Case Studies in Marketing

10

Discovery ChannelGoing Local

BACKGROUND

The subsections of this section discuss the origin and background of Discovery Channel in general.¹

The Roots and Growth of Discovery Channel

The beginning of Discovery Channel can be traced back to June 1985, when a company called Cable Educational Network launched a new channel in the United States, which focused on educational programmes. The first programme was called Iceberg Alley, and the channel was reportedly launched with USD 5 million in start-up capital from the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), an American investment firm called Allen and Company, Venture America and other investors. In the initial stages, the channel was available to approximately 1,50,000 households for a 12-hour ...