Discovery Communications is pushing deeper into scripted programming, with TLC working with Tyler Perry, whose series have helped turn around OWN, its joint venture with Oprah Winfrey.
At an upfront presentation in Chicago last week and a press briefing in New York Thursday, Discovery, best known for its reality programming, announced it will also take scripted looks at the stories of the Unabomber on Discovery Channel and O.J. Simpson on Investigation Discovery.
Working from a script most large programmers are employing, Discovery also detailed its plans to use data to create more effective advertising as part of its One Discovery offering.
Were connecting our fans with your brands, Discovery ad sales president Joe Abruzzese told a packed house at media agency Spark. One Discovery will put your brands at the center of every consumer touchpoint.
Paul Guyardo, Discoverys chief commercial officer, said Discovery can be a powerful marketing platform to you and your clients across TV, digital, branded entertainment, Web native, audience delivery product, social media VR, talent and custom production.
He added that Discovery Go, the companys streaming app, is delivering an incremental audience with 50% of the streams coming from 18-to-34 year olds. With some TLC shows, between 60% and 70% of the streams are viewers from that millennial demographic, he said.
Discovery Engage, the companys ad sales data platform, houses high powered analytics for targeting, optimization and measurement to deliver greater effectiveness and impact for your ads, Keith Kazerman, head of advertising sales product strategy and development, told the Spark staff.
For example, if an auto company wants to reach a target audience in the market to buy a new car, Discovery would marshal data from Experian on potential car buyers then match those individuals with actual TV viewers using Nielsen respondent level data.
The Discovery Engage optimization engine utilizes sophisticated algorithms to find the best placements of your ads across our portfolio of networks to reach that specific target audience with the right message at that right moment, Kazerman said.
In the car example, Engage delivers a detailed and transparent schedule that pinpoints which networks, dayparts and programs that target audience is likely to view during the campaign.
Not only will we guarantee we reach your target audience and measure impressions, but well go one step further. Were one of the very few content companies that has access to set top box data, which provides us the ability to deliver true ROI measurability and determine the brand lift or sales lift generated by the campaign.
Kazerman said Discovery is in the marketplace developing a small number of partnerships with agencies and clients to launch Discovery Engage. These first movers will partner with us to shape the future of the use of data and technology in advertising, he said.
Discoverys networks also talked about upcoming programming strategies.
TLC is getting into the scripted business with Perrys series Too Close to Home, about a young woman working in Washington who gets caught up in a scandal and has to return to the small town where she grew up. The series is expected to premiere in the second half of 2016.
TLC is also getting back into the home category. One show features designer Nate Berkus, his husband Jeremiah Brent and their daughter Poppy as they renovate their own home.
TLC will be launching a new brand campaign using the theme I am, to highlight unique individuals different values and support them against bullies and critics.
Investigation Discovery also unveiled a new slogan: Real People. Real Stories.
The network, which grew last year to be No. 1 with women 25-54, will air 650 hours of original content next season, with program premieres on 360 nights.
Jumping into the suddenly popular O.J. genre, ID plans to air its version, executive produced by Martin Sheen, called Hard Evidence: OJ Is Innocent, which takes the point of view that Simpson didnt commit the crime and everything we thought we knew about this story was wrong, said general manager Kevin Bennett.
ID has also sent investigators to join law enforcement in Chillicothe, Ohio, where six women went missing and four have turned up dead. The case is ongoing, which means the story could change right up until the six-part series, The Vanishing Women, premieres on June 6.
In addition, ID will air a series of scripted movies that tell stories ripped from the headlines.
Discovery, which will air the scripted series Harley and the Davidsons, about the beginnings of the famed motorcycle company, is also working on Manifesto, about the FBI profiler who caught Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber. The series is produced by Kevin Spacey and Dana Brunettis Trigger Street.
Science Channel is bringing back its Punkin Chunkin special after a few years in the patch and searching for a new generation of mythbusters with the series The Search for the Next MythBusters.
The network will also take viewers on a voyage to the largest planet with Mission Jupiter.
Animal Planet goes to the dogs with a series, Life of Dogs, to the vet with Texas Vets, and the Bronx Zoo with The Zoo.
Discovery is also offering native digital programming with two brands that target millennials.
One is Seeker, which aims to feed curiosity that helps viewers experience, observe and explore their world, Suzanne Kolb, executive VP and general manager of Discovery Digital Networks told Spark in Chicago.
The other brand is SourceFed Studio, which is more focued on comedy, including parodies of Discovery shows like Naked and Afraid.
This is content engineered to succeed across all digital and social platforms, including YouTube, Facebook, Snapchat, and a soon to launch updated version of seeker.com, Kolb said.
Discoverys production facilities ca
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
20/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
20/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
20/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
20/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
20/08/2026
IPC Expands Brazilian Presence with New Channel Partner CCATech
Industry veterans Carlos Abrah o and Bruno Lopes strengthen local support and expand IPCs prese...
20/08/2026
Zixi Enters Mauritius Market Through Strategic Deployment with MTC Jockey Club
Worlds Oldest Horse Racing Club in the Southern Hemisphere Selects Zixis Softwar...
20/08/2026
LA JOLLA, CA-Scripps Research assistant professor Tiantian Liu has received a five-year NIAID DP2 award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Di...
20/08/2026
Audiences reveal appetite for multicultural Australia on-screen 20 August 2026
Dr Georgie McClean, Dr Rebecca Huntley (L-R)
By Dr Georgie McClean and Dr Rebec...
20/08/2026
How Mavis Studio Is Expanding Live Production Teaching at Sussex
Brie Clayton August 19, 2026
0 Comments
Hero image displays a student about to mix be...
20/08/2026
Vertical Unscripted Series Legal Queens Captured with Blackmagic Design
Brie Clayton August 19, 2026
0 Comments
Reality TV veteran Eric Gardner create...
19/08/2026
As the cost of IP nears price parity with traditional SDI, Reynolds argues that ...
19/08/2026
A private 5G bubble was chosen instead of traditional broadcast RF for the race ...
19/08/2026
(L-R) Rafael Manuel and Isabel Sicat attend the Filipi ana premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at The Ray Theatre on January 23, 2026, in Park Cit...
19/08/2026
Studio owners invited to have their say on rates cuts
The Music Producers Guild (MPG) are inviting UK-based studios to take part in an in-depth survey that ...
19/08/2026
Vintage-inspired desktop interface revealed
Harrison's latest hardware offering sees them head into the world of audio interfaces, delivering a 10-in/12...
19/08/2026
Granular effect remains locked to scale and tempo
Described as your dream granular effect , Minimal Audio's latest creation is capable of turning any s...
19/08/2026
First polyphonic SWAM instrument incoming
Audio Modeling's latest physical-modelling orchestral instrument is just around the corner, and is now availab...
19/08/2026
World Cup Games Generate 84 Billion Minutes Across FOX, Fox Sports 1 and NBCU...
19/08/2026
July brought typical peak-holiday drops in viewership, driven primarily by viewers stepping away from screens and a visible decline in reach across both traditi...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Henry joins BCE as the company accelerates its commercial strategy and expands its international presence across the media, broadcast and technology markets. He...
19/08/2026
iWedia, a leading provider of software solutions for connected TV devices, today announced a major milestone in Android platform optimization with the successfu...
19/08/2026
NTP Technology announces that ST 2110-30 audio-over-IP connectivity with AES67 and RAVENNA capabilities is now available for the brand's world-class audio i...
19/08/2026
Net Insight has been selected to provide its Nimbra platform by the service provider Big Blue Marble, formerly ORS Group, as the core media transport solution f...
19/08/2026
LiveU has supported Coventry City FC and several other top-flight UK football clubs through one of their most demanding live production challenges of the year, ...
19/08/2026
Nature Seekers Documentary Shot with Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF
Brie Clayton August 18, 2026
0 Comments
Filming endangered turtles required camera...
19/08/2026
Neyrinck Brings D-Control Consoles Back to Life on Apple Silicon with D-Control ...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Riedel Communications today announced that Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Perth, Australia, implemented a comprehensive communications infrastructure that brin...
19/08/2026
QuickLink, a leading provider of award-winning video production and remote guest contribution solutions, will spotlight a major leap forward in remote guest con...
19/08/2026
Integrated platform melds media asset management, playout automation and newsroom workflows
EMAM, PlayBox Neo and SNEWS have officially launched Nuvex, a conne...
19/08/2026
Screen Australia releases the Private Investment Toolkit to strengthen screen in...
19/08/2026
Do Aussies truly value local content? Unpacking Screen Currency 2026 with Deirdr...
19/08/2026
There's an early Christmas gift for Bookish fans, as UKTV confirms the re-commission of the hit U&alibi drama, created by and starring Mark Gatiss. Viewers ...
19/08/2026
Wednesday 19 August 2026
Sky gives sports fans the chance to watch multiple liv...
19/08/2026
On Saturday September 5 Katie Taylor will step into the ring for the fight of her life against Flora Pili in front of 80,000 fans in Croke Park. A legendary fig...
18/08/2026
SportStream 2026, a free three-day virtual event, will take place September 15-17. One registration provides access to all three days of live programming and on...
18/08/2026
BeckTV will introduce BeckFlow to the European market at IBC2026, demonstrated on the Providius stand (10.F53).
BeckFlow is a web-based schematic documentation...
18/08/2026
Boland Communications will introduce a SMPTE ST 2110 input option for its 4K monitors at IBC2026, along with a new 55-inch super-narrow bezel display for video ...
18/08/2026
Dolby Laboratories and the Seattle Seahawks have announced a partnership integrating Dolby OptiView into the Seahawks' live streaming coverage, making the S...
18/08/2026
For BMG Executive Producer of Sports Production, Graham Taylor, producing live s...
18/08/2026
TMRW Sports has appointed Rufus Hack as President of Golf, a newly created role in which he will lead the company's golf businesses including TGL presented ...
Discovery Communications is pushing deeper into scripted programming, with TLC working with Tyler Perry, whose series have helped turn around OWN, its joint venture with Oprah Winfrey.
