DMAX

World Screen Weekly, September 7, 2006

CHANNEL: DMAX, Germany

LAUNCH DATE: September 1, 2006

OWNERSHIP: Discovery Communications is the majority owner of DMAX, which is a joint venture between Discovery, Spiegel TV and Development Company for Television Programmes (DCTP).

NUMBER OF SUBSCRIBERS: The channel reaches some 27 million households in Germany.

DESCRIPTION: DMAX is a fact-based entertainment service targeting upscale men, 20- to 39-years-old, and its programming genres include travel, cars and technology. DMAX is one of five channels Discovery operates in Germany. The others are Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, Discovery Geschichte and Discovery HD.

PRESIDENT,

DISCOVERY NETWORKS INTERNATIONAL: Dawn McCall

VP AND COUNTRY MANAGER,

DISCOVERY NETWORKS GERMANY: Patrick Hoerl

VP OF CHANNELS,

DISCOVERY NETWORKS GERMANY: Katja Hofem-Best

VP OF ADVERTISING SALES,

DISCOVERY NETWORKS GERMANY: Magnus Kastner

CHANNEL DIRECTOR: Michael Grubinger

PROGRAMMING STRATEGY: Discovery Networks International had been active in the German TV market with four channels, Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, Discovery Geschichte and Discovery HD, but realized there were no channels targeted primarily at young men. “DMAX is the only fact-based mainstream entertainment channel in Germany designed to meet the underserved needs of young male viewers who are interested in factual programming that is as entertaining as it is informative,” says Dawn McCall, the president of Discovery Networks International. “In recent research conducted by the Monheimer Institut for DMAX, we found that 87.5 percent of German men surveyed in the 20-to-39 age range said that viewing factual programming was important or very important to them, which tells us that contemporary male viewers are hungry to move beyond the typical areas of sports and news." In order to appeal to the eclectic tastes of German men, DMAX will offer five core programming strands tailored to different areas of interest for men: Life on the Edge, Real Life, Men’s World, Lifestyle and Tech Plus.

DMAX will offer investigative documentaries, talk shows, human-interest stories and reality-based programs focused on the lifestyles and interests of men, including human adventure and exploration, motors and gadgets, popular science, technology, home improvement, travel and food.

Fifty percent of the channel’s prime-time schedule consists of original German productions. “Twelve original commissions, all locally produced in Germany, will premiere on DMAX during the first 60 days,” says McCall. These original shows include series featuring local personalities and experts such as D Motor, a weekly automobile magazine series hosted by former BMW driver Sabine Schmitz; D Tech, a series that helps consumers navigate the increasingly complicated world of technology; and the financial advice program Moneycoach—Rette dein Geld!, which features German lawyer Michael Requardt as he helps people escape from the debt trap.

“The DMAX schedule will be made up of a mix of original German commissions, factual and lifestyle content from Discovery Networks and a range of new acquisitions,” continues McCall. “The channel will feature more than 90 German free-to-air premieres during the first three months alone. Some of the acquisitions we will be introducing German audiences to include Morgan Spurlock’s critically acclaimed series 30 Days and Long Way Round with Ewan McGregor."

WEBSITE: www.dmaxtv.de