• by kyle , Daisy Whitney , June 28, 2007

Discovery’s viewers are smart and they like to know about things, the company’s executives say. That’s why Discovery has begun rolling out a series of 14 new made-for-mobile TV shows that dispense knowledge nuggets in three- to four-minute episodes.

“The heaviest mobile video users match up perfectly with our passionate enthusiasts who we refer to as ‘Sexy Geeks,’ ” says Clint Stinchcomb, executive vice president and general manager for Discovery’s emerging networks group. “It’s very cool today to be a sexy geek; that is the person who is wired and engaged —curious about the world.”

Discovery’s commitment is one of the largest by a programmer to the mobile TV business and underscores the promise Discovery sees in mobile television advertising because mobile marketing is personalized. Discovery expects to place mobile ads in Discovery Mobile content by summer’s end.

The U.S. market for mobile advertising reached $421 million last year, according to eMarketer. The number of mobile video subscribers grew to 6.2 million by the end of 2006, reports Telephia.

The 14 shows will debut through the end of the year and cover Discovery-centric topics such as green living, emerging technology, animal factoids and esoteric science topics.