Discovery Times Channel partnership ending

[KMRichards]

From TV Week:

http://www.tvweek.com/news.cms?newsId=9775

The New York Times is selling its stake in Discovery Times back to Discovery Networks. Although Discovery says the channel name will remain the same, you have to wonder: For how long?<P ID="signature">______________


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[DrBear]

> From TV Week:
>
> http://www.tvweek.com/news.cms?newsId=9775
>
> The New York Times is selling its stake in Discovery Times
> back to Discovery Networks. Although Discovery says the
> channel name will remain the same, you have to wonder: For
> how long?
>
They could remove it for all I care - and I'm a news junkie. The documentaries on there have been uninformative and repetitive - and if I see "Off to War" on the program guide one more time, I may ask that it be replaced with a shot of an aquarium, which at least will change once in a while.

 

[robbbc]

> > From TV Week:
> >
> > http://www.tvweek.com/news.cms?newsId=9775
> >
> > The New York Times is selling its stake in Discovery Times
>
> > back to Discovery Networks. Although Discovery says the
> > channel name will remain the same, you have to wonder:
> For
> > how long?
> >
> They could remove it for all I care - and I'm a news junkie.
> The documentaries on there have been uninformative and
> repetitive - and if I see "Off to War" on the program guide
> one more time, I may ask that it be replaced with a shot of
> an aquarium, which at least will change once in a while.
>
And they wonder why no one watches deep cable channels. Discovery Times was one big stinker of a channel. The only thing I think is worth watching in the Digital Tier is BBC America. They would be better off playing Al Jazeera instead of this, but I doubt any cable company will think it is worth the PR nightmare.

 

[KMRichards]

> And they wonder why no one watches deep cable channels.
> Discovery Times was one big stinker of a channel. The only
> thing I think is worth watching in the Digital Tier is BBC
> America.

The Science Channel (another of the Discovery networks) tends to run programming not found on its sister channels, at least.

So does Animal Planet.<P ID="signature">______________


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[jegrant]

Move to VOD!

I am not a huge fan of Discovery Times repetitive 4-6-8 hour repeating block over the course of a day. Plus I usually end up having to tape anything I really want to see off of there anyway.

Why not just make this an ad-supported free VOD collection of documentaries? No need for "reruns" exactly, and new content could be added as available, rather than timed to some sort of TV release schedule.

Furthermore, to make it available to those with TiVo and other DVR systems that don't necessarily access a VOD library, they could simply run the "Discovery Times VOD" content overnight once a week or so on one of their other channels, where anyone who desired could manually/automatically record it.

Another suggestion I have for them is to partner with the new public television digital network "DOC" (also dedicated to presenting documentaries 24/7), but I don't know if Discovery could make enough money off of underwriting, as opposed to their current "dollar a holler" direct response ads for junk.

Something else to try might be a partnership with a UK broadcaster (possibly turn Discovery Times into a US feed of BBC World that integrates some of the present documentaries into its schedule) or the CBC (similar).

 

[JayR]

Re: Move to VOD!

> Something else to try might be a partnership with a UK
> broadcaster (possibly turn Discovery Times into a US feed of
> BBC World that integrates some of the present documentaries
> into its schedule) or the CBC (similar).

Now we're talking!

 

[jegrant]

"Discovery World"

Perhaps they could start with the BBC World feed, but add in other foreign-produced English-language newscasts (from Canada, France, Germany, Russia, etc.) along with documentaries, both US and internationally produced.

Live BBC World newscasts would surely do at least as well in the ratings as reruns of the previous night's documentaries, if not better.

And foreign newscasts could be scheduled during the times when BBC America already carries BBC World News (not *only* during those times, but to avoid duplication of the same programming).

 

[DougBroda]

Re: "Discovery World"

> Perhaps they could start with the BBC World feed, but add in
> other foreign-produced English-language newscasts (from
> Canada, France, Germany, Russia, etc.) along with
> documentaries, both US and internationally produced.
>
> Live BBC World newscasts would surely do at least as well in
> the ratings as reruns of the previous night's documentaries,
> if not better.
>
> And foreign newscasts could be scheduled during the times
> when BBC America already carries BBC World News (not *only*
> during those times, but to avoid duplication of the same
> programming).
>

Though it didn't have BBC, Newsworld International had various international newscasts before going belly-up.

As to the posters debating the value of digital tier stuff, what is on the digital tier varies by system. Someone referred to Animal Planet as digital tier; it's analog tier on my system. On my system, I have several channels our family watches rather regularly (not including premiums, HD and VOD) -- Biography, History Channel International, Boomerang, Speed, BBC America, Fox Soccer, Science.

 

[KMRichards]

Re: Move to VOD!

> > Something else to try might be a partnership with a UK
> > broadcaster (possibly turn Discovery Times into a US feed
> of
> > BBC World that integrates some of the present
> documentaries
> > into its schedule) or the CBC (similar).
>
> Now we're talking!

This wouldn't be as difficult as one might think, since Discovery operates the BBC America channel for the Beeb.<P ID="signature">______________


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