April 1/10 8:13 am - Discovery Announces the Lance Channel

Posted by Editor on 04/1/10
 

Discovery Communications, owner of the Discovery Channel, has announced that it will launch a new cable channel later this spring - Lance Armstrong Discovery (LAD).  Armstrong, the seven time Tour de France winner, will be followed by camera crews daily as he races, trains and lives his daily life.

Discovery Channel is currently the most widely distributed cable network in the United States, reaching more than 92 million households, part of its global audience of 431 million homes in 170 countries and territories.  Versions of the channel are seen in Latin America, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Japan, Taiwan, India, Malaysia and other countries.

Discovery Channel has a long history with Armstrong, who has been involved with programming in the past, as well as being the captain of the Discovery Channel pro cycling team for his final two Tour de France victories.

"All Lance, all the time," boasted founder John Hendricks.  "There is incredible interest in Lance Armstrong's inspirational story, as can been seen from the 2.5 million followers he commands on Twitter.  When we approached Lance with the concept of the Lance Channel, he understood immediately how powerful it could be in getting his Livestrong message out."

"At first, I was a little concerned, I mean who would want cameras following your move every minute?," admitted Armstrong.  "But then I realized, heck, they're following me anyway, so this way I get to exercise some control over the whole thing."

Lance Armstrong Discovery is expected to launch by mid-May, initially with 6-8 hours of daily live coverage, augmented by past race footage of Armstrong, interviews with his team mates, friends and family, plus infomercials selling Trek bikes and Nike products.  It will be available initially in the U.S. and Canada, and spreading to other markets within six months  "But not France," commented Armstrong.

To pre-order Lance Armstrong Discovery, contact your local cable provider.