• by Wayne Friedman , July 9, 2014

Discovery Fit & Health will become Discovery Life Channel -- the second cable network this summer to announce a name and content change.

Now Discovery Fit & Health's health, medical, and factual programming will expand into new non-fictional content about broader life issues.

In the second quarter of 2014, Discovery Fit & Health averaged 105,000 prime-time viewers.

"Broadening to Discovery Life Channel gives us a chance to make bigger, bolder programming choices while always, central to our brand mission, revealing life at its most critical turning points,” says Henry Schleiff, group president of Investigation Discovery, Destination America, American Heroes Channel, and Discovery Life Channel.

The Discovery Communications’ network of 47 million homes will become Discovery Life Channel, making its transformation on January 15, 2015.

Discovery says Jane Latman will continue to be general manager of the channel, as well as holding the title of senior vice president of development for Investigation Discovery.

More than 10 new series and specials are development for Discovery Life Channel.

Three initial titles include: “Families on the Brink,” which follows relationship experts working with families; “Ripped Kids,” which looks at pre-teens who focus on working out and fitness; and “Tales From The Maternity Ward,” which presents first-person accounts by obstetricians, nurses, and neonatal staff as they relive their experiences with bizarre, mysterious and often humorous medical cases involving childbirth, labor and delivery.

Earlier this week, Hallmark Movie Channel announced that it will become Hallmark Movies & Mysteries.