Animal Planet Reveals A New Species Of Entertainment For 2008

Animal Planet Reveals A New Species Of Entertainment For 2008

-- New Logo and Content, Brand Campaign Transport Viewers to the "Same Planet. Different World" -

SILVER SPRING, Md., Jan. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- When Animal Planet relaunches in the first week of February, 2008, viewers will find compelling programming that features man's best friend juxtaposed with ferocious lions in their natural habitat. The way the stories are told and the lens through which viewers see these tales will change dramatically. The network will launch eight new series and specials in February alone, all designed to reach a more adult audience with gripping entertainment rather than pure observational documentary and host-driven formats. The new Animal Planet will also be expressed through new graphics, a new feel and new sounds that bring out the raw, visceral emotion in the animal kingdom -- all leading viewers to see animals as characters not merely creatures.

The new programming on Animal Planet will tap into the instincts that drive us all -- fear, hunger, pleasure, nurture -- with compelling stories that resonate with what it means to be human. New content coming to the network includes new docu-soaps (ESCAPE TO CHIMP EDEN, LEMUR KINGDOM); pet entertainment (PETFINDER, GROOMER HAS IT, CLINICALLY WILD); and unscripted dramas (WHALE WARS, AFTER THE ATTACK, A YEAR WITH LIONS), as well as the return of PUPPY BOWL, the AKC/EUKANUBA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP and MUTUAL OF OMAHA'S WILD KINGDOM.

"In an increasingly technological, rational, pressured, thoughtful and well-socialized environment, there is an enormous desire for unmediated, intensely felt, visceral, in-the-moment experiences," notes Marjorie Kaplan, president and general manager of Animal Planet Media. "And animals, in real life and in great, archetypical stories, are a short cut to those instinctual feelings. In a world of intellectual or clever television or lightweight entertainment, Animal Planet is television that gets you where you live -- literally -- in your gut."

"Consumers will be surprised at the unexpected new face of entertainment we're bringing to them on-air and online," added Victoria Lowell, senior vice president of marketing for Animal Planet Media. "The new campaign will change consumers' perceptions of our brand. There is so much goodwill to the brand, and now we've got to translate that goodwill to increased viewership."

Noted photographer Jill Greenberg -- who shot a series of primates for an exhibition and recent book entitled Monkey Portraits -- photographed animals for the brand campaign exclusively for Animal Planet. Greenberg has a signature style portraying animals' unique personalities and showcasing their uncanny emotions, and Lowell notes, "Jill's imagery captures the new Animal Planet point of view of the animal kingdom."

Mono, based in Minneapolis, is the creative agency executing the brand campaign. Dunning, Eley and Jones, based in London, is the design agency behind the new logo and on-air look.

Animal Planet Media (APM), a multimedia business unit of Discovery Communications, LLC, connects humans and animals with rich, deep content via multiple platforms and offers animal lovers and pet owners access to a centralized online, television and mobile community for entertainment, information and enrichment. APM consists of the Animal Planet television network, available in more than 94 million homes in the U.S.; online assets http://www.animalplanet.com/, the ultimate online destination for all things animal; the 24/7 broadband channel, Animal Planet Beyond; Petfinder.com, the #1 pet-related Web property globally that facilitates pet adoption; PetsIncredible, a major producer and distributor of pet-training videos that includes the Web service PetVideo.com; and other media platforms, including a robust Video-on-Demand (VOD) service, mobile content, and merchandising extensions.

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FCMN Contact:

Source: Animal Planet

CONTACT: Brian Eley of Animal Planet, +1-240-662-2957,
brian_eley@discovery.com

Web site:

http://www.animalplanet.com/

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