Discovery Holding Company Acquires AccentHealth, a Leading Point-of-Care Media Network Company

Discovery Holding Company Acquires AccentHealth, a Leading Point-of-Care Media Network Company

DENVER and SANTA MONICA, Calif., Jan. 31 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Discovery Holding Company (DHC) announced that it has acquired AccentHealth, America's leading Health Media Network. Delivered to over 11,200 medical waiting rooms nationwide, AccentHealth's programming and sponsor messages are delivered to over 19 million health conscious consumers each month. The AccentHealth investment will be overseen by DHC's Ascent Media Group (AMG), a global leader in comprehensive outsourced solutions to the media and entertainment industries.

"Our acquisition of AccentHealth reflects our commitment to the health and wellness content genre and to the rapidly developing place-based media business," said DHC's President Robert Bennett. "AccentHealth has a 10-year media sales track record supporting prestigious healthcare and consumer product brands with compelling, relevant programming content with effective and demonstrable results. In addition to DHC's extensive activities in the health and wellness category through its 50% ownership of Discovery Communications, Inc., the acquisition of AccentHealth extends AMG's services into the growing captive audience network arena."

AccentHealth provides healthy lifestyle programming to engage, entertain, and educate patients while they wait to see their doctor. Content is tailored into five distinct television networks -- The General Health Network, the Pediatric Network, the Silver Network, the OBGYN Network and the En Espanol Network -- to meet the needs of differing physician practices and sponsors. All AccentHealth content is carefully screened by its Medical Advisory Board prior to inclusion in the network.

"I am very pleased that the highly professional and seasoned AccentHealth team will be transitioning into the Ascent Media family, and will continue to be led by AccentHealth's CEO Richard Ruth and Executive Vice President, Sales and Marketing Edith Hodkinson," said Ken Williams, President and CEO of Ascent Media Group. "Ascent Media's market leadership in operating digital networks for content owners and distributors is unmatched, and with the potential to tap Discovery's expertise in content development, we foresee a future of continued programming excellence and improved AccentHealth technology, to the benefit of both viewers and advertisers."

"AccentHealth is the largest supplier of point-of-care media, and we are now poised to launch our next phase of aggressive growth and provide advertisers with even greater flexibility and opportunities to target and engage the increasingly valuable audiences in medical waiting rooms," said Ruth. "With the growth in captive audience networks, we look forward to leveraging the trust AccentHealth has built with our audience to expand the distribution footprint of our business."

About Discovery Holding Company

Discovery Holding Company (DHC) (NASDAQ:DISCA)(NASDAQ:DISCB) is a holding company for its wholly-owned subsidiary, Ascent Media Group LLC, and 50%-owned Discovery Communications, Inc. (DCI). Ascent Media is a leading provider of creative, media management and network services to the media and entertainment industries. Discovery Communications, Inc. is the leading global real-world media company. Discovery has grown from its core property, the Discovery Channel, first launched in the United States in 1985, to current global operations in more than 160 countries and territories with 1.3 billion cumulative subscribers. DCI's over 100 networks of distinctive programming represent 27 network entertainment brands including TLC, Animal Planet, Travel Channel and Discovery Health Channel.

About Ascent Media Group and Ascent Media Network Services

Santa Monica, California-based Ascent Media Group LLC, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Discovery Holding Company (NASDAQ:DISCA)(NASDAQ:DISCB), which through its Creative Services, Media Management Services and Networks Services groups, provides creative and technical media services to the media and entertainment industries.

Through more than 74 facilities in the regions of Southern California, New York, Atlanta, London' Mexico and Singapore and at locations throughout the world, Ascent Media provides effective solutions for the creation, management and distribution of content to major motion picture studios, independent producers, broadcast networks, cable channels, advertising agencies and other companies that produce, own and/or distribute entertainment, news, sports, corporate, educational, industrial and advertising content. More information about Ascent Media Group is available at www.ascentmedia.com.

Ascent Media Network Services (AMNS) specializes in network origination, content distribution and systems engineering, integration and support, with facilities in Stamford, CT; Los Angeles, CA; New York, NY; Palm Bay, FL; San Jose, CA; Washington, DC; Minneapolis, MN; London, England, and Singapore. Channel origination, master control, transmission, creative and post-production and a full array of systems engineering and technical services are among the many offerings utilized by the major broadcast and cable networks as well as a growing list of captive audience network customers and other content providers.

About AccentHealth

AccentHealth is America's leading Health Media Company offering advertisers multiple consumer touch points in physician waiting rooms. The AccentHealth Waiting Room TV Network reaches 19 million consumers per month 185 Nielsen markets. The programming features customized content on a variety of topics, including medical breakthroughs, parenting issues, nutrition, fitness, safety and wellness. The programming has won recognition from the Telly Awards, the Cindy Awards, the American Academy of Nursing, the Health Information Awards, and the Society of Professional Journalists. Its integrated office promotions further engage our viewers and provide advertisers additional exposure in targeted physician practices. Visit www.accenthealth.com.

Connemara Capital Company LLC acted as the advisor to AccentHealth in this transaction.

Source: Discovery Holding Company

CONTACT: John Orr of Discovery Holding, +1-720-875-5622,
johnorr@libertymedia.com; or James Finch of Ascent Media Group,
+1-310-434-6893, jfinch@ascentmedia.com; or Debra Lupowitz of AccentHealth,
+1-212-763-5108, dlupowitz@accenthealth.com

Web site: http://www.ascentmedia.com/

Web site: http://www.accenthealth.com/

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