Discovery Communications Inc. agreed to buy the website HowStuffWorks to add to its cable-television shows about science and consumer information and boost advertising sales.
Discovery will pay $250 million, according to a person with knowledge of the negotiations. The company, based in Silver Spring, Md., didn’t provide a price in a statement Monday.
The acquisition will help Discovery integrate online content with its Discovery and Animal Planet networks and shows such as “Mythbusters” and “How It’s Made.” The company plans to bolster HowStuffWorks with short video clips from its library and develop new programs about science and technology. The first new TV show, “How Stuff Works,” will start in the U.S. next summer.
“We can now offer a 360-degree package around a given topic and have the ability to create content our advertisers are interested in,” Bruce Campbell, president of digital media and business development at Discovery, said in an interview.
Discovery is 67 percent owned by Douglas County-based Discovery Holding Co., which is controlled by John Malone.
