• Advertising Age, Friday, November 7, 2008 10:01 AM

The warm, cuddly Animal Planet is so yesterday. The new Animal Planet has gotten more aggressive in its programming and its ad sales strategy. It is diversifying the Discovery cable net's client base beyond pet food and kitty litter brands to new clients, such as Pizza Hut, Honda and Mattel.

"People do not watch our TV network because they have pets. They like Animal Planet because they like TV," says Marjorie Kaplan, general manager. "We want to retain our base advertisers and become a broad entertainment destination."

The network is appealing to 25-to-54s with shows like a competition for dog groomers and the new "Living With the Wolfman," a series about a wolf expert who lives with wolves in England.

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