Exclusive | FOX Traveller to deepen India insights: Debarpita Banerjee

FOX Traveller, India’s leading travel and lifestyle channel is planning to offer more insights into India in the coming months. The channel which began its journey in the last year has in a short span of its existence breathed freshness in the way audience looks at and understands ‘Travel’. It is known for showcasing the best the globe has to offer and is the only 100 per cent travel and lifestyle channel available across markets. Says Debarpita Banerjee, Vice President - Marketing, FOX International Channels, “We create local productions that embody the channel’s philosophy that fun is in the journey and not in the destination. This has helped us gain young TV viewers in the country, who like our programming”. 

 

FOX Traveller is trying to go beyond the shows and make it more relevant for the traveller. A case in point is the popular show, ‘It Happens Only In India-2’ with vivacious actor and anchor, Sugandha Garg who undertakes a fun journey through the lesser known India to find what can only be termed as bizarre. Unlike a regular travelogue, there are no luxury hotels, gourmet cuisine or cruise parties on this show. Instead, ‘It Happens Only In India-2’ is all about the madness, the unimaginable customs, freaky traditions and improbable heroes that make India unique. This series takes viewers to places that are off the regular tourist map including Bundi in Rajasthan, Sindhudurg in Maharashtra, Jamnagar in Gujarat and Bidar in Karnataka, amongst others. 

 

India is a large and diverse country, with many interesting stories strewn across the states. FOX Traveller focuses on providing interesting facts by going to lesser known places and this has received great viewer response. The channel has gone deeper into the country and has discovered a truly quirky country, hiding in the many lanes and by-lanes. Adds Debarpita Banerjee, “By operating on insights that young India loves travelling, most of shows are India based, customised for the young and identifiable with the viewers.” 

 

FOX Traveller has always shown viewers something that was not seen before. From monuments to crafts, textiles to cuisine, a lot has been talked about India’s diversity but there’s still so much more to explore. Coffee processed from the droppings of a civet cat; Ulta Ramayana and Bhagvad Gita, which can be read only with a mirror; street dentists who practice their ‘art’ on the footpath; emu egg omlettes to red ant chutneys; water colour nail artists to mustache artists and more. “Going ahead, we will show many fun journeys and stay high on the wow factor”, adds Debarpita. 

 

Digitization will help the channel penetrate into more homes. As the grey market gets regularised, subscription revenue will increase and eventually so will advertising revenue, as the channel will be watched by more and more people. “For this we are working more on India centric shows and will aim to make the demand stronger - both from the viewers and advertisers”, she adds.