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Warner Bros. Discovery International

International unit of Warner Bros. Discovery From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Warner Bros. Discovery International, (formerly Turner Broadcasting System International and WarnerMedia International) is the international unit of Warner Bros. Discovery led by President Gerhard Zeiler.[1][2] The unit oversees the production, broadcasting and promotion of its key brands outside of the United States. These brands include Adult Swim, Animal Planet, Boomerang, Cartoon Network, Discovery Channel, HBO, TLC, TBS, TNT, and Warner TV.

Quick Facts Formerly, Company type ...
Warner Bros. Discovery International
Formerly
  • Turner Broadcasting System International (1985–2020)
  • WarnerMedia International (2020–2022)
Company typeDivision
IndustryBroadcasting
Predecessor
Founded
  • 1985; 40 years ago (1985) (original)
  • 2022; 3 years ago (2022) (Merger with Discovery Networks International)
Founder
Headquarters
  • Warner House, 98 Theobalds Rd, London, England United Kingdom
  • Piet Heinkade 173 1019 GM, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Key people
List
  • Gerhard Zeiler
    (chairman & President WBD International)
  • James Gibbons
    (president & Managing Director, Asia-Pacific - Australia, New Zealand and Japan)
  • Clement Schwebig
    (president & Managing Director, Western Europe and Africa/Corporate Officer)
  • Kasia Kieli
    (president & Managing Director, Poland, and CEO of TVN)
  • Christina Sulebakk
    (EVP & Managing Director, Nordics)
  • Fernando Medin
    (president, Latin America and U.S. Hispanic)
  • Jamie Cooke
    (EVP & Managing Director, CEE MENAT, EMEA Creative and PayTV)
  • Andrew Georgiou
    (president & Managing Director, UK & Ireland and WBD Sports Europe)
  • Alessandro Araimo
    (EVP & Managing Director, Italy & Iberia)
Parent
Divisions
Close

The networks' headquarters are located in London. Other international offices are located in São Paulo, Santiago, Mexico City, Amsterdam, Warsaw, Milan, Mumbai, Paris, Singapore, Bogotá, and Auckland amongst others.[3][4]

Divisions

Summarize
Perspective

Europe, Middle East, and Africa

Main article: Warner Bros. Discovery EMEA

In 1985, Ted Turner would launch a European division in London, England,[5] which reached across the Middle East and African regional feeds,[6] Around the same time Discovery Channel would launch in April in Europe. In mid-2007, Discovery Networks Europe would be split into two various branches around Europe.[7]

On November 27, 2012, Discovery announced it would acquire Dubai-based broadcaster Takhayal Entertainment, which owns MENA lifestyle channel Fatafeat. This acquisition was then completed.[8]

On December 21, 2012, Discovery announced it had acquired a 20% stake in the pan-European sports broadcaster Eurosport from TF1 Group for €170 million (US$221.6 million).[9] On January 21, 2014, Discovery acquired an additional 51% share to gain controlling interest,[10] and subsequently acquired the remainder for €491 million in July 2015 to receive sole ownership.[11]

In June 2015, Discovery acquired pan-European rights to the Olympic Games from 2018 through 2024, excluding Russia, on all platforms, in a €1.3 billion deal. Discovery will primarily broadcast the Games on local outlets (including Eurosport), but will sub-license coverage to over-the-air broadcasters in each region.[12][13][14]

Through its purchase of SNI, Discovery added the Polish broadcaster TVN Group to its European portfolio,[15] which SNI had acquired in 2015 from ITI Group and Canal+ Group.,[16][17][18] as well as the UKTV joint venture with BBC Worldwide (later BBC Studios).

In August 2016, Discovery renewed its distribution deals in 12 countries with shareholder Liberty Global.[19][20] On January 31, 2017, after nearly facing a carriage dispute, Discovery renewed its distribution deals in Germany and the United Kingdom with Sky plc.[21]

In November 2016, Discovery partnered with the streaming media company BAMTech to create a joint venture to serve Europe.[22] In May 2017, ProSiebenSat.1 Media and Discovery announced a joint venture to create a German over-the-top content service, built upon its existing 7TV service.[23]

In August 2017, Discovery announced that it would acquire the remaining 51.06% of Green Content, the operator of the Polish DTT channel Metro, from Agora SA for PLN19,000,000 under a share buyback agreement.[24]

On July 3, 2020, Discovery agreed to acquire the German free-to-air station Tele 5 from Leonine Holding.[25]

In December 2020, the Discovery-backed GB News received a license from Ofcom to broadcast on their service on various British platforms, such as Freeview, in 2021. GB News was set up by Andrew Cole and Mark Schneider from Liberty Global.[26][27][28]

In March 2021, Discovery was made available to beIN Media Group subscribers in the Middle East and North Africa. The two organizations have worked together since 2016, but this is the first time that Discovery Channel itself has been made available.[29]

In 2022, Discovery merged with WarnerMedia, forming Warner Bros. Discovery EMEA, with the new entity being responsible for the assets in Europe, Middle East, and Africa.[30][31]

It wasn't until 2025, that the EMEA division would gain no oversight over the separate Polish unit (TVN Warner Bros. Discovery), after selling TVN Group.[32] The remaining assets were folded in as Warner Bros. Discovery Poland.

Latin America

Main article: Warner Bros. Discovery Latin America

In June 2016, Discovery acquired a 27.5% stake in Bethia Comunicaciones S.A., a division of Chilean conglomerate Bethia that owns Red Televisiva Megavisión S.A., a company which in turn owns both the private television network Mega and a 70% stake in the anime-, Korean drama- and K-pop-focused cable television channel ETC (which is co-owned with its creator, who is businessman and television executive Hernán Schmidt Fuentes). As a result, Bethia acquired 72.5% of the company.[33]

Redknot, a joint venture with Canadian animation studio Nelvana, launched on February 12, 2019.

In 2022, Discovery merged with WarnerMedia, forming Warner Bros. Discovery Latin America, with the new entity being responsible for the assets in Latin America and Brazil.

Asia-Pacific

Main article: Warner Bros. Discovery Asia-Pacific

As part of its acquisition of Scripps Networks Interactive in 2018, Discovery added Asian Food Network (which SNI had acquired from the co-founders Hian Goh and Maria Brown in 2013)[34] to its Asian portfolio.

On September 7, 2020, MediaWorks New Zealand Limited announced that Discovery would be purchasing the television arm of their business including Three, Bravo, The Edge TV, Breeze TV, streaming service ThreeNow, and current affairs service Newshub. MediaWorks said in a statement that the transaction was subject to "a number of pre-completion approvals" but was expected to completed by the end of the year. .[35][36][37] The sale was finalized in December 2020, with the new entity being rebranded as Discovery New Zealand.[38]

On April 27, 2021, Discovery Inc. confirmed that it would be restructuring its business operations in Australia and New Zealand with the goal of incorporating Three, Bravo and Newshub into a single trans-Tasman organization. Discovery also announced that this new trans-Tasman organization would be headed by two general managers, the Sydney–based Rebecca Kent and Glen Kyne in Auckland. Discovery had also separately acquired MediaWorks' TopTV operations in 2019.[39] In mid-May 2021, Newshub closed its Dunedin office as part of a restructuring of Discovery's business operations in Australia and New Zealand. Following the closure of the Dunedin newsroom, the network's South Island operations will consist of its Christchurch–based bureau and freelancers.[40][41]

In April 2022, WarnerMedia Entertainment Networks Asia Pacific merged with Discovery Asia-Pacific and consequently been announced that Discovery+ which currently available in India and the Philippines would be merged with HBO Go which available in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Southeast Asian countries, that carried several content from HBO Max, to form simply Max on November 19, 2024.[42]

Animal Planet

Current channels

Former channels

  • Americas
  • EMEA
    • Russia

Boomerang

Current channels

Former channels

Cartoon Network

Current channels

Former channels

Cartoonito

Current channels

Former channels

CNN International

Discovery Channel

DMAX

Food Network

HGTV

Investigation Discovery

Science Channel

Current channels

Former channels

TLC

TNT Sports

Travel Channel

Current channels

Former channels

  • Asia-Pacific
    • New Zealand
  • EMEA
    • Netherlands
    • UK and Ireland

Warner TV

Current channels

Former channels

Other networks

Current channels

Former channels

References

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