; 20 years ago 1996 10 01 owned by discovery communications picture format 1080i hdtv 480i sdtv 16 9 letterbox slogan surprisingly human . country united states language english broadcast area national headquarters silver spring maryland united states sister channel s discovery channel tlc discovery family oprah winfrey network science american heroes channel discovery life investigation discovery destination america velocity website www.animalplanet.com availability satellite directv 282 hd sd 1282 on demand dish network 184 hd sd cable verizon fios 130 sd 630 hd comcast cable 66 sd 224 hd iptv sky angel 311 at & t u verse 252 sd 1252 hd southern fibernet 125 sd 1125 hd zazeen canada 94 hd streaming media playstation vue internet protocol television animal planet is an american basic cable and satellite television channel owned by discovery communications . originally focused on more educationally based television shows the network has featured more reality programming since 2008 . it is available throughout the united states as well as in over 70 countries around the world . country specific versions of the channel have been created in canada india japan taiwan and other countries . as of february 2015 update approximately 94 288 000 american households 81 % of households with television receive animal planet . 1 contents 1 history 1.1 relaunch 2 programming 3 high definition 4 animal planet magazine 5 investment in petsami 6 controversies 6.1 pseudo documentaries 7 see also 8 references 9 external links history edit animal planet 1996 2008 . animal planet was launched on october 1 1996 ; it was created by discovery communications in cooperation with the british broadcasting corporation . on january 1 1997 animal planet s distribution grew as a result of advance entertainment corporation selling the satellite transponder slot belonging to the wwor emi service a national superstation feed of secaucus new jersey new york city s wwor tv that was implemented following the 1989 passage of the syndication exclusivity rights rule by the federal communications commission to discovery communications replacing the feed with animal planet outright . 2 in late 2005 as part of a multimillion dollar expansion the national aquarium in baltimore opened an exhibit called animal planet australia wild extreme . animal planet and the national aquarium in baltimore announced a multi year partnership the year prior which produced an original orientation film that gives aquarium visitors background on the australian area which inspired the new exhibit and a dedicated area inside the expansion where visitors can learn about animal planet s conservation efforts and other programming . the partnership also allowed the possibility of future productions of television programs about the national aquarium in baltimore s research and exhibits . 3 in 2006 bbc worldwide sold its 20 % interest in the flagship animal planet u.s. network back to discovery communications . 4 the bbc maintained its 50 % ownership in animal planet s european asian and latin american channels as well as a minority interest in animal planet japan and animal planet canada until november 15 2010 5 when bbc worldwide sold 50 % interest in animal planet and liv to discovery communications for 156 million . 6 animal planet is additionally an associate member of the caribbean cable cooperative . 7 during the late 2000s genius products announced a u.s. distribution agreement involving animal planet and tlc . jakks pacific also entered into a licensing agreement to develop animal planet branded pet products . relaunch edit animal planet 2008 2009 . on february 3 2008 animal planet relaunched itself as part of a new branding campaign that sheds its soft and furry side for programming and an image with more bite . 8 as part of the relaunch animal planet replaced its elephant and spinning globe logo for a starker text image that allows more flexibility in its usage . 9 eight new shows and specials were scheduled to debut in february of that year with the new shows aimed at reaching a more adult audience with programming designed to tap into humans basic instincts with stories that reiterate what makes humans human . 10 the goal is to move from being perceived by viewers as paternalistic preachy and observation based to being seen as active entertaining and edgy . that means targeting adults 25 49 rather than full families with less voice of god narration and more visceral imagery and sounds . think of it as swapping a drab narrator saying that a lion is about to kill its prey for the blood curdling scream of the doomed creature as it meets its demise . anne becker broadcasting & cable 9 this rebranding effort continued in 2010 with a change of the network s slogan from same planet different world to surprisingly human to coincide with their non animal related programming . 11 12 programming edit main article list of programs broadcast by animal planet recent additions to the channel such as meerkat manor and orangutan island reflect its shift toward predation programming and more immersive storytelling . animal planet intended the new direction to help revitalize stagnating ratings after primetime viewership of the network dropped by 9 % in 2007 . 11 animal planet added pseudo scientific documentary reality television and sitcom shows to its line up . animal planet is also well known for its annual stunt program the puppy bowl a yearly special shown during the afternoon leading up to the nfl s super bowl primarily consisting of puppies at play ; the original commentator was the sports broadcaster harry kalas . 13 high definition edit the 1080i high definition simulcast of animal planet launched on september 1 2007 ; it is available on all major cable and satellite providers . it was also launched on february 3 2009 in norway for canal digital . norway is the first country outside the u.s. to receive a high definition feed of animal planet . 14 animal planet magazine edit d.c. thomson & co. partnered with discovery communications to publish animal planet magazine in the united kingdom . the magazine s first issue was released on february 16 2011 . 15 investment in petsami edit in november 2012 revision3 the discovery owned online video network entered into a partnership with fishbowl worldwide media to distribute and sell advertising for its pets focused youtube programming as well as to fund development of new shows on its youtube channel petsami run by fishbowl digital studio senior vice president and general manager david beebe . the deal also constitutes a first look deal giving revision3 and its parent company which owns animal planet first right to distribute all co developed shows . 16 controversies edit pseudo documentaries edit animal planet originally aired mermaids the body found on may 27 2012 and a sequel called mermaids the new evidence about a year later . they tell a story of a scientific team s investigative efforts to uncover the source behind mysterious underwater recordings of an unidentified marine body . included is the generally discredited aquatic ape hypothesis as evidence that mermaids exist along with digitally manufactured video . the program is hosted by several scientists . the us national oceanic and atmospheric administration put up a rebuttal to the program . 17 the channel has also broadcast a pseudo documentary called lost tapes . citation needed see also edit animal planet uk & ireland animal planet canada animal planet nordic animal planet australia and new zealand animal planet germany animal planet europe animal planet poland animal planet india animal planet asia references edit seidman robert february 22 2015 . list of how many homes each cable network is in as of february 2015 . tv by the numbers . zap2it . retrieved february 24 2015 . paikert charles . discovery dogs wwor ; animal planet gets leg up on open slots multichannel news january 6 1997 . retrieved february 24 2011 from highbeam research . aquarium announces partners in australia exhibit . national aquarium in baltimore . june 17 2004 . retrieved april 30 2011 . bbc worldwide annual review 2005 06 pdf . bbc worldwide . march 31 2006 . retrieved april 30 2011 . edgar filing documents for 0000950134 07 004374 bbc and discovery communications announce new partnership and bbc worldwide sells its interest in joint venture to discovery . bbc . 15 november 2010 . member channels of the caribbean cable cooperative brune adrian january 16 2008 . animal planet presents new face to the world . pr week . retrieved february 2 2008 . a b becker anne january 14 2008 . animal planet changes its stripes . broadcasting & cable . retrieved february 2 2008 . animal planet reveals a new species of entertainment for 2008 . discovery communications . january 14 2008 . retrieved february 1 2008 . a b stelter brian january 14 2008 . after ratings slip animal planet turns to its wilder side . new york times . retrieved july 8 2012 . bierly mandi april 8 2010 . animal planet s new tagline surprisingly human . entertainment weekly popwatch blog . retrieved july 8 2012 . ryzik melena february 2 2008 . just fine as tackles but they can t pass . new york times . nyhet animal planet hd in norwegian . canal digital . january 13 2009 . archived from the original on february 7 2009 . loveday samantha february 11 2011 . dc thomson teams with discovery for animal planet mag . licensing.biz . retrieved october 1 2013 . shaw lucas november 28 2012 . discovery s revision3 extends partnership with fishbowl media invests development money . the wrap . retrieved february 17 2013 . claim an animal planet documentary revealed the existence of mermaids . snopes.com external links edit official website v t e discovery communications ownership discovery communications inc. ; affiliated with advance publications ; and john s. hendricks the company s founder and chairman united states and canadian channels american heroes animal planet destination america discovery discovery en espa ol discovery familia u.s. spanish discovery family discovery life investigation discovery canada licensed oprah winfrey network canada licensed science tlc velocity discovery digital networks revision3 phil defranco networks & merchandise testtube animalist ctv specialty tv canada animal planet discovery discovery science discovery velocity asia pacific animal planet asia australia and new zealand india discovery asia australia and new zealand india philippines discovery hd world discovery kids asia australia discovery science discovery turbo australia new zealand dmax eurosport 1 eurosport news eve food tv new zealand living channel new zealand setanta sports asia tlc asia australia and new zealand india philippines central and eastern europe middle east and africa ceemea animal planet europe middle east & africa germany poland turkey discovery africa germany austria switzerland and liechtenstein hungary middle east poland romania russia turkey discovery life poland discovery showcase hd discovery historia poland discovery science discovery travel & living discovery turbo xtra dmax germany austria switzerland and liechtenstein eurosport 1 eurosport 2 eurosport news investigation discovery quest arabiya tlc poland northern europe 6 eren denmark animal planet netherlands and flanders nordic uk and ireland canal 9 denmark discovery denmark finland flanders netherlands norway sweden uk and ireland discovery showcase hd discovery home & health uk and ireland discovery history uk and ireland discovery science discovery shed uk and ireland discovery turbo discovery world dmax uk and ireland eurosport 1 eurosport 2 eurosport dk denmark fem norway frii finland investigation discovery kanal 4 denmark kanal 5 denmark sweden kanal 9 sweden kanal 11 sweden kutonen finland max norway quest tlc netherlands sweden uk and ireland tv5 finland tvnorge norway vox norway southern europe animal planet italy discovery france italy portugal discovery travel & living italy dkiss spain dmax italy spain eurosport 1 eurosport 2 eurosport news nove italy frisbee italy k2 italy real time italy latin america u.s. hispanic animal planet discovery civilization discovery discovery home & health discovery kids discovery science discovery turbo discovery theater discovery world investiga