Discovery Acquires ‘Racing Extinction’ Doc

Discovery Channel has acquired domestic and international rights to documentary Racing Extinction, which premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. Directed by Louie Psihoyos, Racing Extinction will make its television premiere simultaneously in all of Discovery’s 220 markets worldwide.

The film will also receive a 10-market limited theatrical release.

Racing Extinction is a gripping and important film by some of our best storytellers,” said Discovery Channel U.S. president Rich Ross. “We hope that by harnessing the power of Discovery with its worldwide television premiere we can ignite global awareness and provoke a movement to save so many endangered species from extinction.”

Ross took over as president of Discovery Channel in January, and moved quickly to shake up the network’s programming team. Among his new hires was producer John Hoffman as executive VP of documentaries and specials. Speaking at the TCA winter press tour in January, Ross called Hoffman’s hiring “a message that it’s very important to us and very important to me that when people are telling stories and delivering information that it’s true and that it can be entertaining as well.”