Globally, the BBC and Discovery Communications are ending a joint
venture arrangement for a pair of networks. In North America, the
parties are staying together from a programming perspective for a couple
of more years.
BBC Worldwide is selling to Discovery its 50%
interest in the global TV channels joint venture Animal Planet and Liv,
formerly dubbed People+Arts for $156 million.
The BBC had sold its 20% in Animal Planet in the U.S. in 2006, but had retained its stake in the service operating in Europe, Asia and Latin America.
Animal
Planet is a global channel brand reaching nearly 250 million cumulative
subscribers in more than 170 markets across Europe, Asia and Latin
America. Liv is a general entertainment channel brand reaching 24
million cumulative subscribers in 33 Latin American markets.
