Discovery Network Breaks Into Video Game Market

November 28, 2007 4:39 p.m. EST

Topics: Television
Los Angeles, CA (CNS) - Discovery announced today that they will turn their popular Animal Planet show "Meerkat Manor" into a video game. Discovery plans to turn several of their popular nature television shows into video games, and hopes to appeal to a wider audience than the traditional gaming culture of teenage boys.

"We are really trying to get away from being a cable company and into being a content company," said Discovery Chief Executive David Zaslav.

Discovery has teamed up with Activision Inc., the second largest U.S. video game publisher, and all the games released with be tied to programs found on Discovery's Animal Planet.

"Meerkat Manor" has emerged to be one of Animal Planet's biggest hits, combining traditional animal documentary with dramatic narration by "Lord of the Rings" actor Sean Astin.

The show tells the story of "The Whiskers" a group of meerkats being studied as part of the Kalahari Meerkat Project in the southern part of Africa's Kalahari Desert.

Activision has had a string of success with games like "Guitar Hero," "Shrek the Game," and "Tony Hawk's Proving Ground." The new Discovery games are expected to be released in late 2008.