Discovery to Acquire Turkish Free-to-Air Network

Discovery Communications said Thursday that it has agreed to form a strategic relationship with Turkish media giant Dogus Media Group and acquire its free-to-air news and entertainment network CNBC-e. The company said the agreement will increase its portfolio to 13 channels and strengthen its ad sales offer in Turkey. Discovery, led by CEO David Zaslav, opened an office in Turkey in 2012. Financial details of the deal weren't disclosed. Dogus will be responsible for selling Discovery’s entire channel portfolio, including local versions of Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and Discovery Science, as well as securing sponsorship opportunities from Turkish advertisers. The channel acquisition is expected to close later this year.