Discovery debuts new women’s net

Discovery Communications is adding another female-skewing network to its bouquet with the launch of ID Xtra in Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa (CEEMEA).

Building on the international roll-out of TLC and male-skewing crime net ID, the new channel is aimed somewhere between the two, featuring “female-led mystery and suspense.”

A mix of factual and drama, ID Xtra will carry shows including Poisoned Passions, Beauty Queen Murders, Secret Lives of Stepford Wives, A Crime To Remember and Redrum.

“We have ambitious plans to roll ID Xtra out to as many as 105 markets across CEEMEA in 2014,” said Discovery Networks senior VP and head of channels Paul Welling. “Many of our largest operators have already signed up.”

Welling said drama would be at the forefront of the channel’s line-up but real-life mysteries are also part of the mix.

According to Discovery, which this week was linked to a potential bid for Scripps Networks Interactive, mystery and suspense is one of the fastest growing genres in pay TV. The company said it is investing US$1.5bn this year in content to feed the demand.