Discovery Communications will launch TLC in Turkey, following the successful acquisition of the Turkish national free to air entertainment channel CNBC-e from Dogus Media Group.
Launching this November, the new channel will replace CNBC-e and showcase the best in high-quality non-scripted and scripted international entertainment.
“Today marks a new era in our Turkish business, as we close our deal with Dogus Media Group to acquire CNBC-e and announce the launch of TLC – Discovery’s leading lifestyle and entertainment channel brand and first free to air channel in the growing Turkish market,” said James Gibbons, EVP and country manager, Emerging Business, Discovery Networks CEEMEA (pictured).
“Discovery successfully runs both Pay-TV and free to air platforms in a number of markets across Europe, and TLC Turkey will offer a diverse mix of content that adds value to our existing strong portfolio, including dedicated feeds for Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and Discovery Science. TLC is the channel Turkey has been waiting for and we look forward to presenting it to viewers and our commercial partners this November.”
Dogus Media Group’s chairman Erman Yerdelen said: “As Dogus Media Group, we believe Discovery Communications will introduce the Turkish market to a totally new channel, reflecting the latest trends in various types of entertainment under a very strong brand like TLC. Thanks to its strong and diverse programming schedule, we are sure that Turkish viewers will be addicted to TLC Turkey and it will be the leading channel in its genre. We look forward to working alongside Discovery on future projects and offering even more surprises for Turkish viewers.”
Today’s completion of the acquisition of CNBC-e by Discovery Communications marks the passage to the next stage in its strategic relationship with Dogus Media Group, as announced earlier this year , to expand its channel portfolio in Turkey, strengthen its ad sales offer and reinforce its position as the leading international broadcaster in the region.
Dogus were recently appointed as Discovery’s exclusive ad sales representative in Turkey, tasked, under the leadership of James Gibbons in London and Sissian Margos (General Manger, Discovery Networks Turkey) in Istanbul, to sell Discovery’s commercial portfolio, which with the addition of TLC now consists of four channels, including Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and Discovery Science.
