Discovery Historia

CHANNEL: Discovery Historia

COUNTRY: Poland

LAUNCH DATE: November 16, 2006

OWNERSHIP: Discovery TVN, a joint venture of Poland’s TVN Group—a division of the ITI Group—and Discovery Networks Central Europe.

DISTRIBUTION: The channel is distributed on the "n" digital platform in Poland, operated by ITI Neovision, which reaches more than 600,000 subscribers.

DESCRIPTION: Discovery Historia is a 24-hour channel that aims to deliver historical programming that is stimulating and dynamic, touching on local and international events.

SENIOR MANAGEMENT:
President of the Board, Discovery TVN: Katarzyna Kieli
Channel Manager, Discovery Historia: Barbara Bilinska

PROGRAMMING STRATEGY: Since its launch in 2006, Discovery Historia has been combining the factual programming expertise of Discovery Networks with the local knowledge of the TVN Group to deliver a relevant documentary service for Polish audiences. Distributed on the "n" DTH platform, Discovery Historia promises to offer an "unconventional approach to history," according to channel manager Barbara Bilinska. The network programs a diverse range of historical docs, from classical narrated fare to docudramas. "The documentaries aired by Discovery Historia are [intended] to move its viewers, evoke emotions and be thought-provoking," Bilinska continues. "They present various points of view, but the viewers are to judge and draw the conclusions themselves. They deal with serious topics presenting dramatic events from world and Polish history. However, there are also plenty of light programs which reflect one of Discovery Historia’s catchphrases: ‘Have Fun with History.’"

Local productions in particular, which account for about 30 percent of the schedule, have fared well on Discovery Historia, such as City of Kroke and The Fairytales from Crematorium. To solidify its relationship with viewers, Discovery Historia takes part in local events, including one celebrating the 325th anniversary of the Battle of Vienna, in Cracow, and the Touch the Independence parade, which was held in Warsaw. According to Bilinska, the events "managed to attract hundreds of thousands of visitors."

Bilinska is always on the lookout for high-quality historical docs from the international market, ensuring that she has a complementary mix of programs that examine both local and global events. The prime-time 10 p.m. block is programmed under themes such as With War in the Background, Made in Poland, Testosterone, War of Nerves, Wonders of the Ancient World, Breakthrough Moments in History and Testosterone. This follows the Treasures and Secrets block at 8:20 p.m. and Unsolved History at 9 p.m.

WHAT’S NEW: In March, highlights on Discovery Historia include Ancient Secrets, The First World War and Mysteries of the Museum. "Also, there will be a special themed week devoted to Jewish culture and history," Bilinska says. Next up in April will be the series Serial Killers and Great Traitors of the 20th Century. May, meanwhile, will be "much lighter," Bilinska continues, "with such series like Free Love in PRL and Go West, a series about how the Poles conquered the West during communist times."