Mass media and entertainment company Discovery Communications Inc. is licensing its name for a $1 billion ecotourism park, Discovery Costa Rica. The Maryland-based company is seeking to leverage its popular brands, which includeDiscovery Channel, Discovery Science and Animal Planet.
The new ecotourism park, calledDiscovery Costa Rica,willopen in late 2020. The location will be in the country's northwest,close to the town ofLiberia.This is a regional hub through which tourists passas they make their wayto the country’s Pacific coast beaches."Live out the lifestyle" atDiscovery Costa Rica
Among the attractions at Discovery Costa Rica there will bea water parktogether withDiscovery-branded hotels and restaurants.Visitors will engage in outdoor pursuits includinghiking,rock climbingandscuba diving. They will do thisacross fourDiscovery Costa Rica
The developer leading the project,Sun Latin America, in going down the ecotourism/ adventure play route is taking a more low-key approach with thebrand than other media gaints. Whilst Disney and Universal run theme parks asscociated with their brands, Discovery's entry into Costa Ricawill be much more akin tothe recently announced Extreme Sports Company's project in Wales, with a focuson outdoor pursuitsand exercise.
Leigh Anne Brodskyisexecutive vice president of Discovery Global Enterprises, the company’s licensing unit. She said she wants viewers to, “live out the lifestyle of Discovery beyond the experience of a TV screen.Millennials are interested in more than lying in a beach chair.They want to have an experience.”
(The demands and expectations of Millennials are of course tough to pin down, as highlighted recently by Clara Rice, JRA's Director of Communicationsin her article on hiring creative talent.)
With traditional streams of revenuesuch ascable subscriber fees andTV advertising not growing as fast as they once were,licensing its brand givesDiscovery a valuable new income stream with attractve potential for growth.
Growth in Discovery Licensing
An adventure park in Moganshan, China which opened last yearis using the Discovery name and the companyalsohas a partnership with Princess Cruises for snorkeling and other activities. These are linked to Discovery TV brands such as “Deadliest Catch” and “Shark Week.”In addition,Dubai Aquarium has a "Shark Week" exhibit.Project managedby zoOceanarium Group, itallows visitors to interact with both virtual and real sharks.
Licensing deals such as those mentioned aboveamount toless than 5%of Discovery’s $6.5 billion 2016 revenue.However, for a brand present in 220 countries with 3 billion viewers,there is clearly huge potential for further development and the company is exploring more opportuntites.
