• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, March 8, 2010

Oprah Winfrey is making an early appearance in the Discovery family. Her OWN network is scheduled to launch soon, but later this month, she'll begin narrating an 11-part nature series on the diversity and curious behaviors of life on earth.

Having invested considerably in the co-production with the BBC, Discovery will roadblock the March 21 debut on seven of its networks: TLC, Animal Planet, Science Channel, Investigation Discovery, Planet Green and Discovery Health Channel Sunday, March 21. (The Discovery Health Channel is soon to be OWN.)

Six of the networks will also simulcast "Life" in HD.

The two-hour "Life," more than four years in the making and created by the "Planet Earth" series team, will then move to the Discovery Channel for its final 10 episodes on Sundays, from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Clark Bunting, president and general manager at the Discovery Channel, alluded to the promotional opportunity. He said the "Life" series "embodies Discovery's 25-year mission to satisfy viewers' curiosity about the world and its inhabitants. We want to give as many viewers as possible the opportunity to experience the series."

Winfrey's voice will detail the fascinations of deep-sea marine invertebrates, insects, plants, primates and more.