• by Wayne Friedman , April 6, 2007

Discovery Communications will launch a new cable network, Discovery PlanetGreen, next year. It hopes to extend its brand name in an area it knows best--and that could be a boon for marketers.

"They are staying closer to their roots," says Bill Carroll, vice president and director of programming for TV sales company, Katz Communications. "You think Discovery, you think nature. It is a natural progression. The new buzzword is green."

Critics have charged in the past that Discovery moved too far from its core. For example, establishing the Discovery Home Channel--a network that PlanetGreen will replace. But moving to greener pastures is perfect for Discovery. "I'm sure they have a lot of library product to get it started," adds Carroll. And it boasts a big subscriber base. Discovery PlanetGreen will hit the ground running, with a sizable 50-million-subscriber base at launch in the third quarter of 2008.

What does this mean for marketers?

Only good things, analysts say. Increasingly, consumers are questioning marketers as to how companies treat the environment when it comes to producing products. "Most advertisers are looking at ways that say they are environmentally neutral in terms of impact to the environment," says Carroll. "It would make sense for them to find places to send those messages."

It also helps when a major documentary film becomes a pop-culture phenomenon and an Oscar winner. "You look at the success of "An Inconvenient Truth," says Carroll. "You have to believe that consumers have at least some interest--if not a significant interest."

Much of the impetus for Discovery's new network comes from the recent success of its "PlanetEarth" series.