Discovery Communications Corporate History

Written by Samuel Phineas Upham

Discovery Communications is a mass media company located in Maryland. Discovery was a single channel back in 1985, a documentary-based channel showing video footage based on popular science of the day. It was primarily non-fiction programming, which is slightly different from their focus today.

DCI has 28 different brands that it manages, which include over 100 channels that broadcast in 39 different languages in 180 different countries. Discovery used to produce and air primarily non-fiction. That is still a component of what they do today, but they also boost their lineup with adventure-type shows and fitness programming.

DCI is also responsible for the Random House book label, which is the largest general book publisher in the world.

In the early days Discovery broadcast the Soviet equivalent to Time magazine, “Vremya,” to keep its lights on. The now famous Shark Week got its start in 1988, while the Christian Science Monitor produced a show called World Monitor. These shows explored the natural world, but the focus shifted during the early 2000s.

Discovery became less about documentaries and more about reality TV, which helped sustain them for a time. Shows like American Chopper got people into the idea of working with their hands, but the gusto didn’t last. By 2004, ratings were showing signs of decline. Discovery decided to shift back to educational programming, and by 2006 had recovered much of their losses.

The network has been nominated seven times for Prime Time Emmys, and its documentary series “Planet Earth” has won an Emmy.