Discovery CEO Zaslav heads for Planet Green
As part of Reed MIDEM’s Going Green policy, October 13 at MIPCOM features a series of green-themed conferences.
Keynote speaker for that day, Discovery Communications CEO David Zaslav, will present Planet Green, the first 24-hour channel dedicated to eco-friendly living, set to replace the Discovery Home Channel in over 50 million homes.
“At its core, Discovery always has strived to inform and inspire people about the world in which we live,” Zaslav said. “Discovery is uniquely positioned to help people understand how they can help make the planet a better place — starting with John Hendricks, our founder and chairman, who put the earth into Discovery’s first logo 23 years ago.”
Zaslav says there is no single cause within the green movement — more a whole collection of concerns depending on a person’s role in society. “Planet Green approaches the green space from a psychographic rather than a demographic perspective,” he said. “Whether its young adults who are out to change the world, new parents concerned with their child’s health or baby boomers who want to leave a positive legacy, people enter the green movement for different reasons at different points in their life. Planet Green’s goal is to literally bring the movement into peoples’ homes through lifestyle content that entertains and engages.”
A key strategy for Discovery has been to re-position itself as a multiplatform operator. “We have spent the past year moving from a cable programmer to a content company on all platforms,” Zaslav said. “Discovery is in a unique position among content companies because we own most of our content, allowing us to create extensions on all platforms, including the web. We can launch a series like Deadliest Catch on Discovery Channel in the US, and because we own it, we can then take it all around the world through our international channels in more than 170 countries and on VOD, in short form online and on mobile.”
This exclusive interview & more in the full MIPCOM Preview magazine: here!
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