Discovery Inc. Brings the World to Viewers Self-Quarantining at Home

By Warner Bros. Discovery InSites Archives
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This isn't the first crisis through which Discovery Inc.'s Chief U.S. Ad Sales Officer Jon Steinlauf (pictured at top) has led a sales organization.  In the days after 9/11 and through the financial meltdown of 2008, Steinlauf — at a pre-Discovery-merger Scripps — had to wade in deep, troubled waters.  Now, as COVID-19 sweeps the globe, Steinlauf and his Discovery colleagues are, like the rest of us, facing a challenge unlike any we've seen in modern times.  Their mission, he says, is to provide comfort and empowerment to millions of people who have been confined to their homes.  "In a strange way, we're doing this the way we've always done it," Steinlauf says.  "The world may be home, and Discovery will bring the world into your home."

As more states in the U.S. issue stay-at-home orders, and more businesses switch their employees to remote work, a massive portion of Americans are home.  "Time has come to a halt," Steinlauf says.  Naturally, Americans turn to what comforts them: the warm glow of the screen.  TV usage is up, and many of those viewers watching more programming are watching at least one of the Discovery properties.  Even before concerns mounted over COVID-19, back in the first eight weeks of the first quarter, certain Discovery properties were seeing impressive audience growth: Food Network, TLC, Cooking Channel, DIY and HGTV were standouts.  But as fears began to mount and workers were sent home, Steinlauf says, usage — again, especially among those networks — really started to take off.

For the week of March 23, Discovery networks reached a 29 share.  Food Network is up 27 percent in total day viewership.  TLC has been the company's best-performing linear channel for the past two years, and the network's 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days was the No. 2 telecast on TV on March 22.  The network also finished 1Q20 as the No. 1 cable network for all women demos.

It's perhaps obvious to see why these networks are so popular.  "People are making more meals themselves, looking for projects they can do in and out of the home themselves," Steinlauf explains.  As the home transforms from just a home to an office and, in some cases, a school as well, people are looking to HGTV and DIY for easy ways to transform their living spaces.

But there's another factor at play in increased Discovery viewership: The evaporation of live sports on TV.  While sports networks are dealing with this in their own way, viewers needing to fill that void are looking for the kind of inspiration sports usually provides; they want to see ordinary people overcoming extraordinary obstacles.  Discovery's networks have options for thrill-seekers, such as the feats of talent on the Gold Rush franchise.

TV is still a business, so as much as Discovery's mission is to bring comfort and relief to audiences, Steinlauf needs to keep the lights on with ads.  At a time when regular messaging can feel tone-deaf, Steinlauf has been impressed with the nimbleness of his clients, many of which have pivoted their messaging to fit the current atmosphere.  For clients that can't pivot, Steinlauf and his team know that being flexible now is important.  "We have a responsibility to be the best partner we can be because of what people are going through," he says.

And though many of us feel as though we are stuck in some interminable present, Steinlauf is looking to the future.

Like all other networks, no one knows when show production will be able to resume, but Steinlauf says the Discovery networks all have months' worth of premiere episodes in stock, given the nature of their real-life content.  In some cases, their programs are pulling the crisis into storylines, such as with TLC's recently announced limited-run series, 90 Day Fiancé: Self-Quarantined,featuring self-filmed footage from dozens of current and former 90 Dayfranchise couples.  Other networks are improvising as best they can amidst the crisis, such as Food Network's The Kitchen, in which the co-hosts gathered remotely to share pantry-pull recipes from their own home kitchens on the Saturday, April 4 episode.

Because Discovery owns all its IP, it has a massive library that it can draw from for linear programming, as well as make available for users of its suite of proprietary, ad-supported apps.  (Each network has its own "Go" app; e.g., Discovery Go, TLC Go.)  In fact, in March, Discovery's apps saw 66 million streams.

As Steinlauf notes, America is undergoing change on a massive scale.  "We want to support our viewers and clients through it all, as our brands are uniquely positioned to do," he says.

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