Discovery appoints Unanimis to handle ad sales for its newly launched site

NMA 9th March 2011

Discovery Channel has overhauled its UK website to reposition as more of an entertainment brand than documentary-only channel. The broadcaster, which airs shows including Bear Grylls’ Born Survivor, has relaunched its UK site featuring a raft of web-only behind-the-scenes video clips and blogs written by its UK editor.

Visitors can also enter competitions to win holidays and other prizes. Discovery’s VP of marketing communications for Western Europe, Simon Downing, said the aim of the redesign is to move away from its UK brand identity as purely a documentary channel and “wrestle back” control of its digital output in the UK.

“Research we’ve done has shown we’re still quite distant from our UK audience and perceived as an American brand,” he said. “This is what we wanted to change. It’s about reconfiguring our entire UK business to put digital at the heart of everything we do.”

The broadcaster is also consolidating all social media activity, having closed all its Facebook programme pages. It has launched one main Discovery Network page, which it will use to drive people to the website and TV channel by offering exclusive video teaser clips.

Downing said the next stage of its digital strategy will be to consider mobile and tablet opportunities.

Discovery has appointed ad network Unanimis to handle digital ad sales for the site, which has relaunched with advertisers including Panasonic and Mitsubishi.

Heaton Cooper Martin, VP of commercial development for the UK & Ireland at Discovery Networks, said it wants to move away from using display ads, which he said can over-clutter the site.

“We’re not launching with display formats pegged everywhere on the site, which is what you’d expect from a broadcaster,” he said. “The focus will be on pre-rolls and MPUs, as well as more integrated partnerships with brands.” This will include more deals like the one agreed with Singapore Airlines earlier this year.

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