Animal Planet International Launches New Programming Slate

CANNES, October 9: Animal
Planet International has launched a new programming slate focused on
celebrating and protecting the natural world, which will be headlined by Animals
Save the Planet, a series of
animated short films.

The new slate will roll
out on the network this fall in more than 200 million homes across the U.K.,
Europe, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa.

Animals Save the Planet
is a comedic series, produced in
partnership with Aardman Animations, of 10 short clay animation films 20 to 40
seconds in length that feature animals demonstrating how everyone can make a
difference by living a greener lifestyle, including a penguin who discovers how
much effort energy-saving light bulbs can save him, and a cow who learns about
the environmental impact of his own methane gas. The vignettes will premiere on
Animal Planet in all international markets later this year.

Other highlights of the
slate include Crime Scene Wild,
a new 6×1-hour series that follows cutting-edge forensic and DNA technology to
track wildlife smugglers and catch them in the act. The series is produced by
Cicada Productions for Animal Planet International and will premiere in all
international markets starting in the fourth quarter this year. The slate also
includes the half-hour series Going Ape, which highlights conservation in action by documenting the efforts
of Rachel Hogan and her dedicated team of veterinarians and volunteers as they
work to save and rehabilitate endangered chimpanzees and gorillas in the
rainforest. Produced by Tigress Productions for Animal Planet International,
the first 13-episode season of the series premiered last fall, and production
has commenced on a second season of the series, which will premiere in all
international markets in 2008.

The slate also includes
the 70-minute feature film documentary Ocean Voyagers, which tells the story of the relationship between
a mother whale and her calf over an unprecedented span of five years, following
the two whales as they embark on a 7,000-mile journey from the South Pacific to
Antarctica. Ocean Voyagers is
produced by Off the Fence and Feodor Pitcairn Productions in association with
Animal Planet International and will premiere in all international markets
starting in December.

“This new slate of
programming brings to life what is at the very core of the Animal Planet brand,
which is connecting viewers to the natural world through captivating characters
and stories that inform, entertain and celebrate the planet,” said Phillip
Luff, the senior VP and general manager of Animal Planet International.