DISCOVERY, INC. ANNOUNCES REBRAND OF ITS AUTO ENTHUSIAST JOINT VENTURE TO MOTOR TREND GROUP; VELOCITY CHANNEL IN U.S. TO ALSO BE RENAMED MOTOR TREND NETWORK
--Motor Trend Group Offers Advertisers Unparalleled, One-Stop Access to Global Auto Enthusiast Audiences, with 360-Degree Solution across All Platforms--
(New York) - Drawing on the power of the most trusted brand in automotive media, Discovery, Inc. announced today that its auto-related consolidated joint venture, previously called The Enthusiast Network, will now become Motor Trend Group, effective immediately. As part of this rebrand, Velocity, America's #1 television destination for automotive fans, will also be rebranded Motor Trend Network in Fall 2018. The JV's Motor Trend OnDemand digital product, the #1 direct-to-consumer offering for auto enthusiasts, will continue to be available to consumers on mobile and connected devices as the Motor Trend App, and available online at MotorTrend.com.
"No other global media company has the content, and both the TV and digital platforms, to deliver what auto enthusiasts want than Discovery," said Michael Lang, CEO of Motor Trend Group and President, Digital, Discovery Networks International & Eurosport Digital. "This rebrand of our JV into one, over-arching single brand, Motor Trend, continues Discovery's long-term digital ambition; underscores our commitment to serve passionate global auto-related superfans with the world-class content they crave; and provides OEMs, buyers and advertisers with an unparalleled one-stop, 360-degree branded environment to reach this coveted audience segment across all screens and platforms."
Motor Trend Group
For nearly seven decades Motor Trend has delivered premium content, in-depth analysis and culturally relevant material to audiences with an interest in automotive. Now, under the Motor Trend Group, the leading knowledge-based brand in automotive media unites:
· #1 direct-to-consumer digital product for auto enthusiasts;
· #1 television channel for car enthusiasts, available in 73 million U.S. homes;
· Motor Trend YouTube channel with more than five million subscribers and 1.7+ billion video views;
· Collection of top digital sites including Hot Rod, Roadkill, Automobile, Truck Trend, Super Street and more, including a leading New Car Buyers Guide in the U.S. with over 6.5 million unique monthly visitors alone;
· ~110 million social media followers across all automotive brands;
· Cross-platform offerings including: top branded content agency (Motor Trend Studio) to serve OEM and aftermarket clients with branded digital content offerings, and the management of many live auto-focused events around the world.
Unparalleled 360-Degree Solution for Advertisers
With an incomparable, unified offering and combined reach of more than 150 million automotive superfans and car buyers, Motor Trend Group will now afford advertisers the ability to buy multiple verticals together, including digital and linear, creating a multiplatform 360-degree advertising offering.
"The Motor Trend Group is the only place where advertisers can buy across linear TV, digital and social media platforms, live events and branded content to carry a unified message reaching potential car buyers and an affluent male audience," said Jon Steinlauf, Chief U.S. Advertising Sales Officer for Discovery. "We also have the very best, most robust offering of automotive content to feed audiences' passion for the genre."
Nourishing Automotive Super Fans Across Platforms
Beginning in the Fall of 2018, Motor Trend Network will combine the very best of Motor Trend's deep history and expertise as the leading, information-based automotive media brand with Velocity's position as the #1 TV destination for the very best entertaining, engaging and informative programming from the automotive world. Fans can still watch their favorite series including WHEELER DEALERS, BITCHIN' RIDES, BARRETT-JACKSON LIVE, FANTOMWORKS, SPEED IS THE NEW BLACK, IRON RESURRECTION, GARAGE SQUAD, TEXAS METAL and more in addition to new, original automotive programming on Motor Trend Network - as well as stream on the Motor Trend App and Motortrend.com.
Via MotorTrend.com and Motor Trend App, fans can watch these same favorite Motor Trend Network and Discovery Channel motor series such as OVERHAULIN' and GRAVEYARD CARZ and FAST N' LOUD and STREET OUTLAWS, as well as their favorite Motor Trend originals such as ROADKILL, HEAD2HEAD, JUNKYARD GOLD, DIRT EVERYDAY and more. Discovery's first direct-to-consumer auto digital product in the U.S. will also feature exclusive digital programming, both short and long-form, along with the New Car Buyers Guide and live coverage of major auto events such as BARRETT-JACKSON. The Motor Trend App is available across millions of connected devices via IOS/Apple TV, Google Play, Roku, Xbox, Chromecast and Amazon platforms.
Global Expansion
Committed to super-serving automotive superfans throughout the world, Motor Trend will launch a free-to-air digital terrestrial TV channel in Italy later this month, providing Italian audiences with new, original content, and the only TV channel totally dedicated to the world of cars and motorbikes. Last December, the Motor Trend App launched on Amazon Channels in the UK, offering hundreds of hours of content designed to fuel the passion of auto enthusiasts. Both of these markets are planned for future roll-out of our direct-to-consumer Motor Trend App, with many more markets globally planned starting late 2018.
Discovery's joint venture partner is GoldenTree Asset Management LP, with Motor Trend Group being a portfolio company for them.
About Motor Trend Group:
Motor Trend Group is the largest automotive media company in the world, bringing together Discovery's fast-growing Velocity network and a vast automotive digital, direct-to-consumer, social and live event portfolio, including Motor Trend, Hot Rod, Roadkill, Automobile, and more than 20 other industry-leading brands. With a cumulative reach of more than 131 million, the company encompasses television's #1 network for automotive super fans, a leading automotive YouTube Channel, and the Motor Trend app, the only auto-dedicated subscription video-on-demand service.
About Discovery:
Discovery, Inc. (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) is a global leader in real life entertainment, serving a passionate audience of superfans around the world with content that inspires, informs and entertains. Discovery delivers over 8,000 hours of original programming each year and has category leadership across deeply loved content genres around the world. Available in 220 countries and territories and 50 languages, Discovery is a platform innovator, reaching viewers on all screens, including TV Everywhere products such as the GO portfolio of apps and Discovery Kids Play; direct-to-consumer streaming services such as Eurosport Player and Motor Trend OnDemand; and digital-first and social content from Group Nine Media. Discovery's portfolio of premium brands includes Discovery Channel, HGTV, Food Network, TLC, Investigation Discovery, Travel Channel, Turbo/Velocity, Animal Planet, and Science Channel, as well as OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network in the U.S., Discovery Kids in Latin America, and Eurosport, the leading provider of locally relevant, premium sports and Home of the Olympic Games across Europe. For more information, please visit www.corporate.discovery.com and follow @DiscoveryIncTV across social platforms.
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