Animal Planet


Discovery to relaunch HD Showcase channel

Discovery Communications is set to relaunch its Discovery HD Showcase channel in Europe, the Middle East and Africa on December 1. The network, which airs in more than 120 markets across EMEA – including Poland, Russia, Benelux and Portugal – will change its name to Discovery Showcase HD. It will also get a new logo, […]

O’Neill gets global Discovery role, All3 board seat

Eileen O’Neill has been promoted to global group president of Discovery Studios, and is set join All3Media’s board as a reult. This hands her control of Discovery Communications’ worldwide production arm, its international producers Raw TV and Betty, and in-house production divisions. O’Neill was previously group president of Discovery Channel, Science Channel and Velocity. To […]

Discovery names Animal Planet boss

Discovery has upped Rick Holzman general manager of its Animal Planet channel. Holzman is being elevated from executive VP of programming and scheduling at the non-fictoin net and he will continue to report to TLC and Animal Planet president Marjorie Kaplan in his new role. He has been at Animal Planet since 2007 and was […]

Discovery takes dip with Bahama Blue

Discovery Networks International has pre-bought six-part aquatic wildlife series Bahama Blue. The deal with distributor TVF International covers a number of DNI territories, including for Discovery Focus in Italy, and Animal Planet across EMEA, Asia Pacific and Latin America. Bahama Blue is currently in production for Oasis HD in Canada, and will launch in 2015. […]

Scripps buys Oz vet series

Scripps has taken EMEA rights to Travels with the Bondi Vet, an Australian series that follows the life and work of TV vet Dr. Chris Brown. Brown originally came to viewers’ attention in the 2009 series Bondi Vet, which proved popular on Network Ten in Australia and is on Animal Planet in Europe and CBS […]

Schechter launches New York prodco

Paranormal State producer Betsy Schechter has launched her own production company with a slate of projects for US cable channels. Schechter (left) – who was previously co-president of Picture Shack Entertainment (Abandoned, Staten Island Law) and is a 20-year production veteran – is president of Storyville Entertainment. She has hired National Geographic Television’s Caroline Christopher […]

BT TV adds Discovery channels

BT has added HD channels Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, British Eurosport and British Eurosport 2 to its YouView offering, taking the number of HD channels offered by BT TV to 26. The new HD channels will be available as part of BT’s HD Extra “bolt on” offering, available to subscribers for £3 a month. […]

Animal Planet profiles Preposterous Pets in 200 territories

Discovery Networks International has commissioned Preposterous Pets, a warm factual series about owners about people that own inappropriate animals. DNI-owned Animal Planet will broadcast the 6x60mins show in the 200 territories it operates in, with UK indie Barcroft Productions producing the show. DNI is billing the doc series as an introduction to “the world’s most outrageous […]

Animal Planet joins Nile walk doc

US cable channel Animal Planet has come onboard a Channel 4 special following trekker Levison Wood’s 4,250 mile expedition along the Nile river. Animal Planet’s commitment to the two-hour Walking the Nile (WT) came as Levison took his first steps on the journey, which will take the expedition leader and photographer from the source of […]

BSkyB adds 14 channels to mobile service

BSkyB has added 14 entertainment channels to its Sky Go mobile TV service. New channels on the service include MTV, with Geordie Shore available on demand; Comedy Central, offering shows including South Park; UKTV channels Gold, Watch, Dave, Good Food, Eden and Alibi; Nat Geo, Nat Geo Wild, Discovery, TLC, Animal Planet; and History, including […]