Silver Spring-based Discovery Communications Inc. has taken a stake in DogTV, a 24-hour channel available on DirecTV that airs programming specifically, and scientifically designed for, a canine audience.
The size of the investment wasn’t disclosed. The partnership will fund DogTV’s expansion and create a collaboration with Discovery’s Animal Planet.
DogTV claims watching TV is good for stay-at-home dogs and says its programming — short videos broken into themes such as relaxation and stimulation — has been perfected through more than four years of research.
That research included a Tufts University study that monitored dogs’ behaviors in their own homes and captured viewing time and preferences. DogTV’s programming team includes author Dr. Marty Becker, known as “America’s Veterinarian,” and Victoria Stilwell, star of Animal Planet’s “It’s Me or the Dog.”
From its Website’s FAQ page:
- “Programs are specifically colored to enhance the picture details and great emphasis was put on contrast, brightness and frame rate; the use of special sound effects, music and specific ranges of frequencies, are tailored to a dog’s unique sense of hearing without startling or annoying their sensitive ears.”
- Sunnyvale, Calif.-based DogTV has expanded its programming to South Korea and plans to launch in Japan and other international markets later this year, it says.
- DogTV is currently available as a pay channel on DirecTV. It’s $4.99 a month, or $9.99 a month for an online streaming service.
