Discovery Communications

Discovery Pushes Its Podcasting Stars in Front of the Camera: How the “Stuff You Should Know” Guys Got on TV

Peter Kafka in Media on May 21 at 3:30 am PT

A few years ago, Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant were unknown writers. Now they’re podcast big shots. Next year they could be cable TV stars.

Defying the Twitter Ecosystem Curse, Topsy Rakes in $15M More

Liz Gannes in Social on March 10, 2011 at 8:00 am PT

Topsy Labs, the real-time search engine, has raised $15 million in Series C funding from BlueRun Ventures, Ignition Partners, Founders Fund, Scott Banister and Western Technology Investments. This brings the company to about $30 million in total funding since it was founded in 2006.

Condé Nast Gets Ready to Go Shopping, Adds $500 Million and an Ex-Yahoo

Peter Kafka in Media on December 13, 2010 at 6:55 am PT

Anyone have anything they want to sell to Condé Nast? The publisher is officially in shopping mode: It has hired an M&A guy from Yahoo and raised $500 million to get him started.

OWN It Online? How Digital Will Oprah’s Latest Attack on the Media Landscape Be?

Kara Swisher in News on December 10, 2010 at 2:00 pm PT

The marketing of the Oprah Winfrey Network, set to debut January 1, 2011, is definitely ratcheting up. What will be interesting to see is how much of a digital element there is on OWN, which is obviously heavy on the television shows for the new cable network.

Wanted: Online Ad Sales Heads for Both Yahoo and Microsoft

Kara Swisher in News on March 24, 2010 at 12:04 pm PT

Even though they are two of the Internet’s largest advertising businesses, both Yahoo and Microsoft are without top execs to lead those units. Worse, both are just entering a complex online ad sales and search partnership together, which will require a lot of management firepower. Yahoo’s main online ad sales head just left and Microsoft has been searching for one for a year now. So, here’s the skinny on who is in the running.

Voices

Is Discovery Communications Working on eBook Reader?

Eric Savitz, Blogger and Columnist, Barron's, Tech Trader Daily in News on September 1, 2009 at 10:53 am PT

Discovery Communications has filed for a patent on an e-book reader, the Baltimore Sun reported over late last week. The Sun notes that Discovery, which owns Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and other cable properties, filed a patent for the device in February; but the Sun notes that the patent filing was not made public until last Thursday.

Voices

After Conquering the Movies, 3-D Viewing Makes Its Way Toward Home TVs

Paul Sonne and Sam Schechner, Reporters, The Wall Street Journal in News on August 17, 2009 at 7:58 am PT

With 3-D movies popping up more frequently at the cinema, several companies are working through significant challenges to make 3-D viewing available in the home too. Satellite-TV operator British Sky Broadcasting PLC is preparing to debut a 3-D television channel in the U.K. next year that will require specially-equipped TV sets.

Comcast Reels In Discovery for Web TV Trial. But No “Deadliest Catch”!

Peter Kafka in Media on August 13, 2009 at 8:02 am PT

Another big player has signed onto Comcast’s Web TV trial: Discovery Communication is handing over a few of its shows for the cable provider’s program, which gives subscribers online access to (some) of the shows they get on TV. Discovery joins other big names like CBS and HBO in Comcast’s “On Demand Online,” which launched last month in a few thousand homes.

Meet Podcasting’s New Star: Radio Refugee Adam Carolla

Peter Kafka in Media on April 6, 2009 at 6:00 am PT

Adam Carolla used to get paid a lot of money to host a morning radio show with a national audience. Now he’s spending his own money to produce a podcast for a fraction of his old audience. Does that sound like progress to you? It should.