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Planet Green |
Tomorrow Discovery launches Planet Green, replacing its home network with the first 24/7 network dedicated to environmentally-friendly programming.
The new buzz word is "eco-tainment" and the company that gave us the highly-rated "Planet Earth" series is betting it'll be in high demand. Discovery Holdings [DISCA
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]--which is relaunching in the third quarter as Discovery Communications--is spending $100 million on 250-plus hours of original programming. DISCA stock is up five percent year-to-date, far outperforming the Dow, as investors see cable programming as a growth area, especially compared to stagnant broadcast growth.
Discovery has snagged some big names who are passionate about the environment to produce and star in shows: Emeril Lagasse, rocker Tommy Lee, rapper Ludacris, Leonardo DiCaprio. Instead of serious scientific analysis of environmental problems, the channel is taking a softer approach, entertaining, or showing consumers how to cook and remodel their homes with an environmentally-friendly approach. The channel is reaping the benefit of the fact that the environment is a favorite cause among the high-profile folks in Hollywood that draw big viewers.
Planet Green is also cashing in on the fact that big companies want to be associated with an eco-friendly message. General Motors [GM
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] is a lead advertiser and partner for "branded entertainment." Chevy is a sponsor of Leo DiCaprio's documentary series called "Greensburg," while GM cars are integrated into some programs and Discovery produces some short videos about the company.
Looking at GM's news today, I have to wonder about the thought process to pony up for this kind of advertising investment. Competing with Toyota's [TM
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] hybrids must be really important for the beleaguered American automaker. It's not just cars, Waste Management [WMI
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] , Clorox, and Whirlpool are also jumping on board.
Having these big brands is clearly a big boon for the new channel, but mastering branded entertainment without annoying viewers is a challenge. Planet Green wants to attract advertisers that have an eco-friendly approach. The question now is: can branded entertainment work when the channel is combining an auto giant and a green message?
Questions? Comments?
Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes