After acquiring the Travel Channel from Discovery Communications, Cox Communications is looking to move beyond the linear model and expand the brand to the Internet and other platforms.
“In the category, we’ve owned the television space, but we’re looking to be a force in the overall travel marketplace,” said Pat Younge, Travel Channel’s president and general manager. “Now we’re looking at all the synergies and upside potential.”
With the travel market specifically geared toward user-generated content because of the endless amount of pictures and video people take of their excursions, the Travel Channel is looking to tap into that potential goldmine.
“User-generated content is a massive part of what we are going to do going forward,” Younge said, adding that Travel hopes to establish something of an academy for those who want to submit their own video. “Our aim is to create a global network of users who understand copyright issues, licensing and clearances. We’re not looking to replicate the Wild West of YouTube.”
Other areas the company will target are high-definition content and video-on-demand, with secondary focus on "...newspapers, mobile platforms and local news and sports networks, said Cox president Pat Esser.”
In the first quarter Travel grew its prime-time viewership by 14 percent while growing the key demo (18-49) by 20 percent. The channel is offered in 88.7 million homes.
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