Animal Planet

Animal Planet
Logo used since October 14, 2018
CountryUnited States
Broadcast areaNationwide
Headquarters230 Park Avenue South
New York City, New York, U.S.
Programming
Language(s)English
Picture format1080i HDTV
(downscaled to 480i letterboxed for the SDTV feed)
Ownership
OwnerWarner Bros. Discovery
ParentWarner Bros. Discovery Networks
Sister channels
History
LaunchedJune 1, 1996; 28 years ago (1996-06-01)
Links
Websitewww.animalplanet.com
Availability
Streaming media
Affiliated Streaming ServiceMax

Animal Planet (stylized in all lowercase since 2018) is an American multinational pay television channel, and associated AnimalPlanet.com[1] website content, owned by the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks unit of Warner Bros. Discovery. First established on June 1, 1996,[2] the channel is primarily devoted to series and documentaries about wild animals and domestic pets.[3]

The channel was originally a joint venture with BBC Worldwide, and primarily focused on nature documentaries surrounding wildlife, targeting a family audience. In 2008, Animal Planet rebranded with a more mature programming direction, with a greater emphasis on aggressive and predatory portrayals of animals, as well as an increase in reality series following personalities involved in animal-related occupations and investigations. Animal Planet rebranded again in October 2018, pivoting away from its more aggressive branding.

As of November 2023, Animal Planet is available to approximately 70,000,000 pay television households in the United States-down from its 2011 peak of 98,000,000 households.[4] Discovery has also established or licensed international versions of the channel in various regions.

  1. ^ Formerly Animal.Discovery.com.
  2. ^ "Cable is there for kids" (PDF). Broadcasting & Cable. August 12, 1996. p. 35. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
  3. ^ Vargas, Jason Edward (February 16, 2016). "Love What You Do and Do What You Love". Frontiers in Pediatrics. 3: 119. doi:10.3389/fped.2015.00119. ISSN 2296-2360. PMC 4754387. PMID 26909341.
  4. ^ "U.S. cable network households (universe), 1990 – 2023". wrestlenomics.com. May 14, 2024. Retrieved July 28, 2019.