Discovery and YouTube in Global Content Partnership

SILVER
SPRING/SAN BRUNO, September 24: In a wide-ranging agreement, Discovery
Communications and YouTube will jointly launch channels in the U.S and
internationally and set up a number of program promotion initiatives designed
to tap into YouTube’s engaged community and drive viewers to Discovery’s
networks.

“With
YouTube’s unmatched reach, Discovery fans from around the world now have
another platform to engage with their favorite shows, and new audiences can
sample our compelling nonfiction content like never before online,” said Josh
Freeman, the executive VP of digital media at Discovery Communications. “Our
partnership with YouTube is a significant step in the company’s strategy to
expand the global reach of our content on the web and draw new viewers to our
networks.”
“Our partnership with Discovery exemplifies how the YouTube platform can drive
deeper engagement with U.S. viewers and help programs find new fans around the
world,” said Jordan Hoffner, the director of content partnerships for YouTube.
“For a media company like Discovery Communications, with its 100-plus networks,
distributing content through targeted YouTube Channels is a strategic way to
leverage individual brands and drive television viewership.”

Discovery
and YouTube will collaborate on a number of programming promotion and
development initiatives that will engage YouTube's interactive community. The
first of these initiatives will provide Discovery Channel fans and YouTube
users the opportunity to contribute to a special Mythbusters “Viral Myths” episode.
Starting with tonight’s Mythbusters
episode airing in the U.S., Discovery Channel will run a series of on-air spots
featuring MythBusters’ Jamie
and Adam calling on viewers to help them find new myths to bust. Fans can post
videos of myths they would like to see busted to the new Discovery/YouTube
channel at www.youtube.com/discoverychannel.
YouTube users can also create and post their own videos. A selection of the
submitted myths will be busted on a special “Viral Myths” episode of Mythbusters.

The
partnership will also see the development of localized YouTube channels
featuring content from Discovery’s international brands and programming from
several regions including the UK, Europe, Latin America and Asia.
In October, Discovery will debut its first international YouTube channel,
“Ink”, for the passionate tattoo-enthusiast community, featuring content from
the U.K. The channel will highlight video clips from Discovery’s “Ink”
programming franchise, including Miami Ink, La Ink, and London
Ink, and will encourage users to
upload videos of their own
tattoos and the stories behind them.

Also
launching in fourth quarter
will be a German-language YouTube channel for DMAX, a leading free-to-air
channel among men in Germany, as well as Discovery Channel and Discovery Kids
Spanish-language channels with localized content from Latin America.

And
finally, Discovery’s nine branded YouTube destinations will include: Discovery
Channel (youtube.com/discoverychannel); TLC (youtube.com/tlc); Animal Planet
(youtube.com/animalplanet); Planet Green (youtube.com/planetgreen); Discovery
Health (youtube.com/discoveryhealth); Science Channel
(youtube.com/sciencechannel); Military Channel (youtube.com/militarychannel);
Investigation Discovery (youtube.com/discoveryid); and TURBO
(youtube.com/turbochannel). These Channels offer a comprehensive selection of
short-form content, including program segments, outtakes, and behind-the-scenes
clips, as well as original short-form content produced expressly for digital
properties.

—By Anna Carugati