Discovery Channel

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Discovery Channel is a property of Discovery Communications primarily packaged as a network entertainment brand distributed in virtually every pay-television market in the world.

The network brand is primarily known for its a variety of science programming, particularly documentaries and nature shows. Discovery Channel's tagline is "Let's All Discover...", with a continuing phrase or sentence that relates to a show. Their previous tagline was "Entertain Your Brain". The Discovery Channel network brand launched in 1985 in the United States.

The Discovery Channel also is the branding for a multitude of stores in malls across America and also an online store. Educational gifts are its specialty.

1 United States
2 Around the world
3 Marketing and branding
4 See also
5 References
6 External links

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United States

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Discovery Channel (Television)

The Discovery Channel has added programs on mechanics and popular science including American Chopper, MythBusters, and Monster Garage that widen the network's scope beyond its initial focus on science and because of it, have put it under scrutiny of presenting infotainment instead of educational television.

Discovery Networks U.S. has decided to return The Discovery Channel to its founding agenda after dropping out of the Top 10 of watched channels and ratings for two-year span have been low. Chris Moseley, Discovery Networks U.S.' Executive Vice President, has said that the channel will return programming to the channel's original intent, interesting science programming that educates. Template:Ref

On January 4, 2006, Discovery Communications announced that Ted Koppel, longtime Executive Producer Tom Bettag and eight former Nightline staff members were joining the Discovery Channel.

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Discovery Channel Radio

Discovery Channel Radio is a channel on both of the major United States satellite radio services: XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio. [Discovery was dropped by XM Radio in early September 2005.] The programming consists of audio versions of popular programs from its multitude of TV channels.

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Around the world

The Discovery Channel reaches over 450 million homes in over 160 countries. In a number of countries, Discovery's channels are available on digital satellite platforms with multiple language soundtracks or subtitles (including Spanish, German, Portuguese, Italian, Danish, Greek, Polish, Hungarian, Romanian)and Hindi. For example, subscribers of [[Cyfra+]] in Poland, at an extra $2 per month, can now switch between four Discovery channels with two language soundtracks: the original English or the native Polish soundtrack. In Bulgaria, Discovery has since 2001–2002 been displayed with Bulgarian subtitles by all cable providers.

Canadian viewers receive similar English-language programming to the channel that American viewers watch, but with content modified to suit the audience. Most notably, Discovery Channel Canada carries the daily science news show Daily Planet, originally @discovery.ca, the first of its kind. Occasionally, several segments on similar topics are taken from various episodes and put together into one-hour specials that are broadcast on the original Discovery Channel.

In the United Kingdom, Discovery broadcasts a bouquet of 14 channels (including timeshifts) on digital television, with a new HD channel also announced for Spring 2006.

In Germany Discovery is part of the PREMIERE-digital-network and supplies specific programmes to other networks like ZDF and Kabel-1. Discovery is also owner of the documentary-channel XXP. The channel was bought in spring 2006 from its former shareholders Spiegel TV and "dctp". All programmes are dubbed into German.

In the Netherlands, all of the programmes are broadcast in their original language, on one channel, but they are subtitled in Dutch as is the policy of all Dutch televison stations, broadcast in the original language, no dubbing and instead, have subtitles

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Marketing and branding

Image:Discovery channel logo.gif Shortly before the 2004 Tour de France, the Discovery Channel company announced it would become the primary sponsor of the Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team starting in 2005, featuring seven-time champion Lance Armstrong. The Discovery Channel has also used a variety of guerrilla techniques to promote their shows.

The Bloodhound Gang song, The Bad Touch, makes humorous references to the Discovery Channel.

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