Animal Planet Asks Viewers to Give Thanks This Holiday Season With “You Watch. We Give.” R.O.A.R. Initiative

(3BL Media / theCSRfeed) New York, NY - November 18, 2011 - As part of Animal Planet’s on-going commitment to make a positive impact in the animal world, the network is asking viewers to tune in to help drive donations up to $50,000 to Villalobos Rescue Center, a 501c3 nonprofit organization featured in the series PIT BULLS & PAROLEES. The promotional marketing campaign called “You Watch. We Give” is part of the network’s non-profit initiative Reach Out. Act. Respond. (R.O.A.R). Based on the number of viewers who watch Animal Planet on Saturday, November 26, at 10 pm ET/PT for an all-new episode of PIT BULLS & PAROLEES, funds will be donated to give thanks to Tia Torres for her tireless dedication to the pit bull breed.  

In the high-drama episode, Tia decides it’s time to hire new parolees to handle the heavy workload at Villalobos. For the new guys, this is the opportunity of a lifetime, but one parolee may blow it before day one is over. Then, just as one of Tia’s most beloved dogs is to be adopted, the team gets shocking news about his health.    Last year, the “You Watch. We Give" campaign yielded a donation of $50,000 and garnered more than one million unique P2+ viewers to become the series’ most-watched episode ever. The 2010 donations paid for half of Villalobos' yearly vet bill for the 150 dogs Tia houses. The funds allowed her to keep dogs, like “Egypt,” who needed hip surgery, and “Sheriff,” who needed intestinal surgery; healthy and ready for adoption.   This past fall R.O.A.R launched an eight-week matching campaign hosted by GlobalGiving, an online marketplace of charities. Through the campaign, consumer donations to R.O.A.R’s eight partner charities were matched dollar for dollar from proceeds of Animal Planet licensed products. The campaign was a success, and consumer donations exceeded the program’s $90,000 goal, which, when matched, made a total of  $180,000, contributed across the eight-partner organizations.   R.O.A.R. is Animal Planet’s national campaign that leads the way in taking action and being a voice for animals. To learn more about Villalobos and all of the R.O.A.R partners please visit: http://animal.discovery.com/roar/.    About Animal Planet Animal Planet Media (APM), a multi-media business unit of Discovery Communications, is the world's only entertainment brand that immerses viewers in the full range of life in the animal kingdom with rich, deep content via multiple platforms and offers animal lovers and pet owners access to a centralized online, television and mobile community for immersive, engaging, high-quality entertainment, information and enrichment. APM consists of the Animal Planet television network, available in more than 97 million homes in the US; online assets www.animalplanet.com, the ultimate online destination for all things animal; the 24/7 broadband channel, Animal Planet Beyond; Petfinder.com, the #1 pet-related Web property globally that facilitates pet adoption; and other media platforms including a robust Video-on-Demand (VOD) service; mobile content; and merchandising extensions.   About Discovery Impact Through its Discovery Impact programs, Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) leverages the power of its brands, businesses and employees to give back to the world. From programming that inspires and educates to annual events that make a direct impact on the communities in which we live and work, Discovery strives to celebrate, support and sustain the majesty of the earth's people, animals and natural beauty. For more information about how Discovery is making an impact, please visit: http://impact.discovery.com.   DISC18947