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Discovery Communications

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Discovery Communications' logo

Discovery Communications’ logo [27]

Contact Information

One Discovery Place
Silver Spring, MD 20910 [1]

240-662-2000

https://corporate.discovery.com/

Key Executives

David Zaslav President and CEO Discovery Communications

David Zaslav                       President and CEO
Discovery Communications[2]

 

President Discovery Networks International

Jean-Briac (JB) Perrette President
Discovery Networks International [3]

Andrew Warren Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President

Andrew Warren                       Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President [4]

Marjorie Kaplan President of Content Discovery Networks International

Marjorie Kaplan                         President of Content
Discovery Networks International[5]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

History

Discovery Communications was founded in 1985 by John Hendricks [6]. On June 17, 1985 The Discovery Channel was launched on air to about 156,000 subscribers in the United States and premiered the show “Iceberg Alley,” a program about the North Atlantic waters. Two years later, Discovery Channel premiered one of its most popular traditions, “Shark Week.”

In 1991, Discovery Communications acquired its second channel, TLC for $30 million [7], and soon after, purchased Animal Planet in 1996.

Animal Planet Logo

Animal Planet Logo [28]

After rapid growth and expansion, by 2001, The Discovery Channel became the nation’s most distributed television brand. This significant growth increased as Discovery Communications spread into other countries, as well as acquired more channels. By 2004, the company had reached over 1 billion subscribers worldwide [8].

Today, Discovery Communications owns over 50 different channels and media companies including The Oprah Winfrey Network, Science Channel, and Eurosport [9]. Discovery Communications reaches 3 billion subscribers worldwide and is available in over 220 markets [10].

Finances

Discovery Communications stocks

Discovery Communications stocks [11]

Discovery Communications is a publically traded company and has seen fluctuations in its stock throughout the last several months. Despite these fluctuations, in the past three months, the company’s stock has yet to fall below $24.33 per share and has hit its high at $29.42 per share on Friday, March 18, 2016. After several months of having stocks below their simple moving average, the company was able to surpass this on March 1, 2016 [12]. Since then, Discovery Communications has seen a positive trend in their stock prices, with their stocks having not fallen below the simple moving average in almost two months. Discovery Communications is set to release their first quarterly report on May 5, 2016.

Winter Releases

President Obama on DNews [13]

On April 11th, President Obama hosted five episode of Science Channel’s “Science Presents DNews,” in which he discussed a variety of topics ranging from pollution to medicine to technology [14]. The partnership between Science Channel and the White House aligned with the White House Science Fair that took place on April 13th as well as the US Science and Engineering Festival that also took place throughout that window.

 

For Peete’s Sake

“For Peete’s Sake” is a reality TV show that premiered on OWN: the Oprah Winfrey Network on March 19, 2016. “For Peete’s Sake” follows the lives of the family of former NFL player, Rodney Peete and his wife, “21 Jump Street” actress, Holly Robinson Peete [15]. The show takes a comedic look at Rodney and Holly’s four kids, as well as Robinson Peete’s eccentric, 80-year-old mother. OWN‘s latest docuseries has been added to the network’s Saturday night schedule. It was produced exclusively for The Oprah Winfrey Network by Tremendous! Entertainment and has signed on Colleen Needles Steward, John Ferriter, Kyell Thomas, Shannon Keenan Demers and Andy Meyer as producers, alongside the Peete’s, who will also be executive producers on the show [16].

 

It’s Not You, It’s Men

Also premiering on The Oprah Winfrey Network this season is “It’s Not You, It’s Men,” a relationship talk show hosted by musicians, Tyrese Gibson and Rev Run [17]. The show uses Gibson’s status as a bachelor and single father to contrast Rev Run’s 20 years of marriage in an attempt to generate with diverse opinions and conflicting viewpoints. Each episode, Gibson and Rev Run use their difference in experience to discuss topics such as modern romance, dating, and relationships with a featured celebrity guest. Past guests have included Jordin Sparks, Marlon Wayans, and Vin Diesel. “It’s Not You, It’s Men” premiered on January 23, 2016. It is produced by CBS Television Distribution in association with Voltron Productions and Simmons/Lehman productions. Gibson and Rev Run are executive producers on the show along with Jerome Martin, Isabella Castro, Michael Lehman, and creator/showrunner Eric Pankowski [18].

 

New Programming and Upfronts

Following Discovery’s success last year in not spending money on a lavish upfront party, Discovery has opted to take a similar approach this year, and has broken up their upfronts into 14 smaller agency presentations throughout the country, and have decided to reallocate the former upfront money to content production [19]. The goal in this is to expand and improve content, while also increasing the Discovery Communications presence internationally.

Discovery Channel

Discovery Channel Logo. Image courtesy of Hollywood Reporter [26].

Discovery Channel Logo. [29]

In an effort to gain new viewers, Discovery Channel is adding their first two scripted television series. The first, titled “Harley and the Davidsons,” is a miniseries that follows the story of William Harley and Arthur Davidson, creators of the iconic motorcycle. Discovery is hoping to attract audiences to the series by featuring “Game of Thrones“ stars, Michiel Huisman and Robert Aramayo [20]. The show is set to air September, 2016. The second scripted series, entitled “Manifesto,” is an FBI drama from the minds of Kevin Spacey and Dana Brunetti and tells the story of one man’s search and take down of “Unabomber,” Ted Kaczynski [21].

TLC

The Learning Channel Logo

The Learning Channel Logo [30]

Following major scandals in the past several years with both “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo” and “19 Kids and Counting,” TLC is trying hard to gain back audiences it may have lost. Because of this, The Learning Channel also has ordered its first scripted series, to be produced by Tyler Perry. The show will follow a young woman forced to return to her home in a trailer park amid scandals in her life in D.C. [22]. Additionally, the network hopes to further pick up more viewers by adding two shows that follow a similar format as “Trading Places,” as well as two other shows about large families that will likely take the place of “19 Kids and Counting.”

Additionally, this summer TLC will be launching under a new campaign with the slogan: “I Am.” The “I Am” campaign uses its current stars and shows to encourage viewers to think positively about themselves, and to recognize the unique aspects of themselves that make each person special. In light of TLC’s recent controversies, TLC president and general manager, Nancy Daniels, said “with real people, real things happen.” The campaign symbolizes the network’s desires to move on from the scandals, and to remind their viewers of their positive message.

 

What’s Next

On April 19, Discovery Communications and HBO announced that they would join together in purchasing equity stakes in OTOY, a virtual reality and 3D graphics company [24].

OTOY Logo

OTOY Logo [23]

Both Discovery and HBO hope to use this newfound access to holographic technology to produce innovative forms of technology on various different media platforms. Discovery aims to get this content out on TV, web, mobile, as well as to create wearable technologies for both virtual reality and augmented reality [25]. Discovery hopes that this outlet will be the source to “[take] Discovery VR, to a whole new level” [26].

 

 

 

Works Cited

[1] “Discovery Communications, Inc.” Discovery Communications Inc. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2016.

[2] “David M. Zaslav.” (n.d.): n. pag. Discovery Communications Inc. Discovery Communications. Web. 23 Apr. 2016.

[3] “Jean-Briac (JB) Perrette.” (n.d.): n. pag. Discovery Communications Inc. Discovery Communications. Web. 23 Apr. 2016.

[4] “Andrew Warren” (n.d.): n. pag. Discovery Communications Inc. Discovery Communications. Web. 23 Apr. 2016.

[5] “Marjorie Kaplan” (n.d.): n. pag. Discovery Communications Inc. Discovery Communications. Web. 23 Apr. 2016.

[6] DiscoveryComms. “Discovery Communications Founded with Launch of Discovery Channel.” YouTube. YouTube, 18 June 2015. Web. 24 Apr. 2016.

[7] “Discovery Communications, Inc. – Company Profile, Information, Business Description, History, Background Information on Discovery Communications, Inc.” Discovery Communications, Inc. – Company Profile, Information, Business Description, History, Background Information on Discovery Communications, Inc. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2016.

[8] “Discovery Communications Through the Decades.” Discovery Through the Decades. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2016. <http://30yearsofdiscovery.com/>.

[9] “Discovery Communications, Inc.” Discovery Communications Inc. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2016.

v[10] “Discovery Communication: AT A GLANCE.” (n.d.): n. pag. Discovery Communications Inc. Web. 

[11] “Discovery Communications, Inc.” Yahoo! Finance. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2016.

[12] “Discovery Communications Inc. Series A DISCA (U.S.: Nasdaq).” DISCA Advanced Charting. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2016.

[13] DNewsChannel. “President Obama Explains Scott Kelly’s Year In Space.“YouTube. YouTube, 11 Apr. 2016. Web. 24 Apr. 2016.

[14] “Obama To Present Science Channel Segment All Week.” Deadline. N.p., 11 Apr. 2016. Web. 24 Apr. 2016.

[15] “Holly Robinson Peete and Rodney Peete to Star in New Docuseries on OWN.” Oprah.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2016.

[16] “OWN Orders Holly Robinson Peete and Rodney Peete Docuseries.” The Hollywood Reporter. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2016.

[17] OWN. “Tyrese and Rev Run’s Sage Advice for the Single Ladies | It’s Not You, It’s Men | OWN.” YouTube. YouTube, 12 Mar. 2016. Web. 24 Apr. 2016.

[18] “Watch: OWN Previews New Primetime Series ‘It’s Not You, It’s Men’ (Tyrese Gibson & Rev Run Host).” Shadow and Act. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2016.

[19] Lynch, Jason. “Discovery Communications Is Thinking Globally (and Digitally) With Advertising Bouncing Back.” AdWeek. N.p., 31 Mar. 2016. Web. 25 Apr. 2016.

[20] Littleton, Cynthia. “‘Game of Thrones’ Actors to Star in Discovery Miniseries ‘Harley and the Davidsons’.” Variety. N.p., 07 Jan. 2016. Web. 25 Apr. 2016.

[21] Wagmeister, Elizabeth. “Kevin Spacey, Dana Brunetti FBI Drama ‘Manifesto’ Lands Series Order at Discovery Channel.” Variety. N.p., 31 Mar. 2016. Web. 25 Apr. 2016.

[22] Lynch, Jason. “Discovery Communications Is Thinking Globally (and Digitally) With Advertising Bouncing Back.” AdWeek. N.p., 31 Mar. 2016. Web. 25 Apr. 2016.

[23] “OTOY TO PRESENT ENTERPRISE CLOUD PLATFORM AT NVIDIA GPU TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE.” Visual Computing Leadership from NVIDIA. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2016.

[24] “HBO, Discovery Acquire Stakes in 3D Graphics Firm Otoy to Create Holographic Content.” Variety. N.p., 19 Apr. 2016. Web. 24 Apr. 2016.

[25] “HBO and Discovery Invest in OTOY to Create Universal Publishing Platform for TV, Movies and Original Holographic Content • OTOY.” OTOY HBO and Discovery Invest in OTOY to Create Universal Publishing Platform for TV Movies and Original Holographic Content Comments. N.p., 19 Apr. 2016. Web. 24 Apr. 2016.

[26] Villarreal, Yvonne. “HBO and Discovery Communications Get into VR with 3D Graphics Firm Otoy.” Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 2016. Web. 25 Apr. 2016.

[27] “Discovery And France’s TF1 Group In Talks For Strategic Alliance.“Deadline. N.p., 13 Nov. 2012. Web. 25 Apr. 2016.

[28] “Animal Planet Logo.” Logo Database. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2016.

[29] “Discovery Channel Logo | Logok.” Logok. N.p., 15 Apr. 2014. Web. 25 Apr. 2016.

[30] “TLC.” Peacock Productions. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2016.

 

NOTE: there was a formatting issue i was unable to fix regarding the spacing on the titles for Marjorie Kaplan and Andrew Warren

Discovery Communications

Posted on by 
By Parker Davis
Discovery_Communications_Logo

Discovery Communications Logo- image courtesy of givingtuesday.org

Overview [1] [2]

TLC Logo- image courtesy of businessinsider.com

John Hendricks originally founded Discovery Communications under the name Appalachian Community Service Network in 1982. The first station launched was The Learning Channel, an educational station for youths and adults alike. When the company changed its name to Discovery Communications in 1985, other education based channels were established such as the Discovery Channel and the first 24/7 HD basic cable channel, Discovery HD, currently known as Velocity [1]. Today, Discovery Communications is the world’s #1 subscription based television network, reaching over 2 billion subscribers in 220 countries. They own over 200 television stations including: the Science Channel, Animal Planet, and OWN. Outside of television, Discovery Communications is also a large publisher of educational books and operates online media channels such as Revision3 and howstuffworks.com [2].

Executives [3]

John S. Hendricks- image courtesy of corporate.discovery.com

 

 

John S. Hendricks: Founder and Chairman Discovery Communications

 

 

David M. Zaslav- image courtesy of corporate.discovery.com

 

 

David M. Zaslav: President and CEO Discovery Communications

 

 

Jean Briac Perette- image courtesy of corporate.discovery.com

 

 

Jean Briac (JB) Perette: President Discovery Networks International

 

 

 

 

Financials [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]

Discovery Communications is publicly traded under three stock series: DISCA, DISCB, and DISCK. Each ticker symbol translates to series A, B, and C stock. The newer issuances indicate a new corporate milestone, thus returning a higher company valuation number, resulting in a higher IPO for the new distribution of shares. DISCA contains the most shareholders. Within the previous three months, DISCA prices ranged from $76.80 to $85.97. Currently, it is recovering from its lowest point in the period, occurring April 15, 2014, and slowly increased 1.7% to $77.83 on April 18 [4].

Comparison of DISCA, DISCB, DISCK over a three month period- courtesy bloomberg.com

Comparison of DISCA, DISCB, DISCK- image courtesy of bloomberg.com

In the Annual Financial Statement for 2013, total revenue equated to $5.54 billion. A 19% increase over 2012, which generated $4.49 billion, a mere 8% increase over 2011 [5]. This growth is credited in their recent “acquisition of the majority stake in Eurosport International will drive international to contributing more than 50 percent of total company revenue” [6]. Discovery Communications possesses only 1% of total market share, competing alongside other media conglomerates such as: A&E, NBCUniversal, and Viacom [7] [8].

Retirement and the Curiosity Project [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14]

John S. Hendricks- image courtesy of curiosityretreats.com

Discovery founder and chairman, John Hendricks, officially announced his retirement in March. He will formally resign during the annual shareholder’s meeting on May 16; however, he has not released who will take his place as chairman. Although, sources speculate that current CEO, David Zaslav, may be a potential candidate for the position [9]. In his retirement letter to the board of directors, Hendricks explained that he will “spend the next few years traveling the planet and discovering the questions and mysteries that intrigue us all.” He will also use the opportunity to expand his new business, Curiosity Project LLC, announced February 10 of this year [10].

The mission of Curiosity Retreats is to create a unique forum where the lifelong curious can gather to explore in-depth the great questions of today. [11]

Curiosity Video Overview (Vimeo)

One currently operational aspect of the project is retreats for inspirational and open- minded thinkers alike. The retreats are five nights long at the Gateway Canyons resort in Colorado, including a panel of 8 different experts in the field of: science, technology, civilization, and human spirit [12]. The purpose of the retreat is to enlighten already intellectual minds and expand their imagination by collaborating and with others.

Gateway Canyons- image courtesy of multivu.com

The new aspect of Hendricks’ venture is video on demand. His plan is to compile recordings of the experts from the retreats and publish their talks online for an annual fee of $19.99. However, this venture may prove impractical because there are already free services similar to his found in university publications and intellectual websites, such as TED [13].

Hendricks founded Discovery in 1982 and stepped down as CEO in 2004 and began his role as chairman on the board of directors. He was with the company for 32 years [14].

Eurosport [15] [16] [17]

Eurosport Logo- image courtesy of 3.bp.blogspot.com

Discovery Communications is expanding its international affiliations by moving into the televised sports market. On January 21, Discovery purchased controlling share (51%) in Eurosport for $1.2 billion [15]. Since April 2013, Discovery owned 20% stake in the station. The extension was made in a monetary agreement with TF1, a French television network and previous majority owner of Eurosport. The purpose of Discovery’s equity increase is to compete with British Sky Broadcasting and BT, a UK cable provider, for exclusive Premier League television rights [16]. Discovery chose to expand its control over sporting networks so it can combine its international sports rights with its US based stations to avoid competing head on with domestic sporting networks. The new international acquisitions expand Discovery’s network portfolio, thus inflating revenue and control over the total media market [17].

DogTV [18] [19] [20]

DogTV Logo- image courtesy of dogtv.com

Discovery Communications has recently purchased an unspecified percentage of DogTV: a 2 year old network that targets the dog owner demographic and airs content specifically for pet entertainment. The station is distributed through DirecTV and has a subscription fee of $5 for television viewing and $10 for online streaming [17]. Current programming on the network includes 3-6 minute clips focused on a dog’s relaxation, stimulation, and exposure. Discovery Communications has developed a strategic partnership with DogTV, jointly creating similar programming for Animal Planet while spreading the reach of the network to other countries. This tactic by Discovery can be seen as a gamble to invest in television for dogs, however, over 43.3 million US households own at least one dog, collectively spending over $55.8 billion annually on pet products, and over half of which claim their dogs show interest in what occurs on television [18]. The channel is designed to relieve the stress and anxiety of stay at home pets [19].

DogTV in The News (YouTube)

New Form [21] [22] [23]

Left to Right: Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, David Zaslav- image courtesy variety.com

Discovery has co-founded and launched a new digital media site, New Form, alongside producers Ron Howard and Brian Grazer [21]. The purpose of the studio is to infiltrate the scripted media market, whereas Discovery contains mainly non-fiction and reality based content. In the startup, the firm appointed Kathleen Grace, former Head of Creative Development for YouTube Space LA, as the Chief Creative Officer for New Form [22]. The videos created will be used in conjunction with current Discovery Digital Networks rather than creating a new site from the ground up. The venture was also announced the same week as Discovery’s upfront presentations to entice advertisers about the concept. Today, media advertisers divide their capital between television and online mediums, serving as a potentially dramatic advertisement revenue increase for Discovery.  Zaslav is making the push for Discovery to move into the Internet realm to make their channels easily accessible on all platforms for anyone to use [23].

Interview with David Zaslav and Ron Howard on New Form (Bloomberg)

Works Cited:

[1] Discovery Communications Founder John Hendricks to Retire as Chairman of Company’s Board. Discovery Communications. March 20, 2014. RT: April 13, 2014.

[2] Overview & Mission. Discovery Communications. RT: April 13, 2014.

[3] Leadership. Discovery Communications. RT: April 13, 2014.

[4] Google Finance Data. Google. RT: April 15, 2014.

[5] 2013 Annual Report. Discovery Communications. RT: April 15, 2014.

[6] Discovery CEO touts International Growth, Outlook. The Hollywood Reporter. Georg Szalai. April 3, 2014. RT: April 15, 2014.

[7] Introduction to the Entertainment & Media Industry. Plunkett Research, Ltd. RT: April 15, 2014. Used to calculate total market share.

[8] Top Competitors for Discovery Communications, Inc.. Hoovers. RT: April 15, 2014

[9] Discovery Communications Chairman John Hendricks stepping down. Los Angeles Times. Joe Flint. March, 20 2014. RT: April 17, 2014.

[10] John Hendricks Retirement Letter. John S. Hendricks. March 20, 2014. RT: April 17, 2014.

[11] Curiosity Mission Statement. Curiosity Retreats. RT: April 17, 2014.

[12] Curiosity About Page. Curiosity Retreats. RT: April 17, 2014.

[13] Discovery chairman John Hendricks to step down to pursue lifelong learning academy. Washington Post. Dan Beyers. March 23, 2014. RT: April 17, 2014.

[14] Cable Pioneer John Hendricks to Retire From Discovery Communications. Variety. Cynthia Littleton. March 20, 2014. RT: April 17, 2014.

[15] Discovery Takes Controlling Stake in Eurosport. New York Times. David Gelles. January 21, 2014. RT: April 17, 2014.

[16] Eurosport owner Discovery considering Premier League TV rights bid. The Guardian. Mark Sweney. January 24, 2014. RT: April 17, 2014

[17] Discovery to Take Control of Eurosport International. The Hollywood Reporter. Georg Szalai. January 21, 2014. RT: April 17, 2014

[18] Discovery Acquires Stake in DogTV, a Network Aimed at Canine Viewers. Variety. Todd Spangler. April 8, 2014. RT:April 18, 2014.

[19] Discovery Wants Your Dog To Watch More TV. Bloomberg Businessweek. Kyle Stock.  April 8, 2014. RT: April 18, 2014.

[20] Discovery Buys Stake In A TV Channel For Dogs. Huffington Post. Bill Bradley. April 11, 2014. RT: April 18, 2014.

[21] Discovery teams with Howard, Grazer for online shows. USA Today. Roger Yu. April 3, 2014. RT: April 18, 2014.

[22] Brian Grazer, Ron Howard Launch ‘New Form’ Digital Studio With Discovery. The Hollywood Reporter. Natalie Jarvey. April 2, 2014. RT: April 18, 2014.

[23] Howard, Grazer to team with Discovery on Web shows. New York Post. Claire Atkinson. April 2, 2014. RT: April 18, 2014.