bros. India. |
| 2009 | Chandni Chowk to China | Hindi movie |
| 2010 | Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge | Hindi movie |
| 2010 | Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai | Hindi movie |
| 2010 | Phas Gaye Re Obama | Hindi movie |
| 2010 | Utt Pataang | Hindi movie |

### Former Units

* Media Pro Enterprise India Pvt. Ltd., in partnership with Star Den Media Services Pvt. Ltd. Formed in May 2011, the company distributes the largest channel bouquet covering a total of 65 channels.
* Real (a 50/50 joint partnership between Turner and Alva Brothers.)
* Zee Turner Limited, a TV distribution company, in partnership with Zee Entertainment Enterprises.

## Owned channels
### Operating channels

Warner Bros. Discovery India currently owns and operates 18 TV channels (12 SD, 6 HD) across English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Marathi and Bengali.
| Channel | Launched | Language(s) | Category | SD/HD availability | Notes |
| Cartoon Network | 1 May 1995 (1995-05-01) | English Hindi Tamil Telugu Malayalam Kannada | Kids | SD & HD (as Cartoon Network HD+) | 1st kids channel in India and oldest among other sister channels. |
| Pogo | 1 January 2004 (2004-01-01) | Hindi Tamil Telugu Malayalam Kannada Marathi | Kids | SD | |
| Cartoon Network HD+ | 18 May 2018 (2018-05-18) | Hindi English Tamil Telugu | Kids | HD & SD (as Cartoon Network) | Different feed from Cartoon Network. |
| CNN International | 1 January 2000 (2000-01-01) | English | News | SD | |
| Discovery Channel | 15 August 1995 5 March 2010 (HD feed) | Hindi English Tamil Telugu Malayalam Kannada Bengali Marathi | Wildlife and Information | SD & HD | |
| Animal Planet | 29, March 1999 (SD Feed) 23, July 2014 (HD feed) | Hindi English Tamil | Wildlife and Information | SD & HD | |
| TLC | October 2004 (SD) 2 June 2014 (HD) | English and Hindi | Knowledge and Lifestyle | SD & HD | Formerly Discovery Travel & Living |
| Discovery Science | January, 2010 | English and Hindi | Knowledge and Lifestyle | SD | |
| Discovery Turbo | January, 2010 | English and Hindi | Knowledge and Lifestyle | SD | |
| Investigation Discovery | 1 June 2014 (SD) 31 January 2018 (HD) | English and Hindi | General Entertainment | SD | Formerly Discovery Jeet (2018-2019) and Jeet Prime (2019-2020). |
| Discovery Kids | 7 August 2012 (2012-08-07) | Hindi Tamil Telugu Malayalam Kannada Marathi | Kids | SD | |
| Eurosport | 6 February 2017 (SD & HD) | English | Sports | SD & HD | Formerly Dsport. |
| DTamil | 1 April 2003 | Tamil | Wildlife and Information | SD | Formerly Discovery12 and Discovery Tamil. |

### Defunct channels

| Channel | Discontinued | Launched | Replaced By | Language | SD/HD availability | Category |
| Real | March 2010 (2010-03) | 2 March 2009 | | Hindi | SD | General Entertainment |
| Imagine Showbiz | September 2011 | 15 August 2008 | | Hindi | SD | Music |
| Imagine TV | 11 May 2012 | 21 January 2008 | | Hindi | SD | General Entertainment |
| Lumiere Movies | 5 July 2012 | 21 January 2008 | | English and Hindi | SD | Movies |
| HBO Defined | 31 December 2015 | 21 February 2013 | | English | SD | Movies |
| HBO Hits | 31 December 2015 | 21 February 2013 | | Hindi and English | SD & HD | Movies |
| HBO Hits HD | 31 December 2015 | 21 February 2013 | HBO HD | Hindi and English | SD & HD | Movies |
| Investigation Discovery | 12 February 2018 | 1 June 2014 | Discovery Jeet | Hindi and English | SD & HD | General Entertainment |
| Toonami | 15 May 2018 | 26 February 2015 | Cartoon Network HD+ | Hindi and English | SD | Kids |
| Jeet Prime | 13 January 2020 | 12 February 2018 | Investigation Discovery | Hindi and English | SD & HD | General Entertainment |
| WB Channel | 15 December 2020 | 15 March 2009 | | English | SD | Movies |
| HBO | 15 December 2020 | 22 March 2000 | | English | SD & HD | Movies |