DMAX (TV channel)
| DMAX | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Launched | 1 September 2006 |
| Owned by | Discovery Networks CEEMEA |
| Picture format |
576i (SDTV) 1080i (HDTV) |
| Slogan | Fernsehen für die tollsten Menschen der Welt: Männer (Tv for the best humans of the world: Men) |
| Country | Germany |
| Broadcast area | Germany, Austria and Switzerland |
| Headquarters | Munich, Germany |
| Replaced | XXP (2001–2006) |
| Website | DMAX.de |
DMAX is a men's lifestyle channel operated by Discovery Networks CEEMEA free-to-air in Germany, Austria, Switzerland. The United Kingdom, Italy and Spain have their own version of the channel. It is also widely available throughout the rest of Europe. It is seen as the only free-to-air mainstream channel with a focus on non-fiction entertainment, unique in German media.
DMAX broadcasts from the Astra 1H, 1L, and 3A satellites and is uplinked by SES Platform Services (now MX1).
XXP origins
- DMAX is the Discovery Communications creation from the originally German sourced and owned station XXP. Discovery purchased XXP on 1 January 2006. DMAX was launched as a free-to-air channel from 1 September, targeted at men.
- Its name was invented by Discovery Creative Director James Gilbey who asked design agencies to submit names in an innovative competition. RedBee based in London were the winning agency.
- Its most recent rebrand was created by Artillery Design Ltd based in Brighton UK.
- DMAX focuses on men's hobbies, and its range of programmes is aimed at men looking for more than the current offer of sports and news programmes. DMAX involves a mix of adventure and discovery, cars and technology, popular science, DIY and travel. DMAX does not include football or erotic programmes.
- Patrick Hörl is Managing Director, while Katja Hofem-Best, who comes from RTL II, is CEO.
Additional DMAX channels
In Spain, DMAX was launched on January 12, 2012 as Discovery MAX, and renamed on September 2016. With the success of the German speaking DMAX a separate channel was launched for the UK and Ireland markets on 22 November 2007. DMAX was launched in Italy on 12 December 2011, and now is the ninth most watched channel of the country. In the Asia-Pacific market, DMAX launched on 7 July 2014 replacing Discovery Turbo (Asia).
Audience ratings
2006: 0,4% 2007: 0,5% 2008: 0,6% 2009: 0,7% 2010: 0,7%
Some programmes shown on DMAX
- Was geht? Experiment am Limit ('What works? Experiments at the limits') – answers questions like 'can a gun be fired underwater?'
- Die Ludolfs – 4 Brüder auf’m Schrottplatz (The Ludolfs – 4 brothers at the scrapyard) – observes Peter, Manni, Uwe and Günther eating pasta and fiddling around on broken cars
- D Tech – presenter Daniel Hartwich takes viewers on an entertaining journey through the world of knowledge
- Fish 'n' Fun –beautiful landscape shots, fishing tricks and shows men how to make delicious dishes using the fish they catch. The male desire for adventure is also satisfied, for example with the documentary series on crab fishers in Alaskan waters
- D Motor – presented by Tim Schrick and Sabine Schmitz, who has to prove her own driving skill against an opponent on her local race track, the Nürburgring
- Moneycoach – Rette dein Geld (Money coach – save your money) – presenter Michael Requardt helps viewers with debt problems
The channel also features many Discovery Communications programs, including:
- An Idiot Abroad – with Karl Pilkington, Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant and Warwick Davis
- American Chopper – with Paul Teutul Jr. and Paul Teutul Sr.
- How It's Made
- 30 Days – with Morgan Spurlock
- Monster Garage – with Jesse James
- Louis Theroux
- Miami Ink
- GQ TV – based on the same format as the popular men's magazine
- Jack Osbourne: Adrenaline Junkie – a British reality series focusing on Jack Osbourne's globe-trekking six-month quest to get in physical and mental shape to climb the rockface of California's El Capitan mountain
- Long Way Round – documentary television series of the 19,000 mile journey of Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman from London to New York on motorcycles. They travelled eastwards through Europe and Asia, flew to Alaska and continued by road from there to New York.
- Magnum, P.I. – drama series starring Tom Selleck as Thomas Magnum, a successful private investigator. Episodes broadcast are edited.
- Knight Rider (1982 TV series) - An American television series created and produced by Glen A. Larson. The series was originally broadcast on NBC from 1982 to 1986. The show stars David Hasselhoff as Michael Knight, a high-tech modern crime fighter assisted by KITT, an advanced artificially intelligent and nearly indestructible car. This was the last series Larson devised at Universal Television before he moved to 20th Century Fox.
- Teleshopping broadcasts when DMAX is off air.
- Bear Grylls: Born Survivor