Discovery to Acquire Turkish Free-to-Air Channel

LONDON: Discovery Communications is acquiring the CNBC-e channel from Turkey's Doğuş Media Group, as part of a newly formed strategic partnership between the two companies.

As part of this relationship, Doğuş Media Group has been appointed as Discovery’s exclusive ad sales representative in Turkey, starting from September 1. Doğuş will be responsible for selling Discovery’s entire commercial portfolio, including local versions of Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and Discovery Science, as well as securing sponsorship opportunities from Turkish advertisers. James Gibbons, the executive VP for Discovery’s emerging business region, and Sissian Margos, in the newly created position of general manager for Discovery Networks Turkey, will be working closely together on these efforts.

Also, Discovery takes over the Doğuş-owned national free-to-air news and entertainment channel CNBC-e. The acquisition marks Discovery’s first step into the Turkish free-to-air segment.

“Turkey has been an important market for Discovery for 17 years and we are proud of our position as one of the leading international broadcasters in the country,” said Kasia Kieli, the president and managing director of Discovery Networks Central & Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa. “Discovery’s global success is based on building strong local teams and looking for new opportunities that build scale in key markets. Our expanded relationship with Doğuş, including ad sales representation, and new investments such as the acquisition of the CNBC-e channel, will see us reach the next level in Turkey.”
 
“Doğuş Media Group holds a leading position in the Turkish television industry through the ownership of both thematic and mainstream television channels, as a Turkish media conglomerate that has demonstrated a consistent growth record since 1996,” added Doğuş Media Group’s chairman, Erman Yerdelen. “From the outset, Doğuş Media Group has set successful examples in the international arena by partnering with the world’s leading brands. Today, we are proud to announce that Doğuş Media Group and one of the strongest media groups in the world, Discovery Communications, have reached an agreement on the mutual goal of growing and diversifying Discovery’s broadcasting portfolio in Turkey. With this strategic relationship, Discovery’s Turkish viewers will enjoy a greater variety of choice in entertainment.”

Gibbons commented, “Turkey is a dynamic TV market where free-to-air plays a crucial role. With the addition of a free-to-air channel in our portfolio of documentary, factual entertainment and sports channels, we will have a stronger offering for our viewers and commercial partners, and we look forward to working alongside Doğuş to increase the scale of our business in Turkey. This effort will be spearheaded by Sissian Margos, general manager for Turkey, working closely with our colleagues and partners.”