DG And Discovery Communications Set New Industry Standard With First Fully Digital Infomercial Distribution System

DG (NASDAQ: DGIT), a leading provider of digital media solutions and technology to the advertising, entertainment and broadcast industries, announced today that, along with Discovery Communications, the world’s number one nonfiction media company, it has created the industry’s first completely digital distribution system that will deliver long-form infomercial (28:30) programs to Discovery on a daily basis with never before achieved efficiency.

Through the combined strengths of Treehouse Media, DG’s direct response distribution entity and Pathfire, its best-in-class long-form content distribution platform, DG will deliver up to 12 direct response infomercials to Discovery daily. The files are delivered in a digital format compatible with the leading play-to-air/automation solutions, enabling content to be forwarded to the network at a rate much faster than today’s typical 24-hour window. With traditional tape-based distribution, the shipping process alone would take at least a full day and the tape would require a time consuming ingest and queuing process upon receipt. The tapeless workflow also allows Discovery to significantly minimize its use of tapes, which are both costly and harmful to the environment.

“We’re excited to be partnering with DG to modernize a critical part of the content distribution process for our industry,” said Marc Gatto, Vice President, Media Technology Production & Operations at Discovery Communications, Inc. “The new system introduces significant cost and operational efficiencies while decreasing turn-around time for users and introducing a much-needed environmentally-friendly solution for Discovery.”

“Bringing the delivery of direct response content into the digital era is a major milestone in our ongoing mission of providing advanced services to broadcast and cable providers,” said Neil Nguyen, President and Chief Operating Officer, DG. “Discovery was an excellent partner in bringing this to fruition and we look forward to continued innovation as part of this relationship.”

DG’s direct response services are used by more than 1,500 TV stations, 200 cable networks and 3,000 cable systems nationwide. For Discovery, the digital direct response platform will deliver both HD and SD files that are fully-customized with specific calls to action and contact details attached to each program. This latest innovation in the DG – Discovery relationship continues a decade-long tradition of industry firsts, including the first ever distribution of an HD spot that was sent by DG to Discovery’s HD Theater. It also not only reinforces DG’s position as a pioneer in the digital operations landscape, but also further solidifies Discovery’s place as a technology leader in the broadcast industry as it becomes the first network to receive HD spots and now infomercials digitally.

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