Discovery's Spin-off Strategy Is a Winner for Advertisers and Viewers Alike

A look at the numbers helps explain why the spinoff strategy is so effective In the fourth quarter of 2021 Discovery had four of basic cable39s top unscripted series among men 2554 The franchise anchor Gold Rush pictured at top and spinoff series Gold Rush White Water were second and fourth while distilling series Moonshiners was eighth and dragracing series Street Outlaws No Prep Kings was 10thDiscovery emerged from 2021 with three of the top10 unscripted basic cable series among men 1849 with Gold Rush in second Street Outlaws in sixth and Gold Rush White Water in seventhWhere audiences travel advertisers followquotWhen a network strategy aligns with a sales strategy it creates more sales and marketing opportunitiesquot said Scott Kohn Executive Vice President of National Advertising Sales overseeing Discovery Motor Trend Science and Animal Planet quotThis strategy has provided opportunities for growth in the current environment when all we are hearing about linear is that it39s contracting The strategy has created an environment where our advertisers can reach large audiences with less frequencyquotKohn noted that consistency is important quotWhen we39re able to create a block of programming it helps our viewers invest more time in the content and more in our clients39 messagingquot he said Because the programming features real people doing what they39d be doing whether the camera is on them or not a bond of affection is created with viewers and that accrues to the brands quotHaving them on our air throughout the night holds audiences39 attention longerquot Kohn addedEach of the three franchises conjures entirely different worlds for viewers Street Outlaws in which drivers race fast cars through the streets of Oklahoma City quotbecame more of a sport for Discovery than a docufollow of epic jobs like Deadliest Catch or Gold Rush Now we39re continuing to evolve what the next level up for that franchise is with gamification and storylinesquot said Scott Lewers Executive Vice President of MultiPlatform Programming and Digital Media for Discovery and Science ChannelsLewers was referencing the video games that have been spun out of that show Street Outlaws The List and Street Outlaws Winner Takes All Discovery also airs a spinoff Street Outlaws No Prep KingsquotGold Rush is more personality and equipmentdrivenquot Lewers said quotIt39s like Tonka Toys for menquot Gold has aired on Discovery for 12 seasons and is that network39s most popular series In 2021 Gold Rush and two of its spinoffs Gold Rush White Water and Gold Rush The Dirt were basic cable39s highestrated series among men 2554 on Friday nights In 2021 Discovery added Gold Rush Freddy Dodge39s Mine Rescue and in 2022 Mystery at Blind Frog RanchMeanwhile Moonshiners which is in its 11th season on Discovery Channel focuses on people who distill liquor in the Appalachian mountains A spinoff competition series Moonshiners Master Distillers sees both legal and outlaw distillers face off to see who can do the best job brewing various liquors such as rum gin absinthe and cherry bounceThe idea is to not just keep serving viewers helpings of the same fare but to mix things up enough to keep them turned in and interested For example Mystery at Blind Frog Ranch which airs at 10 pm ETPT on Friday nights is about something paranormal and mysterious as well as about gold mining quotIt39s not part of the Gold Rush franchise but it is Gold Rush adjacentquot Lewers saidquotMy favorite thing to do while in primetime is to watch the social media feedquot Lewers said quotIt39s like a national focus group When you see the trend of a character or episode or storyline take off all of a sudden you are like 39There must be more here39quotBeyond just taking advantage of the consistent audience this programming strategy produces Discovery also works closely with select advertisers to build custombranded content around the programmingquotWe combine the Discovery brands whether that39s the network show or characters with the client39s brand And in that equation one plus one equals way more than twoquot Kohn said quotIt39s always a partnership We know our brands better than our clients do and they know their brands better than we doquotDiscovery39s team is also selective about how it produces and airs branded content so that it39s engaging for viewers and premium for advertisers quotWe would never put a product or message in a show that39s going to damage any of the brandsquot Kohn saidDiscovery also makes a point of encouraging viewers to check out the discovery streaming service and that39s another opportunity for advertisers quotdiscovery39s adsupported version has a much shorter commercial pod than is typical for adsupported streaming platforms And that provides a premium environment for our advertisersquot Kohn saidquotAdvertisers are rooting for our success and they are excited when there39s a show that becomes a franchise because that gives them that consistencyquot Kohn said quotFor example 52 weeks a year there is Gold Rush content on Discovery Channel on Friday nightsquotFor Lewers it39s about constantly looking toward what39s next quotOur future is going to be about building brands that are strong and relevant on all platforms We don39t want to shy away from the new ones but we do want to continue to embrace the legacy onesquot he saidClick the social buttons to share this story with colleagues and friendsThe opinions expressed here are the author39s views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet

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Discovery's Spin-off Strategy Is a Winner for Advertisers and Viewers Alike

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Paige Albiniak

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