Q&A: Rahul Johri, Discovery Networks APAC

What's the break-up of Indian versus International content on TLC?

To put an exact number would be difficult because the inventory is always dynamic. One cannot put a percentage on this mix because it's not a science, it's an art. The India content comes in various ways. Some of it we completely produce out of India. Some of it is produced by the APAC region, and that travels across the region. Some content is global and therefore it is telecast around the world, while few episodes will be shot in our region. So, there are multiple ways in which content flows. As a viewer, you switch on to watch what's happening in the world; a healthy mix of content makes it more engaging for you. Therefore, our aim is to have freshness and a healthy mix of each type of content.Over the years, the production quality in India has gone up as well, in order to suit our benchmarks. The new show 'What Not To Wear' is produced by BBC Worldwide. Then we do a lot of work with Red Chillies Entertainment. This year, you'll see atleast one more Indian show to go on air.

Is the cost incurred in producing Indian shows getting justified by the sales revenue?

For us it takes time.But one of the advantages for us is that since we are a global company, we have to produce shows of high quality content so that they can travel to different markets. That enables more markets within the network to share the cost of production and the amortisation of the cost over a larger geography justifies the high cost.If this was not possible, the show would never have been made. For instance, 'Living with a Superstar - Shah Rukh Khan' was taken on air across the network. We are hoping the same for the newly launched show 'What Not To Wear' as well.

Going forward, do you see many more Indian shows on TLC?

We are not a factory, so bulk of our production will never really be from India. That won't work. First off, you as a viewer would run away. It will always be a mix of Indian, Asian and global content. Indian shows on TLC, like 'Oh My Gold!', and 'Be Blunt with Adhuna Akhtar' are meant to deliver on Indian viewers' aspirations. The percentage of Indian content will continue to increase every year, as the channel grows and matures. That's really the factor which influences the growth of content.