Discovery to Premiere Seven-Part Series NORTH AMERICA, 5/19

Related: NORTH AMERICA, Discovery Channel

For many of us, North America is our home. We live in this extraordinary continent each and every day, but have we ever truly experienced first-hand the wide scope of incredible dangers challenging our diverse and tenacious continent? If you think you know North America, you can think again. In this Unforgettable television event, Discovery Channel turns the lens toward its Homeland and captures a land where life collides with hostile, untamed wilderness in the most diverse, deadly environment on Earth. From the network behind PLANET EARTH, LIFE, Frozen Planet and AFRICA, the breathtaking, seven-part series NORTH AMERICA begins its journey Sunday, May 19 at 9PM ET/PT and runs through Sunday, June 16.

Traveling the continent for more than three years from the sub-zero Canadian tundra to the tropical rainforests of Panama, Discovery's first, independently-produced natural history landmark series, NORTH AMERICA, reveals that "survival of the fittest" is truly the law here amid threatening terrain and ferocious weather. "Discovery Channel sets the pace when it comes to natural history programming", said Eileen O'Neill, Group President of Discovery and TLC Networks, "For this series it made sense to explore the continent many of us call 'home'. I'm excited to include NORTH AMERICA in the ranks of Discovery's Epic natural history programming."

You will never look at your backyard the same way again as we discover a hidden world where life -- ranging from the familiar to the exotic -- battles deep freezes, deadly fires and explosive super storms. Discovery's determined production crew journeyed the span of North America including the frigid Yukon Territory, the lush forests of Belize, the snow-capped Rocky Mountains, the barren deserts of the American Southwest and more. They spent 2,830 days on location on 250 separate expeditions, and utilized eleven different types of cameras to shoot more than 850 hours of footage. State of the art equipment including ultra-high-speed cameras, night viewing devices, and a one-of-a-kind submarine camera allowed the crew to capture behaviors never seen before on television. Time-lapses shot in HDR transformed the continent's most severe weather events into truly mind-blowing imagery.

NORTH AMERICA's first five episodes will reveal the intimate stories of animals struggling to survive in unforgiving weather and rugged terrain. Never-before-seen sequences range from the elusive desert jaguar in Mexico to daring grizzly bears diving in more than 20 feet of water to grab salmon in Alaska. The series "Making Of" episode chronicles NORTH AMERICA's production team and the challenges they faced including battling the destructive Hurricane Irene and other natural disasters all while attempting to capture the most majestic animals in the continent. The final episode reveals what online voters chose as the number one, natural North American destination via Discovery's "My North America" Facebook page.

For a deeper look behind-the-scenes, Discovery will offer a robust digital and mobile experience around NORTH AMERICA through its second screen, co-viewing mobile application TV Plus. Viewers will have access to bonus videos, photos, interactive quizzes and more rich content synched to their real-time television viewing experience. Discovery will also launch a mobile/web natural history application featuring photos, videos and facts from NORTH AMERICA and Discovery's extensive library of natural history content. Discovery will partner with an American zoo to debut a live camera feed featuring animals from NORTH AMERICA in addition to hours of video and interactive content on the official NORTH AMERICA website. Additionally, fans are invited to follow Discovery Channel on Facebook and @Discovery on Twitter using the #NorthAmerica hashtag to join the conversation.

Discovery Education, which uses digital content to transform learning in over half of U.S. schools, will be offering special screenings, lesson plans and interactive resources for students to further explore the magnificent wonders and history of North America. In addition, a companion book will be released March 12th with 288 pages of stunning photographs from the series.

Get ready to experience an entire world in one continent. On Sunday, May 19 at 9PM ET/PT, rediscover North America as you have never seen it before. Welcome to the "home of the brave" - the land where hungry predators and quick-thinking prey battle daily in the land of unpredictable extremes.

NORTH AMERICA is produced for Discovery Channel by Silverback Films with Keith Scholey serving as executive producer and Huw Cordey serving as series producer. For Discovery Channel, Christine Weber and Iain Riddick serve as executive producers with Kristin Wilcox as associate producer.

About Discovery Channel

Discovery Channel is dedicated to creating the highest quality non-fiction content that informs and entertains its consumers about the world in all its wonder, diversity and amazement. The network, which is distributed to 100.1 million U.S. homes, can be seen in over 180 countries, offering a signature mix of compelling, high-end production values and vivid cinematography across genres including, science and technology, exploration, adventure, history and in-depth, behind-the-scenes glimpses at the people, places and organizations that shape and share our world. For more information, please visit www.discovery.com.

About Discovery Communications

Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) is the world's #1 nonfiction media company reaching more than 1.7 billion cumulative subscribers in 209 countries and territories. Discovery is dedicated to satisfying Curiosity through more than 147 worldwide television networks, led by Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Science and Investigation Discovery, as well as US joint venture networks OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, The HUB and 3net, the first 24-hour 3D network. Discovery also is a leading provider of educational products and services to schools and owns and operates a diversified portfolio of digital media services, including Revision3.