New Co-Host. New Set. New Look. And Now in HD! DAILY PLANET Returns for Season 17, August 29 on Discovery Channel

	DAILY PLANET kicks off its 17th season with new co-host Dan Riskin joining Ziya Tong! August 29 on Discovery Channel.
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Toronto, ON (August 2, 2011) – Discover an all-new PLANET! Launching an incredible 17th season with a new co-host, new set, new logo and new weekly segments – and, for the first time in HD! – this is DAILY PLANET as you’ve never seen before. The world’s first and only nightly science and tech series returns to Discovery Channel weeknights at 7 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT beginning Monday, August 29. Biologist and all-around curious guy, Dan Riskin joins Ziya Tong as DAILY PLANET’s new co-host, exploring and sharing wonderful, weird and totally water-cooler worthy stories from around the world.

Dan Riskin is delighted to return home to Canada as co-host of Discovery Channel’s flagship series. A bona fide “batman” (yes, that right – we said “batman”), the Edmonton-native’s passion for science was sparked by a book about bats that he read when he was a high school student. The award-winning evolutionary biologist has completed a B.Sc in Zoology (University of Alberta), a Masters in Biology (York University), a PhD in Zoology (Cornell University) and post-doctorate studies (Brown University) – and throughout, Riskin hasn’t strayed far from his love of the winged creatures. Outside of academic circles, Riskin is best known as the host of MONSTERS INSIDE ME on Discovery Science and for his numerous entertaining appearances on late night talk shows, including the LATE LATE SHOW WITH CRAIG FERGUSON.

But Riskin’s role isn’t the only new change for DAILY PLANET’s 17th season. The Aug. 29 debut unveils a new, 360-degree, multi-level, interactive, state-of-the-art set. A new DAILY PLANET logo, full graphics package, and faster pacing completes the show’s new look. And, this new look will be taken to even greater heights this season, as DAILY PLANET debuts in High Definition for the first time. As Discovery Channel rolls out a new HD simulcast channel, DAILY PLANET will be leading the way, every night, with the world’s most compelling stories, all in HD.

And captivating stories are at the heart of DAILY PLANET, after all. This season, Tong and Riskin go on assignment to report on the latest and greatest innovations from Canada, the U.S., Korea, Germany, China, the U.K., Holland and Spain – and that’s just in the first few weeks! Also this season, DAILY PLANET debuts new segments that feed the need for speed with race cars and rocket ships, that profile the newest generation of inventors and adventurers, and that test the gadgets, gizmos and tech toys that will change our world. New segments include:

• “Road Warriors” – From the fastest car on Earth, to the flattest, to one made out of… vegetables! If it’s weird and on wheels, here’s where you’ll find it (Mondays)

• “Inventors” – Whether it’s inspired or absurd, DAILY PLANET goes around the world to find the dreamers who may one day change the world (Tuesdays)

• “Embedded with Mark Miller” – If there’s a door that says “No Access Beyond This Point,” contributor Mark Miller considers it a challenge issued. From piloting subs at record-level depths, to testing out the latest in fighter jets, Miller gets in, gets on, and gets it done in the world’s secret nerve centres (Tuesdays)

• “Flight Deck” – Fighter jets, jumbo jets, rockets ships, helicopters, cars that turn into helicopters… the fascination with flight never ends. Here’s where you’ll find latest in aviation innovation (Wednesdays)

• “Future Tech” – Technological advances used to be measured in years, perhaps decades. Now, they’re measured in weeks, even minutes. What’s the latest can’t-live-without-it app? Check it out here (Wednesdays)

• “Behind the Scenes” – Pull back the curtain and discover the engineering behind Cirque de Soleil’s latest production; see how machines drill the world’s largest tunnel; and rock out with Bon Jovi’s production crew as they reveal how their robotic lights work – these are the places few people ever see… (Thursdays)

• “Trending” – A daily look at any topic, trend, person, viral video, or website that is exploding on social media. It’s what people are talking about and re-tweeting (Daily)

Popular returning features include “Planet You,” a daily interactive segment that features viewer tweets, email or video uploads and showcases cool technology, new apps and behind-the-scenes footage; “Ziyology,” a segment that features co-host Tong discovering fascinating places and experiments; “Super Slo Mo Tuesdays,” revealing the surprising complexity and beauty of movement in extreme slow motion video; “The Alan Nursall Experience”, a fresh take on the ever-popular popular science-on-the-street experiments (now twice each week!); and the oddities and curiosities of “Weird Planet.”

An international success story, DAILY PLANET is produced in-house by Exploration Production Inc. (EPI) in association with Discovery Channel Canada. The series’ Executive Producer is Jeff MacDonald; Senior Producers are Kelly McKeown and Steven Hunt; Managing Producer is Julie Borthwick; and Director is John Morrison.

About Discovery Channel
The world is just awesome! With compelling real-life programming that inspires and entertains, Discovery Channel reveals the world in all its wonder, diversity and amazement. Discovery Channel offers a signature mix of adrenaline-charged stories, larger-than-life personalities and vivid imagery for viewers with curious minds. With the best non-fiction programming from Canada and around the world, Discovery Channel captures the excitement of a passion for life – one lived fully and at its most extreme. With exceptional and immersive storytelling, the channel offers in-depth, behind-the-scenes glimpses at the extraordinary people and places that shape our world. Launched in Canada in 1995 and now available in more than eight million Canadian homes, Discovery Channel consistently ranks first among all English-language Canadian specialty networks for overall viewer satisfaction according to the TV Trends and Quality (TVQ) Survey. Discovery Channel Canada is a joint venture between Bell Media, which is owned by BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE), Canada’s largest communications company, and Discovery Communications Inc. Find more information and interactive online features at DiscoveryChannel.ca.

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SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:
Discovery Channel Canada on Twitter: twitter.com/DiscoveryCanada
Discovery Channel Canada on Facebook: facebook.com/discoverycanada
Daily Planet on Twitter: twitter.com/dailyplanetshow
Daily Planet on Facebook: facebook.com/Daily-Planet
Dan Riskin on Twitter: twitter.com/riskindan

For more information:
Noah Zatzman, Discovery Channel, 416.384.5903 or noah.zatzman@bellmedia.ca
Jodi Cook, Discovery Channel, 416.384.4603 or jodi.cook@bellmedia.ca