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<ul><li><keyword id="10370634" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Discovery">Discovery</keyword>+ recently announced its foray into original content with the launch of 3 shows, Mission Frontline, Ladakh Warriors: The Sons of the Soil and Secrets of Sinauli: <keyword id="6421627" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="discovery">Discovery</keyword> of the Century. </li><li>It has been witnessing an increase of 60% month-on-month in its subscribers.</li><li><keyword id="5153358" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Issac-John">Issac John</keyword>, Direct-to-Consumer Head - APAC, Discovery who told us about the platform’s journey so far, the factors that have helped Discovery+ amass a loyal user base, what made them foray into originals, and what the future of Discovery+ looks like.</li></ul>It’s been over 9 months since Discovery launched its OTT platform, Discovery+. When the platform had been launched, it proposition was being the only streaming platform to offer non-scripted, real life entertainment that is premium as well as accessible to people at scale. Now, to strengthen their offering further, Discovery+ has announced the launch of three originals. While the platform has plans of launching more shows as time goes by, currently, the three originals that it has launched are Mission Frontline, Ladakh Warriors: The Sons of the Soil and Secrets of Sinauli: Discovery of the Century. Meanwhile, within the first half of 2021, the platform aims to have more than 200 new and exclusive (local and global) titles to further strengthen its content offerings. Along with India produced Originals, Discovery+ will also be launching other Indian titles including shows such as Amma &amp; Appa, The Indian Dream Hotel, The Ganges with Sue Perkins, Aerial India as well as exclusive launches like A Perfect Planet featuring Sir <keyword id="711617" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="David-Attenborough">David Attenborough</keyword>, The End of The Storm, The Impossible Row and the latest seasons of Top Gear and Gold Rush among many more. Moreover, the platform has also been witnessing good growth since its launch. It has been witnessing around 60% growth in its subscriber base month-on-month since its launch earlier this year. Even its install-to-subscription ratio has been strong in comparison to a lot of other apps. We recently caught up with Issac John, Direct-to-Consumer Head - APAC, Discovery who told us about the platform’s journey so far, the factors that have helped Discovery+ amass a loyal user base, what made them foray into originals, and what the future of Discovery+ looks like. Discovery+’s journey so far Despite its launch in March 2020, possibly one of the most difficult years for businesses across the globe, Discovery+ has witnessed a good run so far. The fact that people were indoors, spending more time with their families also meant they were on the lookout for content that could be consumed along with their families. That helped the platform gain a loyal consumer base. Currently, Discovery+ is one of India’s highest rated apps on both Android and iOS. Speaking about what worked in their favor, John said, “Our user -adoption metrics on things like ratings and reviews have been overwhelmingly positive. We're actually one of India's highest rated apps today, something I would have never thought would have happened in such a short time. So user-adoption has really been like a big check for us.” While not revealing its exact growth figure, John shared that the platform has been witnessing a steady growth since its launch in March. “One of the key highlights for us in the past 9 months has been our subscription growth. Even in a differentiated space, we have been seeing around 60% growth in our subscribers month-and-month and that is a number that really pleases me. Even our install-to-subscription ratio looks pretty solid in comparison to other apps. So, we have realized that people do not mind paying for content that they really like and that is really encouraging for us,” he shared. A lot of it has had to do with the kind of content they showcase on their platform. People like gaining knowledge, they like being taken to places they have never seen before. They also like listening to the stories of people who inspire them. Over the years, Discovery has tried to strengthen its offering by listening to its consumers and creating content that they know would help capture their attention. Also, the fact that people want to watch such content with their families has led to Discovery+ becoming a shared living-room experience. “Around 50% of our watch time comes from our connected TV platforms like Chromecast-related Android, TV, Fire TV etc. So, we’re doubling down on that front as well by launching new platforms by February,” he added. Foraying into original content On why they forayed into originals, John explained, “Over the last few months, we got a pretty good sense of what our consumers really love. One thing that came across repeatedly was this sense of unprecedented access that Discovery+ can give them. We had specials where we took our viewers through a live telecast of SpaceX sending their rockets into space. We also had a lot of military specials. When we were thinking of what could our Discovery+ originals be, we felt that one common binding thread could be that our users love going to places where nobody's taken them. It entertains and informs them. So that’s how we came up with the slate of originals that we have announced.” The shows that Discovery+ has already announced the launch of are Mission Frontline featuring Rana Daggubati, Ladakh Warriors: The Sons of the Soil with Randeep Hooda as the narrator and Secrets of Sinauli: Discovery of the Century presented by <keyword id="68674" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Neeraj-Pandey">Neeraj Pandey</keyword> and featuring Manoj Bajpayee. Some of the other shows in the pipeline are Amma &amp; Appa, The Indian Dream Hotel, The Ganges with Sue Perkins, Aerial India, among others. On why all three shows announced have a big star connected to it, John said, “Over the years, we have realized we should make learning accessible to the common man. For us, this is just one way of making it more accessible.” On what genres they will explore in the future too, John shared that over the last few months, they have figured out the taste clusters of people on the platform. Some of the genres that they will bolster focus on are natural history, wars, history-related content, investigative content as well as paranormal and sports. “We’re really checking boxes of ensuring that we showcase differentiated Indian content because everyone else is making scripted fiction and movies. But India is a land of millions of untold tales and we believe that with our advent into originals, we have a pretty strong lineup,” he shared. The vision for Discovery+ India is indeed a land of a million untold stories and it will be the platform’s aim in the future to bring some of this fascinating stories under the spotlight, explained John. “I want Discovery+ to be the undisputed, unparalleled home for real-life entertainment and learning. That’s really our core proposition. And the signs so far tell us we are on the right track. We have so many stories to tell both from India and around the world. And while we tell those stories, there’s an enormous opportunity for us to really add value to people's lives. I think for me and the team, the excitement is to ensure that we stay differentiated and stay true to being this powerhouse of real-life entertainment and learning,” he concluded.

Here’s how Discovery+ has been able to grow its subscriber base by 60% month-on-month since its launch in March

<ul><li>Its been over three months since <keyword id="7444876" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Discovery-Plus">Discovery Plus</keyword> launched in India.</li><li>We speak to <keyword id="5153358" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Issac-John">Issac John</keyword>, Business Head- Digital (South Asia), Discovery who talks to us about how things have been since the launch of the platform, and what lies in store.</li></ul>The Covid-19 induced lockdown has come as a blessing in disguise for the <keyword id="1245953" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="OTT">OTT</keyword> industry that witnessed a huge surge in terms of new users and time spent on their platforms. With more time on people’s hands as they were stuck at home, people did not only start spending more time on these platforms but also experimenting with the kind of content they were watching.. During this time, something that everyone was looking for was content that they could consume with their families. That is exactly where Discovery’s OTT platform Discovery Plus came to play. Its been three months since the platform was launched and owing to the differentiated content it has been providing, it has seen a good reception among the audience. Meanwhile, to make it more easily accessible and to help people watch the content no TV, the platform was also made available on <keyword id="2180538" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="amazon-fire-tv">Amazon Fire TV</keyword>. We recently caught up with Issac John, Business Head- Digital (South Asia), Discovery to understand how the past few months have been for Discovery Plus has been, what kind of uptake they’re witnessing and what lies in store. Excerpts: Q) It’s been over 3 months since the launch of Discovery Plus. How has it been so far? What kind of reception have you seen so far? We launched with a proposition of being the only streaming platform to offer non-scripted real life entertainment which is premium and clearly accessible to people at scale in a big way. What we hoped for was that consumers perceive the USP and adopt us; and the first few signs that we have had in these last few months is that the consumer is clearly seeing Discovery Plus as a differentiated product compared to anything else. There are 2-3 lead indicators for that: One is the pace of adoption and our ratings on app store. Second is, the qualitative reviews that the consumers have told us when they evaluate a product like this. Reviews, essentially, by themselves are very much in the space of saying that this is real. They are saying things like ‘I can actually sit down with my kid during lockdown and watch this content’, or that this is an app that is inspirational and educational. So there have been a lot of positive reviews we have received from our consumers. This gives us the confidence that the differentiation of our product is established within the minds of the consumer. Q) With the app's launch on Amazon Fire TV, you've also launched a campaign. Tell us a bit about that, and how you are reaching out to people amidst the lockdown? Given that we had a differentiated product, we were keen that our value proposition stands out. That’s where Taproot helped us crack a great insight that if you watch interesting, you can truly stand out in a crowd. If you look at a lot of the communication of other players, you will see that every OTT almost always markets an IP. Whereas we in the market are actually saying ‘Agar aap interesting dekhoge toh interesting sochoge’. This is what has come through with our commercial that just concluded.We aimed to reach out to the aspiring Indian who looks to move up in life and showcase how Discovery plus help him win the big moments of life. The insight was that people are looking for things that help them stand apart in the crowd, that help them stand apart while they have a big moment in their life like kid’s admission, job interview or when they need to have a discussion with their boss. So, those are some of the things that we have narrowed down and we picked up a specific situation of the job interview and how this guy, because he knows the specific thing about the globe because he watched Discovery show, is able to go ahead and win that big moment in his life. Q) What kind of time spends have you seen on the app, and what kind of increase have you been witnessing? We are trending well above the median time spent by video viewers in India amongst all apps. Besides, our time spent on Fire TV is 2.4 times that of what we have on mobile. I think what ends up happening is that, when you consume content as premium and as well-produced as Discovery, your immersionin the viewing experience content goes up significantly on the big screen. That’s a clear sign of how consumers love us on the big screen and especially this particular metric was interesting for us. Q) There is a huge appetite for fresh content right now, which also gives rise to a lot of competition. How are you ensuring consumer stickiness to your platform? As a part of our retention strategy, one way is to ensure that consumers have enough choice pertaining to that specific interest they came in for. Typically, today consumers come in for a show or a brand. We ensure that month on month we have significant breadth across the specific verticals that they are coming in for. For example, if they come in for <keyword id="213828" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="20" keywordseo="Project-Runway">Project Runway</keyword> this week, we ensure that we have enough width to cater to that taste cluster of consumers. Q) Are there any interesting trends you've observed since your launch, in terms of consumer demographics or geographies? Is most of your audience base in Tier I Tier II cities or are smaller cities watching your content too? Discovery is India’s leading and most trusted infotainment brand. The trust that consumers have in Discovery cuts across boundaries and that gives us an inherent advantage. The split between Tier 1 and Tier 2 city is pretty even at 55:45. We see a male skew in our consumption and the other interesting thing we see is that our audience has got pretty good purchasing power affinity. For example, we know at least 3 out of every 4 of our users are regular online shoppers. Q) Since you launched right before the lockdown started, do you think it gave you a sort of advantage, as people were hungry for content and also open to experiment? Hindsight, I think yes. But it is hard to say a conclusive yes as I don’t have any pre-lockdown data. All I can say is that our subscriptions are well ahead of what we had estimated. There has been a lot of consumer love that has come our way in terms of subscriptions. What shines through is that if a product is differentiated and can add value to a consumers life, the users do not shy away from subscribing. Q) What more can we expect from Discovery Plus in the next few months to come? Currently, we will continue to build on the FireTV partnership. Secondly, we are also working to make the Android TV app launch pretty significant. And then, we have conversations going with a lot of significant partners in the ecosystem and by next quarter we will be in a position to announce some of these as well. There is something very interesting that is coming through. We are launching number of very premium BBC titles on our app thereby strengthening our content slate even further. Discovery Plus already offers differentiated content from across Discovery channels including Discovery, Animal Planet, Discovery Science, MotorTrend, HGTV, TLC etc. We will be strengthening this slate even further with premium content coming from BBC – thereby enabling our learning vector to become even more stronger. In addition, we will continue to build on the passion verticals such as Auto, Fashion and Lifestyle and Home and Garden. Starting July 01, for example, we just added season 8 of Project Runway. Q) Your content also has a huge appeal to the younger audience. How are you reaching out to that set of audience? As a platform, while we have a traditional base of Discovery fans and loyalists we also have young adults and passionate fans who find great value in subscribing to some of the premium Science and Lifestyle shows we have e.g. We have found performance marketing to be the most valuable tool in finding these audiences based on interests and demographics. Q) During the lockdown, marketing has been all about spending your monies on the place where it gets you the maximum eyeballs. What has this experience taught you about marketing in general? Well, if anything this lockdown has actually been a win for TV viewership in general and in that a combination of TV+Digital as a media mix has come across as being even more powerful a combination in these times.

We are trending well above the median time spent by video viewers in India amongst all apps: Issac John, Discovery

<ul><li><keyword id="7444876" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Discovery-Plus">Discovery Plus</keyword> is also releasing an anthology of <keyword id="8763838" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="covid-19">COVID-19</keyword> documentaries, where experts reveal why COVID-19 is unique, why the world was so unprepared for it and what could have been done differently to contain its spread. </li><li>#SafetyExtended offer valid till mid-night of April 16 gives users an annual subscription at the cost of a monthly plan.</li></ul>Discovery Plus has launched a digital campaign urging people to stay indoors with a film titled ‘The outdoors can wait.’ 'When you crave for adventure, stream the outdoors but continue staying safe indoor. The outdoor will be there for us forever. For now, embrace the extended safety lock-down and stay safe indoors,' says Discovery Plus in its latest campaign. <div type="Youtube" id="CUQ5URQ3S64" title="The outdoors can wait | #SafetyExtended | Discovery Plus" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/CUQ5URQ3S64/mqdefault.jpg"></div> Further, Discovery Plus will be releasing an anthology of three COVID-19 documentaries this week, which can be streamed without a premium account in light of widespread curiosity about the Pandemic. Among the specials to be released is Pandemic COVID-19, a 45-minute probing documentary where experts reveal why COVID-19 is unique, why the world was so unprepared for it and what could have been done differently to contain its spread. Issac John, Business Head – Digital (South Asia), Discovery, said, “Our campaign film drives the message of urging audiences to stay indoors while bringing alive the most picturesque outdoors on earth – outdoors which can be seen through myriad shows that are available on the app. The idea of the #SafetyExtended offer is to help families across the country enjoy and engage with premium and high-quality real-life entertainment during the extended lockdown period. Alongside, given the huge interest amongst audiences about COVID-19, we’re releasing three documentaries on COVID-19 which will be available for free consumption on the platform.” Developed and curated especially for the Indian audience, Discovery Plus has seen a strong rise in consumption since its launch last month, with shows on science, adventure and lifestyle receiving a phenomenal response from viewers.

Stay indoors and stream the outdoors, says Discovery Plus in its latest campaign

<ul><li>With the lockdown extended to May 3, how is the <keyword id="9056838" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="ott-industry">OTT industry</keyword>, that has seen a surge in users and time spent on the platforms, coping with this new normal.</li><li>The panel will touch upon the strategies that the OTT platforms are employing to build consumer stickiness, and how they are ensuring their content libraries are able to keep people entertained. </li><li><keyword id="2003969" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Abhishek-Joshi">Abhishek Joshi</keyword>, Head of Marketing and Business Partnerships, MX Player, Divya Dixit, SVP, Marketing, Analytics &amp; Direct Revenue, <keyword id="4241922" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="ALTBalaji">ALTBalaji</keyword>, <keyword id="5153358" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Issac-John">Issac John</keyword>, Business Head – Digital (South Asia), Discovery and <keyword id="32440" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="rahul-mishra">Rahul Mishra</keyword>, Head Marketing and Communications, <keyword id="203890" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Shemaroo-Entertainment">Shemaroo Entertainment</keyword> will be a part of the panel.</li></ul>With the national lockdown extended by another 19 days, we are going to be stuck at our homes till May 3. In the first week of the lockdown, data from BARC-Nielsen had revealed that people have started spending more time online, and begun consuming more content on OTT platforms. In our latest series of panel discussions around how the Covid-19 lockdown is impacting the industry and businesses, we are hosting a chat around the opportunities and challenges for the OTT ecosystem in India. As the lockdown brings a silver lining with it, we want to ask a few pertinent questions. Will the industry be able to keep up with this growth once the lockdown is called off? Will the platforms be able to bring about a behavioral change among consumers? How are advertisers looking at the platforms and will they increase their spends if more consumers move to the medium? The panel moderated by Samarpita Banerjee, Deputy Editor, Ad &amp; Media Insider (moderator) will see Abhishek Joshi, Head of Marketing and Business Partnerships, MX Player, Divya Dixit, SVP, Marketing, Analytics &amp; Direct Revenue, ALTBalaji, Issac John, Business Head – Digital (South Asia), Discovery and Rahul Mishra, Head Marketing and Communications, Shemaroo Entertainment join the discussion. Join us on our Facebook and Twitter pages for an insightful discussion at 4:00 pm today.

Join our panel discussion on the impact of the Covid-19 lockdown on the OTT industry

<ul><li>After the comeback of epics such as Ramayan and Mahabharat, there is a huge demand for classics. Riding on the nostalgia wave, <keyword id="2810265" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="ott-players">OTT players</keyword> are also using their old content. </li><li>For the first time in history, to overcome the restrictions and market their content in the best way possible, OTT players have tied up with TV channels to push their content. </li></ul>After Doordarshan brought back its two epics, Ramayan and Mahabharat, Star TV and Sony followed the trend and is taking us back to the golden era by rerunning some old shows like Sarabhai VS Sarabhai, Khichdi, CID, and Aahat respectively. Now owing to the fact that production has been stalled till the lockdown is lifted, OTT platforms are taking a similar route. While ShemarooMe is premiering Bollywood movies every Friday, it has also seen a huge jump in people watching classic movies. “There is a lot of experimentation happening right now -- the audience is actually going back and watching blockbuster movies from the past such as Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron or older shows like Nukkad. And it’s been consumed by the younger generation too. So, that's opening up a new set of content for a new set of audience who have not been exposed to it till now. And that's sort of interesting for us as a platform to wait and watch,” shares Rahul Mishra, Head Marketing and Communications, Shemaroo Entertainment. <keyword id="4241922" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="ALTBalaji">ALTBalaji</keyword>, on the other hand, which already has a huge library of content, is also considering bringing back a few of its classic, much-loved serials. Moreover they are also in talks with other platforms for content syndications, to broaden their content offering. “We are utilising this time to do business syndications, we did one with ZEE. We are also utilising our vast content library and queuing up our originals ready,” said Divya Dixit, SVP, Marketing, Analytics &amp; Direct Revenue, ALTBalaji. <keyword id="7444876" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Discovery-Plus">Discovery Plus</keyword> is also leveraging its global partnerships to help consumers stay indoors and stream the outdoors. To stay relevant in today’s environment, they have lined up COVID-19 documentaries. “Discovery has a lot of content that hasn’t been exposed to Indian audience. We have a strong global library to sustain for a long period of time. For us, it’s a mix of marquee specials, global library and partnership content. We already had a couple of pieces ready on Coronavirus, we are trying to stay relevant as we can,” said Issac John, Business Head – Digital (South Asia), Discovery. Moreover, with gaming seeing a spike across the world, platforms like <keyword id="2214311" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mx-player">MX Player</keyword>, that had recently introduced gaming on its platform, has an edge as people are on the lookout for different modes of entertainment. “We introduced gaming about 8-10 weeks back and in the last five weeks, it has seen a 4X surge in engagement. And we are using that inventory available on our platform to cross promote our own shows. In terms of the number of games played by one user and the time spent by that user on the gaming tab is actually something that we didn't expect and we are actually using that to cross promote our own shows,” said Abhishek Joshi, Head of Marketing and Business Partnerships, MX Player. He also shared that MX Player has recently inked a content deal with Sony Pictures Television and Paramount. “We are the first Indian AVOD platform to have struck such a deal with an international studio.” Tough times are pushing marketers to come up with creative ways to sell their content. Disney+ Hotstar original series Hostages is now airing on Disney-owned TV channel Star Plus. For the first time in history, OTT content is broadcasted on a TV channel. ALTBalaji has also partnered with ZEEL to broadcast its originals such as Kehne Ko Humsafar Hain, Baarish, Karrle Tu Bhi Mohabbat. Joshi says, “While this integration has happened at an unfortunate time, it will help the OTT players embark on a collaborative journey rather than an either-or strategy, which we have always been speaking about.”

OTT players bank on content archives and work on content syndication to meet the rising demand due to the COVID-19 lockdown

<ul class="summary-list"><li>"Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" tries so desperately to service the fan base that it loses sight of the story it's telling.</li><li>The movie often feels forced, unnecessary, and has way too many hat tips to the franchise. </li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul>J.J. Abrams helmed the return of the "Star Wars" saga with "The Force Awakens" in 2015 and mixed a new chapter with the nostalgia to deliver a movie that was loved by the fan base.Boy, what a difference four years makes.Abrams returns to close out things with "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" (in theaters Friday) and clearly tries to pull off the magic trick twice. But this time it feels forced, unnecessary, and in some instances boring.The first half of the movie, which brings Rey (Daisy Ridley), Poe (Oscar Issac), Finn (John Boyega), Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo), and C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) together to track down the planet that Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) has been hiding out in (since "Return of the Jedi") and finally end the Sith, just isn't interesting. It feels like filler to get to the second half of the movie.It seems there was a strong idea of how to end the Skywalker saga, but they needed to fill in an hour before getting there.Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) discovers the existence of Palpatine before the Resistance does, and is given an important piece of information: who Rey's parents are (turns out he only knew one part of who Rey's parents were in "Last Jedi"). So, while Rey and the gang are trying to figure out where Palpatine is, Ren gets his mask put back together and goes out to find Rey with Palpatine's Final Order army.Yeah, it's really confusing, and worse, lame.But Abrams does get things back on track for the ending. And if you haven't zoned out by then you may enjoy it. All questions are answered, all the people who need to show up do. It's full-on fan service, but at this point, nine chapters in, we just need to embrace it and move on with our lives.It's clear with just the pacing of the movie that Lucasfilm/Disney did not want another "The Last Jedi," where Rian Johnson slowed things down and let it all breathe. "The Rise of Skywalker" is as quick as the Millennium Falcon. There is no time to catch your breath or for the actors to give anything in the scenes. It's basically, how many things can we do in how many locations, without spending too much time doing them?And the movie goes overboard with nostalgic hat tips. There are some needed to give you a fulfilling climax, but for the most part, it goes so far in the hap tips it's a shock to the senses. It will make even the most dedicated "Star Wars" fan say, "Enough!"Because so much is packed in, there is little for the new characters - and some of the existing ones - to do. Thankfully, Leia (Carrie Fisher) gets a nice send off, but there is one highly CGI'd scene with her that will have some folks up in arms. If there's one thing that will stay with me it's Driver's performance as Ren. He's always the standout, but in this film he shows why he's an incredible talent. Honestly, the movie would be a complete disaster if it weren't for him.Despite all of that, the movie is going to be a monster at the box office - at least for the opening. The question becomes what kind of legs it has. It likely won't have the staying power of "The Force Awakens," but will it earn as much as "The Last Jedi"? We'll be watching.

'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker' is too busy making unnecessary references to the franchise it forgets to tell a good story

<ul><li><keyword id="7444876" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Discovery-Plus">Discovery Plus</keyword> will offer premium shows in 40+ genres including Science, Adventure, Food, Lifestyle.</li><li>Rajinikanth’s TV debut show – ‘Into The Wild With Bear Grylls’ will be launched first on Discovery Plus.</li><li>Priced at Rs 299 p.a., Discovery Plus will reach out to core infotainment consumers in the initial phase.</li></ul>Discovery has announced the launch of its streaming app, Discovery Plus. Priced competitively with an introductory offer of Rs 299 per annum, the app has been developed and curated specifically for India. In the initial phase, the company will reach out to 25 million strong base of core TV infotainment consumers across Tier I and Tier II towns (defined as those who watch over 3 hours of infotainment every month). Furthermore, in order to drive engagement, Discovery Plus is launching with one-of-a-kind rewards with Google Pay. Google Pay users who tune-in to the premiere of Into the Wild with Bear Grylls featuring Rajinikanth on March 23rd at 8:00 PM on Discovery can match the audio for the first four minutes of the show or the promos leading up to the show with Google Pay’s ‘On-Air’ feature, and get a reward upto 100% off on Discovery Plus annual subscription price*. The newly launched OTT service will offer thousands of hours of exclusive content across 40+ genres, including Science, Adventure, Food and Lifestyle, in 8 languages including Hindi, English, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Bengali &amp; Marathi. Discovery Plus will offer Premium subscribers a large selection of never-seen-before Premium Discovery titles, must-watch documentaries, India originals and exclusive acquisitions. Free users of the app will have access to all-time favorites from the Discovery library. Additionally, a unique destination titled ‘Shorts’ will feature hundreds of free short-form videos that will satisfy the new and emerging Indian mobile user looking for infotainment on the go. The much-anticipated Superstar Rajinikanth’s TV debut show –‘Into The Wild With Bear Grylls’ will be launched first on Discovery Plus on March 23 much before the television premiere. Discovery Plus will also exclusive videos including Behind The Scenes for Thalaiva’ s fans. The content will be curated from content brands such as Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, BBC, TLC, Discovery Science, Discovery Turbo, ID, Food Network, HGTV, Cooking Channel, Travel Channel, DIY Network, Motortrend and VICE. Speaking on the occasion, <keyword id="1409320" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Simon-Robinson">Simon Robinson</keyword>, President APAC &amp; CFO International, Discovery, Inc., said, “Globally, we are observing healthy trends from direct-to-consumer businesses and Discovery Plus, with its India focused strategy, is a valued addition. The launch of Discovery Plus is a significant development for our business in India and reflects our commitment to this critical market.” “The consumer is spoilt for choice in the scripted content space but doesn’t have a dedicated offering in the unscripted space – a place we intend to fill with the launch of Discovery Plus,” said, <keyword id="4722871" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="megha-tata">Megha Tata</keyword>, Managing Director – South Asia, Discovery, “Our large global library of 300,000 hours of premium content and expertise in owning passionate communities will give us a huge competitive advantage in the digital domain.” “In a digital world that’s laden with hours and hours of scripted content, Discovery Plus offers a unique and untapped opportunity for us to build on the trust of the flagship brand and offer content that truly powers people’s passions across verticals as varied as Adventure, Science and Lifestyle to name a few,” said, Issac John, Business Head – Digital (South Asia), Discovery, “Over the next 12 months, the lineup includes premium content across all our key genres such as Into the Wild with <keyword id="16227" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rajnikanth">Rajnikanth</keyword>, Expedition Unknown, Coronavirus: The Silent Killer, Food Factory, Mythbusters, Wild Karnataka and Project Runway among many others.” Developed, curated and priced for India market <keyword id="645898" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Discovery-India">Discovery India</keyword> has conducted multiple consumer researches to find cues to develop a truly diffrentiated product. In a nationwide research conducted across 10 cities, 62% of consumers indicated that they are keen to subscribe to a product that will offer interesting knowledge about the world. Additionally, research from Vidooly, indicated that interest in core categories of factual and lifestyle entertainment on YT, the world’s largest streaming platform went up by 36% contributing to an overall 70 bn views in 2020. This growth and increase in infotainment consumption has been proven in the consumption pattern of the Discovery Plus destination on Daily Hunt App where over the last 12 months, over 40 million consumers have viewed Discovery short-form videos. It’s interesting to be rare but rare to be interesting Discovery’s research clearly shows that even though consumers are happy with their current entertainment products, there is still a need for a trusted product that helps them stand out among their peers and that will teach them interesting things about the world. They expressed the need that in various situations in life, knowing something interesting about the world makes them seem smarter and helps them progress in life. This specific need combined with the trust of the Discovery was a strong reason for consumers to prefer Discovery Plus as an app of choice on their mobiles. App Interesting toh AAP interesting Discovery has launched a targeted marketing campaign ‘App Interesting toh AAP interesting’ to connect with consumers across the country. Discovery’s network of channels including Discovery, Animal Planet, TLC, DSPORT, Discovery Kids DTamil, Discovery Science, Discovery Turbo, Discovery ID reaches 164** million consumers on a monthly basis and all will promote the newly launched service. In addition, Discovery has planned a strong and targeted digital campaign to reach out to infotainment genre seekers. *About Google Pay’s On-Air feature: On-Air is a feature on Google Pay which lets users scan audio within GPay and earn rewards if their scan matches a target audio. New to Google Pay users can simply download the app to enjoy different types of rewards.

Discovery launches entertainment streaming app Discovery Plus

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image">Sara D. Davis/Getty ImagesDonald Trump and Bob Corker</div></div></div>President Donald Trump's latest ugly fight with a lawmaker from his own party could hurt and ultimately doom his push to reform the tax code, analysts say. Trump and Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee, who is retiring after the 2018 election cycle, launched into a war or words over the weekend.Trump <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-bob-corker-tweets-twitter-reelection-2017-10">tweeted that Corker is a "negative force,"</a> claiming he rejected an endorsement when the senator asked.Corker responded by charging that "the White House has become an adult day care center." Then, in an interview with The New York Times, he suggested Trump <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/bob-corker-trump-world-war-iii-twitter-2017-10">could drive the US into World War III</a>.The spat could have negative consequences for the tax reform push. Corker was already wavering on his support for the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-tax-plan-details-corporate-rate-individual-brackets-deductions-cuts-2017-9">plan Trump and Republican leaders released on September 27</a>, suggesting reservations about its potential to balloon the federal deficit.Trump administration officials have <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-tax-plan-federal-deficit-2017-10">doubled down on the plan to increase the deficit</a>, said Greg Valliere, chief global strategist at Horizon Investments, putting deficit hawks like Corker in a bind over the plan before it even really gets off the ground. He pointed to Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney's interview on "Meet the Press" on Sunday.Mulvaney "said running higher deficits - at least $1.5 trillion of red ink over 10 years - is acceptable if it eventually jump-starts economic growth," Valliere wrote in a note to clients Monday. "This Keynesian dogma, coming from a former hard-line deficit hawk, has bewildered many Republicans like Corker, while supply-side Republicans are dismayed that abolition of the estate tax looks less likely. There's no margin for error on a tax bill, as Republicans waver and Democrats reject any compromise."Issac Boltansky, an analyst at the research firm Compass Point, said the added friction between himself and Trump argument could endanger the tax effort, given the already slim majority for Republicans in the Senate."The margin for error in the Senate is already perilously slim for tax reform and the president's comments undoubtedly hurt that push," Boltansky wrote in a note to clients on Monday.The tax bill is likely to go <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-tax-reform-plan-reconciliation-budget-2017-10">through the budget reconciliation process</a>, which allows Republicans to avoid a filibuster by Democrats. But the GOP only holds a 52-seat majority in the chamber, meaning leaders can only survive two defections.Chris Krueger, an analyst at Cowen Washington Research Group, said that Trump is either Trump taking his frustrations out on Corker for endangering the agenda or unknowingly making it worse for himself. Either way, it's not good for the tax plan, he said."Either Trump realizes that Corker can sink the remainder of the Trump/GOP legislative effort and is upset by that reality, or he didn't/doesn't know and just made it a reality," Krueger said in a note to clients. "Either way, we see ZERO upside for the budget process/tax reform in this Twitter-tantrum with the policy downside limit-down."This isn't the first time that Trump attacked a Republican via Twitter in the midst of an important legislative push. Sens. John McCain, Rand Paul, Mitch McConnell, Lisa Murkowski, and Susan Collins were all targets of Trump's Twitter fury during the GOP's push to repeal and replace Obamacare.Trump's tweets on that subject did little to change the eventual defeat of the healthcare measures. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/firings-trump-administration-anthony-scaramucci-fired-resignation-steve-bannon-2017-8">Tom Price resigns after controversy over private flights - here are the casualties of the Trump administration so far</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

Trump's spat with Bob Corker could doom tax reform

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Yuri Gripas/ReutersHouse Speaker Paul Ryan</div></div></div><ul><li>The House is scheduled to vote on the final version of the Republican tax bill on Tuesday, with the Senate coming soon after.</li><li>The bill would substantially change both the business and individual side of the US tax code.</li><li>Republicans are likely to support the bill overwhelmingly in both chambers of Congress.</li></ul> The House is scheduled to vote on the final version of the Republican tax overhaul on Tuesday, kicking off a frantic rush to cement the bill into law before Christmas.The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, first introduced in the House just fewer than seven weeks ago, has been pushed through Congress at lightning speed to meet a self-imposed end-of-year deadline.The last version of the TCJA was finalized on Friday after a conference committee merged versions of the bill from the two chambers into one conference report.The vote in the House is expected in the early afternoon. If it passes, the TCJA will be sent to the Senate for a vote either late Tuesday or early Wednesday.<h2>What's in the bill?</h2><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image">Win McNamee/Getty Images</div></div></div>The TCJA would <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-gop-tax-reform-bill-final-text-details-brackets-rates-2017-12">substantially overhaul</a> both the business and individual sides of the US tax code.On the business side, large corporations would see their tax rate cut to 21% from the current 35%. Additionally, businesses would be able to fully deduct expenses immediately over the next five years. Outside of the headline items, specific industries like craft brewers will see significant adjustments and carve-outs to their tax bills.Businesses in which the owner books the profits as personal income, called pass-through businesses (such as a limited liability corporate or S-corporation), would be allowed to deduct their first 20% of income attributable to the business. The bill calls for certain restrictions for wealthier pass-through businesses in an attempt to prevent wealthier firms with few employees, like hedge funds, from getting the benefit.On the personal side, most Americans would see an immediate tax cut. The cuts, however, would expire after 2025 so that the bill qualifies under key Senate rules. While Republicans have said that the cuts will <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-gop-tax-plan-senate-bill-why-individual-tax-cuts-temporary-2017-11">likely be extended by a future Congress</a>, critics of the bill have attacked the planned sunset of the personal tax cuts, saying it <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/12/16/the-essential-tradeoff-in-the-republican-tax-bill-in-one-chart/?utm_term=.d29226e520db">shows the bill's priority</a> lies with corporations.Overall, most independent analyses of the tax bill determined that the TCJA would give a small boost to the US economy and, on average, cut taxes for Americans at every income level.But despite Republican clams, no analyses <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/tax-foundation-report-says-gop-tax-bill-will-boost-economy-but-still-fall-short-2017-12">show the bill</a> would "pay for itself" by generating higher tax revenue from increased economic growth, with most showing an accumulation of around $1 trillion in new debt over 10 years.<h2>Will it pass?</h2><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Chip Somodevilla/Getty ImagesBob Corker is a yes.</div></div></div>The TCJA appears to have a fairly smooth path to passage.In the House, a handful of Republican lawmakers have said they will vote against the bill. They are predominately from states like New York and California, where many residents will lose a substantial amount of the benefit from the state and local tax deduction.But passage appears baked in: Just 13 Republicans voted against the bill when it first came through the House, and the GOP can afford to lose as many as 22 votes.The Senate will be slightly more complicated, said Issac Boltansky, an analyst at the research firm Compass Point, but only due to technical rules. The issue at hand is <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-republican-tax-reform-penn-wharton-byrd-rule-test-2017-11">the so-called Byrd rule</a>, which prevent provisions that don't deal with the budget from being added to legislation being considered under budget reconciliation.Reconciliation, which the GOP is using to pass the tax bill, allows Republicans to move it on a simple majority vote. But it also means that Democrats can challenge some of the bill's provisions under the tightened rules."Debate in the Senate is limited to 10 hours, but Democrats are likely to use at least some of that time to procedurally challenge whether certain elements of the package conform to the Byrd Rule's requirements. ... Democratic challenges could conceivably prove to be speed bumps in the GOP's drive to tax reform in 2017, but our sense is that a material delay is highly unlikely," Boltansky said in a note to clients Tuesday.While technicalities could slow down the process, Republicans almost certainly have enough votes to pass the bill. The absence of Sen. John McCain, who returned to Arizona to receive treatment for complications stemming from brain cancer, whittles the GOP majority down to 51-48. But key holdouts, including Republican Sens. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/last-minute-change-to-gop-tax-reform-bill-could-benefit-trump-corker-2017-12?r=UK&amp;IR=T">Bob Corker</a>, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/susan-collins-mike-lee-will-vote-yes-on-gop-tax-reform-bill-2017-12">Susan Collins</a>, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/marco-rubio-tax-reform-bill-vote-yes-vote-child-tax-credit-2017-12">Marco Rubio</a>, and Mike Lee, all said they would vote for the bill in recent days.That leaves Sen. Jeff Flake as the only Republican to not formally announce an intent to vote for the bill, likely giving the party a cushion."We continue to believe that the president will sign the tax bill this week, which should provide members of both parties with wide latitude to use painful Christmas puns liberally," Boltansky concluded. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/what-its-like-to-live-in-putin-russia-life-luke-harding-collusion-politics-military-alexander-litvinenko-2017-11">What it's like to live in Putin's Russia, according to an investigative reporter who lived there for 4 years</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

CRUNCH TIME: Republicans are set to close out their massive tax overhaul

<ul><li>Jonathan Ernst/ReutersBy sometime later this summer, Congress will have to raise the nation's debt ceiling.</li><li>Both Congress and the Trump administration are starting to firm up their positions.</li><li>Failing to raise the ceiling could lead to catastrophic effects on the economy.</li></ul>The deadline that led to the night President Barack Obama once <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/obama-mint-trillion-dollar-coin-scariest-night-debt-ceiling-2017-1">called the "scariest moment"</a> of his presidency is once again on the horizon in Washington.Raising the debt ceiling: At its core, a seemingly simple function of Congress. But the battle over raising the cap on how much debt the federal government can incur emphasizes divides not only in Congress but also within President Donald Trump's administration.Failing to reach a deal to raise the nation's borrowing limit, however, could be disastrous for the global economy and possibly undermine large swaths of the international financial system. "I want to emphasize that the sooner they do it, the less uncertainty there is in the market," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said of Congress on Friday.<h2>Sooner than expected</h2>The timeframe for dealing with the debt ceiling has crept up amid recent developments."I respectfully urge Congress to protect the full faith and credit of the United States by acting to increase the statutory debt limit as soon as possible," Mnuchin <a href="https://www.treasury.gov/initiatives/Documents/DL_Letter_20170316_Ryan.pdf">wrote in a public letter to House Speaker Paul Ryan</a> when a temporary suspension of the limit expired in March.Since then, the Treasury has used "extraordinary measures" to extend the timeframe on the debt ceiling by suspending some investments in federal retirement funds and slowing the pace of debt issuance. Originally, the Treasury and Office of Management and Budget indicated the ceiling would be hit sometime in the fall, though the exact timing is only a best estimate.Mnuchin said recently, however, that the pace of tax receipts the department generated was slower than expected over the past few months."I think it's absolutely important that this is passed before the August recess, and the sooner the better," Mnuchin told the House Ways and Mean Committee in a hearing on May 24.On Friday, however, Mnuchin did seem a bit less alarmed, saying the Treasury has "backup plans" if the limit is not raised by August. He did not specify those plans."We will be fine if they don't do it beforehand, but I want to emphasize that the sooner they do it, the less uncertainty there is in the market," Mnuchin told reporters at a meeting with Canadian Finance Minister Bill Morneau.Mick Mulvaney, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, also said <a href="http://www.cnbc.com/2017/05/24/budget-chief-say-debt-ceiling-may-need-to-be-raised-soon.html">in a congressional hearing</a> that the slower pace of tax collections would mean the debt ceiling could be breached sooner than previous projections.Based on Mnuchin's testimony and reports from Treasury officials, the deadline could come within the next couple of months.Mark Wilson/Getty ImagesSteve MnuchinLower-than-expected tax receipts seem to be in part a problem of Trump's own making. Trump's promise to cut taxes and recent rollout of a one-page tax outline seems to be <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/06/01/americans-are-taking-their-sweet-time-paying-taxes-and-the-government-is-running-out-of-cash/?utm_term=.5825da370f50">causing Americans to delay some of their tax bill in anticipation</a> of the lower rates.<a href="https://www.cbo.gov/system/files/115th-congress-2017-2018/reports/52692-mbr.pdf">A report from the Congressional Budget Office on May 5</a> said tax receipts between October and April were 3% below the office's projections from January. The CBO said that could be in part due to Trump's tax promise."The reason that payments for 2016 activity were smaller than anticipated may be that income growth was weaker than expected in calendar year 2016, or that taxpayers shifted more income than projected from 2016 to later years, expecting legislation to reduce tax rates to be enacted this year," the CBO report said.<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-05-31/rich-americans-may-hasten-a-trump-headache-raising-debt-limit">Bloomberg</a> has also reported that wealthier Americans have been deferring tax payments on non-wage income in order to take advantage of the lower rates that Trump says are on the way.<h2>A necessary step</h2><a href="https://www.senate.gov/CRSpubs/d2c8f833-9796-4b3e-9462-6b1755ef463d.pdf">According to a report from Andrew Austin</a>, an analyst at the Congressional Research Service, the idea of an official debt limit stretches back to The Second Liberty Bond Act of 1917. There has been an aggregate limit on the level of federal debt since the 1939.Prior to this Congress, had to approve debt offerings by the Treasury on an individual basis. The debt ceiling, on the other hand, allowed Congress to exert some influence over spending and debt issuance while making it easier for the Treasury to effectively finance operations. That was especially important for bond issuances to finance American involvement in World War I.Since the debt ceiling's inception, it was repeatedly raised with little fuss - until the 21st century.Debt-ceiling fights, especially amid massive deficit increases following the 2008 financial crisis, have become more difficult and politically contentious.Perhaps the most famous came in 2011, when it appeared that Republican leadership in the House did not have enough votes from its conference to pass the debt ceiling bill just hours before it was set to be breached. Obama, in an interview in January, called the moment the most nerve-wracking of his presidency and said he had prepared a speech in case the US went into partial default on its debt.Obama's fear was warranted, given the massive impact failing to raise the debt ceiling would have on not only the finances of the federal government, but also the global economy.In the most basic sense, if the debt limit is not raised the government <a href="https://ia601306.us.archive.org/28/items/R41633ReachingtheDebtLimitBackgroundandPotentialEffectsonGovernmentOperations-crs/R41633%20Reaching%20the%20Debt%20Limit_%20Background%20and%20Potential%20Effects%20on%20Government%20Operations.pdf">loses the ability to pay its bills</a>, and many elements of the federal government <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2013/01/07/this-is-what-would-happen-if-we-breach-the-debt-ceiling/?utm_term=.942748cc6feb">would shut down as obligated payments cease</a>.During previous debt ceiling fights, the major credit-rating agencies all said a default would lead to a serious downgrade of the US's credit rating. In 2011, the simple fact that the US got so close a breach led Standard &amp; Poor's to downgrade the country's then-AAA rating - <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424053111903366504576490841235575386">the first credit downgrade in the history</a> of the nation.Further lowering the credit rating would increase borrowing costs for the government, make issuing new debt more costly, and cause serious disruptions in global credit markets.Outside of the effect on the US government's financial situation, the loss of faith that the America would always pay its bills would ripple out into the global economy.For instance, even the prospect of a default in 2011 caused a steep decline in US stock markets. A report on the macroeconomic effect of the 2011 ceiling fight from <a href="https://www.treasury.gov/connect/blog/Pages/Report-on-Macroeconomic-Effect-of-Debt-Ceiling-Brinkmanship.aspx">the Treasury Department</a> said that the "S&amp;P 500 index of equity prices fell about 17% in the period surrounding the 2011 debt limit debate."Larry Downing/ReutersSpeaker of the House John Boehner listens as U.S. President Barack Obama hosts a luncheon for bi-partisan Congressional leaders in the Old Family Dining Room at the White House in Washington, November 7, 2014. Amadou Sy, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, pointed out just how important the US maintaining good standing is for global investors in a post before the 2013 debt ceiling increase."Global investors need a 'risk-free' benchmark to value securities and US Treasurys typically play this role (given that the U.S. still holds a solid credit rating and the fact that it has never defaulted)," wrote Sy. "Emerging and developing countries that issue dollar-denominated bonds could pay a higher price should the U.S. default. Furthermore, the U.S. Treasury market is perhaps the deepest and most liquid market in the world, allowing investors to exchange U.S. Treasuries for cash very rapidly even in in times of market stress. "Since the US dollar is the considered the world's reserve currency and US government bonds are key assets in much of the world's investment portfolios, undermining the world's trust in these financial products could be devastating. <a href="https://www.treasury.gov/connect/blog/Pages/Report-on-Macroeconomic-Effect-of-Debt-Ceiling-Brinkmanship.aspx">The Treasury report</a> on the economic impact of such a default concluded that the failure to raise the debt ceiling would be catastrophic.From the report:"In the event that a debt limit impasse were to lead to a default, it could have a catastrophic effect on not just financial markets but also on job creation, consumer spending and economic growth-with many private-sector analysts believing that it would lead to events of the magnitude of late 2008 or worse, and the result then was a recession more severe than any seen since the Great Depression."<h2>Battle lines</h2>Given the necessity of raising the ceiling, the argument over the limit often becomes a battleground for various ideological arguments and politically motivated riders. This time, it has split not only Congress, but the Trump administration as well.Mnuchin, for one, has said he favors a "clean" raise - legislation solely to raise the ceiling.On the other hand, Mulvaney has advocated for legislation that includes some spending cuts designed to rein in some of the debt increases in the future. Such a move would likely be a poison pill for Democratic support and make it difficult to pass, given the thin Republican majority in the Senate.Trump, for his part, has appeared to take Mnuchin's side, telling congressional Republican leaders that Mnuchin is "that guy" <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-mnuchin-mulvaney-debt-ceiling-2017-6">for the debt ceiling. </a>Mulvaney's position, however, is supported by his former colleagues in the hardline conservative House Freedom Caucus - and by some in the House GOP leadership.The Freedom Caucus, which continually pushes for debt reduction and curtailed spending, even went as far as taking an official position in May that it would not support any debt ceiling bill without concessions on spending cuts. House Speaker Paul Ryan has also said the party should target spending reductions to go along with a limit raise, but did not guarantee they would have the votes to do so."Yes, that can be achieved," Ryan told reporters at a press conference Thursday. "The question is can we assemble the vote coalition to do that. So, we're not taking any options off the table, we're talking with our members about what is the best way to proceed, and how can we meet these fiscal deadlines we have."Hardline deficit hawks in the Senate, like Sen. Rand Paul, also have <a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/30/debt-ceiling-lift-238861">said they will push for spending cuts</a> as a part of debt ceiling legislation.Chip Somodevilla/Getty ImagesMick MulvaneyDemocrats have long pushed for a clean raise, and so far that is their official position."The Republican Majority should pass a clean debt limit increase and not risk the full faith and credit of the United States," House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said in a statement.But given the consequences of failing to raise the ceiling and the fact that the Republican majority could feel the pressure to save face on increasing the deficit, Democrats could push for more.The other X-factor in the debt ceiling fight this time is Trump himself.Chris Krueger, an analyst at the Cowen Washington Research Group, said Trump's unpredictable approach to policy may bring more extreme solutions - like <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/trillion-dollar-coin-on-debt-ceiling-treasury-2015-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">minting a platinum coin worth $1 trillion</a> to pay down a chunk of the debt - to the table."With President Trump, debt ceiling options like the Platinum Coin and the 14th Amendment - while unlikely - are now at least a possibility," Krueger wrote in a note to clients. "You also have Twitter risk, Trump's personal/business history with debt, and his comments during the election about restructuring the nation's debt (hair-cutting Treasuries?) that combine to make this a volatile DC-created tail risk."Issac Boltansky, an analyst at the political research firm Compass Point, said there is a strong likelihood that legislators avoid a default. But given the web of conflicting policy goals, he predicted some collateral damage along the way."Odds favor lawmakers addressing the debt ceiling in advance of the deadline, but we caution that there are numerous political and practical hurdles ahead," Boltansky said in a note to clients. "Furthermore, our sense is that the accelerated debt limit timeline will further hamper the GOP's legislative agenda, increase the odds of a government shutdown in October, and potentially shift the Federal Reserve's policy normalization trajectory."Asked Friday what exactly the Treasury's back-up plan was if the debt ceiling was not increased in time, Mnuchin offered only a vague assurance.Said Mnuchin: "Treasury Secretary super powers." <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-pushes-past-montenegro-prime-minister-nato-summit-2017-5">Watch Trump appear to push NATO's newest leader as he makes his way to the front of the pack</a></h3> Please enable Javascript to watch this video

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