Discovery Channel goes to print in partnership with Reader's Digest

Singapore - Discovery Networks Asia and Reader's Digest Asia are launching Discovery Channel Magazine, a bi-monthly magazine covering science and technology, adventure, animal behaviour, history and the future.

Tom Keaveny, executive vice president and managing director, Discovery Networks Asia, said, "The Discovery Channel Magazine is a natural extension of our successful brand beyond TV and provides our viewers with the ability to take Discovery Channel everywhere they go. This partnership taps the synergies and strengths of both Discovery and Reader's Digest - both have a long history of compelling story telling and quality content - and ultimately, the consumer will benefit from an excellent product. We are now also able to offer our advertisers a fully-integrated campaign, incorporating on-air, online, on-ground and print, with a regional platform to reach a broad base of affluent readers across Asia Pacific."

Scheduled to launch on 2 February 2008, the magazine will debut with an initial circulation of 100,000 primarily in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines comprising both subscriptions and newsstands. It will also be on sale in China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. There are plans to roll out to other Asia-Pacific markets later in 2008.

"Our consumer research and test results in the region have been extremely encouraging with terrific response towards the new publication. Together with Discovery, we hope to continue our philosophy of informing, enriching, entertaining and inspiring people of all cultures," Rosemarie Wallace, regional managing director of Reader's Digest Asia said.

The Discovery Channel Magazine will be built around five core pillars: Demystifying science and technology to simplify and amplify learning; Grasping the Universe to better appreciate its wonders; Presenting knowledge seekers and adventurers to inspire us to discover more of the world; Decoding animal behavior to learn more about ourselves; and Unraveling History to see what shaped us - and our future.

Editor-in-chief of the English edition of Reader's Digest in Asia, Jim Plouffe, will also oversee the Discovery Channel Magazine. Reader's Digest will be forming a separate team of experienced writers and designers to work on the new magazine, which will be based in Singapore.