History
In 1985, Ted Turner would launch a European division in London, England, [5] which reached across the Middle East and African regional feeds, [6] Around the same time Discovery Channel would launch in April in Europe. In mid-2007, Discovery Networks Europe would be split into two various branches around Europe. [7] In 1987, The Original Incarnation of Viacom launched MTV Global
In June 2008, MTV Networks International partnered with Dutch entertainment company Endemol to launch its joint-venture Dutch comedy channel under the former's Comedy Central brand with the new comedy channel being named Comedy Central Family. [8]
In November 2009, MTV Networks International teamed up with Abu Dhabi-based entertainment company Twofour54 to establish an Arabian comedy content production studio that would produce and develop local Arabic-language comedy content for the Middle East called Comedy Central Studios Arabia, the new studio would be headquartered at Twofour54's Abu Dhabi offices and would also adapt localized versions of Comedy Central's programming library for the Arabic market. [9] [10]
On 29 July 2010, MTV Networks International announced its launching of its Hebrew-language television channel entitled Comedy Central Israel which had launched the following year on 1 January 2011, marking the ten country to use the Comedy Central brand. [11] [12]
In May 2011 following MTV Networks International renaming to Viacom International Media Networks and its launch of Dutch channel Comedy Central Family with global production & distribution studio Endemol three years ago in 2008, Viacom International Media Networks alongside global Dutch entertainment production & distribution giant Endemol had expanded their partnership with the two companies had established a female-skewed entertainment channel based in Poland that will target women aged 16 to 49 named Viacom Blink!, the launch of the new entertainment channel Viacom Blink! had gained Viacom International Media Networks another entertainment channel in its portfolio as Viacom Internation Media Networks have licensed Endemol's programming library to the new channel under a programming deal with the former planning to launch the channel to other countries. [13] [14] [15]
On 27 November 2012, Discovery announced it would acquire Dubai-based broadcaster Takhayal Entertainment, which owns MENA lifestyle channel Fatafeat. This acquisition was then completed. [16]
On 21 December 2012, Discovery announced it had acquired a 20% stake in the pan-European sports broadcaster Eurosport from TF1 Group for €170 million (US$221.6 million). [17] On 21 January 2014, Discovery acquired an additional 51% share to gain controlling interest, [18] and subsequently acquired the remainder for €491 million in July 2015 to receive sole ownership. [19]
At the start of May 2014, Viacom International Media Networks announced it had signed a definitive agreement to acquire British free-to-air public broadcast television channel Channel 5 alongside its parent company Channel 5 Broadcasting Limited and its three entertainment channels 5* and US programming-focus channel 5USA from Richard Desmond's British publishing company Northern & Shell for £450m (US$759 million). [20]
In June 2015, Discovery acquired pan-European rights to the Olympic Games from 2018 through 2024, excluding Russia, on all platforms, in a €1.3 billion deal. Discovery will primarily broadcast the Games on local outlets (including Eurosport), but will sub-license coverage to over-the-air broadcasters in each region. [21] [22] [23]
In October 2015, Viacom International Media Networks had established its international production division that would serve as a production hub for its global entertainment network brands worldwide, including Nickelodeon, MTV and Comedy Central entitled Viacom International Studios which would be based in Miami, Florida to expand Viacom's production capabilities for global networks as the new international studio would produce local adaptations of Viacom's productions including original scripted & unscripted content worldwide for its global networks & mobile and digital platforms internationally with VIMN president Bob Bakish heading the new international production division Viacom International Studios as president, Viacom International Studios had also opened up a new production studio facility based in Miami, Florida where VIMN's Latin American division VIMN Americas was headquartered following the launch of Viacom International Studios, with the new production studio facility would be served as the production of Viacom International Studios' productions. [24] [25] [26]
In June 2016, Discovery acquired a 27.5% stake in Bethia Comunicaciones S.A., a division of Chilean conglomerate Bethia that owns Red Televisiva Megavisión S.A., a company which in turn owns both the private television network Mega and a 70% stake in the anime-, Korean drama- and K-pop-focused cable television channel ETC (which is co-owned with its creator, who is businessman and television executive Hernán Schmidt Fuentes). As a result, Bethia acquired 72.5% of the company. [27]
In August 2016, Discovery renewed its distribution deals in 12 countries with shareholder Liberty Global. [28] [29] On 31 January 2017, after nearly facing a carriage dispute, Discovery renewed its distribution deals in Germany and the United Kingdom with Sky plc. [30]
In November 2016, Discovery partnered with the streaming media company BAMTech to create a joint venture to serve Europe. [31] In May 2017, ProSiebenSat.1 Media and Discovery announced a joint venture to create a German over-the-top content service, built upon its existing 7TV service. [32]
In August 2017, Discovery announced that it would acquire the remaining 51.06% of Green Content, the operator of the Polish DTT channel Metro, from Agora SA for PLN19,000,000 under a share buyback agreement. [33]
Through its purchase of SNI, Discovery added the Polish broadcaster TVN Group to its European portfolio, [34] which SNI had acquired in 2015 from ITI Group and Canal+ Group., [35] [36] [37] as well as the UKTV joint venture with BBC Worldwide (later BBC Studios) and Asian Food Network (which SNI had acquired from the co-founders Hian Goh and Maria Brown in 2013) [38] to its Asian portfolio.
Redknot, a joint venture with Canadian animation studio Nelvana, launched on 12 February 2019.
At the end of 2019, Viacom and CBS Corporation remerged, this caused Network 10 from the CBS side to merge with Channel 5 (British TV channel) to form Paramount Networks UK & Australia.
On 3 July 2020, Discovery agreed to acquire the German free-to-air station Tele 5 from Leonine Holding. [39]
On 7 September 2020, MediaWorks New Zealand Limited announced that Discovery would be purchasing the television arm of their business including Three, Bravo, The Edge TV, Breeze TV, streaming service ThreeNow, and current affairs service Newshub. MediaWorks said in a statement that the transaction was subject to "a number of pre-completion approvals" but was expected to completed by the end of the year. . [40] [41] [42] The sale was finalized in December 2020, with the new entity being rebranded as Discovery New Zealand. [43]
In December 2020, the Discovery-backed GB News received a licence from Ofcom to broadcast on their service on various British platforms, such as Freeview, in 2021. GB News was set up by Andrew Cole and Mark Schneider from Liberty Global. [44] [45] [46]
In March 2021, Discovery was made available to beIN Media Group subscribers in the Middle East and North Africa. The two organizations have worked together since 2016, but this is the first time that Discovery Channel itself has been made available. [47]
On 27 April 2021, Discovery Inc. confirmed that it would be restructuring its business operations in Australia and New Zealand with the goal of incorporating Three, Bravo and Newshub into a single trans-Tasman organization. Discovery also announced that this new trans-Tasman organization would be headed by two general managers, the Sydney–based Rebecca Kent and Glen Kyne in Auckland. Discovery had also separately acquired MediaWorks' TopTV operations in 2019. [48] In mid-May 2021, Newshub closed its Dunedin office as part of a restructuring of Discovery's business operations in Australia and New Zealand. Following the closure of the Dunedin newsroom, the network's South Island operations will consist of its Christchurch–based bureau and freelancers. [49] [50]
In 2022, Discovery merged with WarnerMedia, forming Warner Bros. Discovery International and consequently been announced that Discovery+ which currently available in India and the Philippines would be merged with HBO Go which available in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Southeast Asian countries, that carried several content from HBO Max, to form simply Max on 19 November 2024. [51]
After the merger, Warner Bros Discovery sold Chilevision to ViacomCBS International Networks(Formerly Viacom Media Networks)
In December 2024, Warner Bros. Discovery has begun the process of selling the TVN Group - its Polish unit which is a part of TVN Warner Bros. Discovery. [52] [53] Ultimately, on 14 April 2025, WBD decided to keep the TVN unit. [54]
In late July 2025, Warner Bros. Discovery announced it would sell its New Zealand assets to local television network Sky Network Television, effective 1 August 2025. [55] [56] Sky also confirmed that Discovery NZ would be rebranded as Sky Free. [57]
Also in 2025, Paramount Global merged with Skydance Media to form Paramount Skydance, to cut off its debt, Paramount International Networks sold Chilevision and Telefe
In October 6, 2026, Paramount International Networks merged with Warner Bros Discovery International to form Skydance International Networks after Paramount acquired Warner Bros.
