Seoul – Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific and Korea’s Central Multi Broadcasting (CMB) announced a partnership to launch Discovery Channel Korea, a 24-hour locally licensed channel in the market. At launch, Discovery Channel Korea will be distributed to more than eight million subscribers. Tom Keaveny, executive vice president and managing director, Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific said, “We are excited to partner with CMB, a market leader in cable services, as we continue to bring the best in high-quality non-fiction programming to our Korean audience. This partnership marks a significant milestone for us – having first launched in Korea as a programming block in 1994 to having a 24-hour localised channel with 40 per cent Korean content.” In conjunction with the launch, Discovery Channel Korea will be featuring a line-up including Hip Korea which focuses on the rising global popularity of Korean pop culture through the stories of three stars who are making waves on the world stage: Korean pop-idol and actor Jihoon Jung popularly known as Rain, veteran film superstar Lee Byung Hun, and figure skater Yu-Na Kim. In addition to popular science, technology, history, and blue-chip documentaries, Discovery Channel Korea will also cater to viewers with local content that is entertaining and informative, provided by CMB. CMB was the first company to provide cable service in Korea. With over 40 years in the market, the company is now one of the top four Multi System Operators in the Korean market with 1.3 million subscribers in nine different areas including Seoul, Daejeon, Gwangju, and Daegu.