Discovery Communications and HowStuffWorks Join Forces

Here's a question: If you wanted to build the perfect fusion of a major TV powerhouse and a major Web site, what would it look like? How would such a fusion feel to visitors and viewers?

It's not an academic question. In fact, Discovery Communications, parent company of Discovery Channel, and HowStuffWorks are about to join forces to search for such a fusion.

The timing is perfect. At this moment in history, we're seeing the beginning of a new era for both the TV industry and the Internet, and the years ahead promise to bring tectonic shifts. So many technological possibilities are introduced every day that no one can really predict how it will all unfold. And that makes it exciting, because there is a lot of opportunity when the landscape shifts like this.

Just think about everything that's happening right now:

Media Trends We have digital cable and satellite services increasing the number of channels. We have HDTV, which makes TV look sharper. However, it has also increased the cost of creating shows without significantly increasing the revenue they generate. We have huge online networks like YouTube amassing video content from all over the world and delivering it to every corner of the Web. Because of the popularity of YouTube, many networks now deliver their content to the Web. This is changing the world of syndication. It's also creating new revenue possibilities. We have portable media players like the video iPod (first released in 2005). And the material is endless: People can now visit iTunes and buy individual shows or full series from a catalog of thousands. We have digital video recorders which allow us to watch TV any time and effortlessly skip the commercials. We are witnessing the volcanic rise of modern video games. Millions of people now sit in front of their TVs to play games rather than watch network television. And there is the Web itself. It draws some people away from TV during their leisure hours.

That's a lot of change in a relatively short time. But it doesn't change the fundamentals. TV is so popular that hundreds of millions of people watch it daily, and TV ad revenue continues to grow.

So what about the Web? The "Web video phenomenon" (the best current example of which is YouTube) is still very new, but clearly has massive potential. Here's the upside: The Web has greater search capabilities than any tool of its kind, plus it offers "on-demand" viewing. If you want to find and immediately watch a specific clip, the Web is the place to go. Here's the potential: The Web could very well turn into a free-wheeling, million-channel cable system where anyone can broadcast anything, and hundreds of millions of visitors search for -- and find -- exactly what they need.

All of which leads us back to the question: Can anyone combine the best things about TV with the best things about the Web to create something new -- a sum that's greater than its parts?

That's what the fusion of Discovery Communications and HowStuffWorks is all about: A giant experiment -- one which we can all watch unfold. We are attempting to create a new media company for the 21st century. On the next page, let's explore what's possible.