DISCOVERY nabs 18 PRIMETIME EMMY NODS, atop 11 for news

PLANET EARTH, DEADLIEST CATCH, MEERKAT MANOR Cited –

SILVER SPRING, Md. – Discovery Channel’s PLANET EARTH and DEADLIEST CATCH have captured the hearts of critics, viewers and now, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, with both shows earning Primetime Emmy nominations in the Outstanding Nonfiction Series category. Overall, Discovery Communications networks earned 18 nominations, their most ever, as the 59th Annual Primetime Emmy Award nominations were announced today. In addition, Discovery Communications’ portfolio of networks received 11 News and Documentary Emmy nominations, announced on Tuesday, for informative programs featured on Discovery Channel (5), Animal Planet (2), Discovery HD Theater (2), Discovery Times Channel (1) and Discovery en Español (1).

More than five years in the making, PLANET EARTH successfully carried out the Discovery Channel mission to provide the world’s highest quality programming. The groundbreaking 11-part series, which featured never-before-seen animal behaviors, startling views of remote locations, and unprecedented high-definition production techniques, received seven nominations from the Academy including: Outstanding Nonfiction Series; Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score); Outstanding Cinematography for Nonfiction Programming; Outstanding Picture Editing for Nonfiction Programming; Outstanding Writing for Nonfiction Programming; Outstanding Sound Editing for Nonfiction Programming; and Outstanding Sound Mixing for Nonfiction Programming.

Discovery Channel’s highest-rated series, DEADLIEST CATCH, which follows a fleet of crab-fishing boats through the treacherous Bering Sea, was honored with four nominations in the following categories: Outstanding Nonfiction Series; Outstanding Cinematography for Nonfiction Programming; Outstanding Picture Editing for Nonfiction Programming; and Outstanding Sound Mixing for Nonfiction Programming. DIRTY JOBS, another Discovery Channel ratings giant hosted by hands-on apprentice Mike Rowe, was nominated for Outstanding Cinematography for Reality Programming.

Discovery Channel’s SECRETS OF THE DEEP received two nominations, for Outstanding Animated Program and Outstanding Special Visual Effects for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special. INSIDE THE TWIN TOWERS, based on the testimonies of 9/11 survivors, was also nominated for Outstanding Made For Television Movie and the network’s KRAKATOA: VOLCANO OF DESTRUCTION was recognized for Outstanding Sound Mixing for Nonfiction Programming.

More than one mob family was recognized by the Academy this year. The squabbling bunch from Animal Planet’s hit series MEERKAT MANOR gained consideration for two Primetime Emmys: Outstanding Cinematography for Nonfiction Programming and Outstanding Picture Editing for Nonfiction Programming.

In addition to primetime programming, Discovery Communications’ networks were also recognized by the Academy for their reporting on major news stories and exposés of contemporary issues. IRAN: THE MOST DANGEROUS NATION, a gripping installation from the Discovery Channel original series KOPPEL ON DISCOVERY, was nominated for Outstanding Informational Programming – Long Form. Nominated in the same category was Discovery en Español’s first original documentary and one of the highest-rated programs on the Spanish-language network to date, OBJETIVO: EL NORTE, which examines all sides of the immigration debate in the United States.

Two additional nominations for the Discovery Channel came in the form of Outstanding Continuing Coverage of a News Story – Long Form and Outstanding Science, Technology and Nature Programming for GLOBAL WARMING: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW WITH TOM BROKAW and GRIZZLY MAN, respectively.

The Discovery Times Channel special PETRA: A QUEST FOR HOPE also received a nod for Outstanding Interview between Ted Koppel and subjects King Abdullah II of Jordan, Elie Wiesel, and the Dalai Lama.

The following programs received News and Documentary Emmy nominations for Outstanding Individual Achievement in a Craft: Discovery Channel’s 9/11 TOXIC LEGACY (Research) and DISCOVERY ATLAS (Cinematography); Animal Planet’s CAUGHT IN THE MOMENT: COSTA RICA (Cinematography) and MUTUAL OF OMAHA’S WILD KINGDOM: RETURN OF THE FIRECAT (Editing); and Discovery HD Theater’s EQUATOR series for its episodes REEF OF RICHES (Cinematography) and RIVER OF THE SUN (Music & Sound).

The Primetime Emmy Award, long considered the highest honor in television, is presented by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Winners will be announced at the Creative Artists Awards ceremony held on Sunday, September 8, in Los Angeles. The 59th Primetime Emmy Awards presentation telecast from the Shrine Auditorium will be televised by FOX on Sunday, September 16.