Orlando (Jan. 13, 2010) – Discovery Education announces the debut of Discovery Channel’s epic 11-part natural history series, LIFE, on Discovery Education streaming Plus in late March, following the U.S. premiere of the series on television. Full-length episodes, clips and classroom resources aligned to state standards will be available to educators and students the day after each episode premieres on Discovery Channel. Teacher’s guides and ancillary materials for three targeted grade bands (3-5, 6-8 and 9-12) will promote critical thinking among students and support educators in taking a cross-curricular instructional approach.

From the makers of PLANET EARTH and narrated by global media leader and philanthropist Oprah Winfrey, LIFE is the definitive exploration of our planet’s living things and their spectacular, bizarre and fascinating behaviors. More than four years in the making, with more than 3,000 days of filming in the field, LIFE spans every continent and every habitat. Each episode focuses on a different animal or plant group, engrossing viewers with never-before-seen behaviors using the latest in state-of-the-art high-definition filming techniques. From strange creatures, such as the star-nosed mole that hunts underwater using bubbles to smell its prey, to grand spectacles like millions of fruit bats darkening the Zambian sky, each episode tells mind-blowing stories of survival with drama, humor and suspense.

“LIFE will amaze audiences of all ages throughout the world. The series captures the awe and wonder of Mother Nature and uses the very best in cinematic techniques and engaging storytelling to bring natural history to Discovery Channel,” said Clark Bunting, president and general manager of Discovery Channel and president of Science Channel. “Told through the stories of nature’s most captivating animals and plants, each episode of LIFE delivers on our core mission to educate our viewers about the world around them. We are honored to have this brilliant program as a cornerstone of our 25th anniversary year and nothing says Discovery better than this groundbreaking television event.”

“Discovery Education is thrilled to bring LIFE’s awe-inspiring visuals and story-telling to educators and students, and to provide curriculum materials aiding in integration and exploration,” said Kelli Campbell, senior vice president of content and product development for Discovery Education. “This type of high-quality digital content – from top educational publishers around the world and networks like Discovery Channel – provides classrooms around the country with a dynamic core instructional tool to engage today’s digital learners.”

Just as LIFE becomes available to Education streaming Plus users in March, PLANET EARTH content and resources will be made available to all Discovery Education streaming users. The award-winning PLANET EARTH is Discovery Channel and BBC’s original high-definition natural history series showcasing never-before-seen animal behaviors and amazing views of locations captured by cameras for the first time.

The only digital video-based learning resource scientifically shown to increase academic achievement, Discovery Education streaming Plus enhances curriculum with up to 9,000 videos and 71,000 high-quality digital video clips, all aligned to state standards. Searchable by keyword, content area and grade level, the rich video content and other digital assets from Discovery Education can be easily integrated into curricula to engage today’s students in learning.

More Information

For more information on Education streaming, or any other product or service from Discovery Education, please visit www.discoveryeducation.com or call 800-323-9084.

About Discovery Education

Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISAD, DISBD, DISCK) revolutionized television with the Discovery Channel and is now transforming classrooms through Discovery Education. Powered by the number one non-fiction media company in the world, Discovery Education combines scientifically proven, standards-based digital media and a dynamic user community in order to empower teachers to improve student achievement. Already, more than half of U.S. schools access Discovery Education digital services. Explore the future of education at www.discoveryeducation.com.

Contacts

Discovery Communications
Stephen Wakefield
240-662-2893
stephen_wakefield at discovery dot com
www.discoverycommunications.com

C. Blohm & Associates, Inc.
Sandy Fash
608-839-9800
sandy at cblohm dot com
www.cblohm.com

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