Discovery Family (formerly Discovery Kids and the Hub Network) is an American digital cable and satellite television channel owned by Discovery Communications, marketed as a family-friendly network with a mix of original and acquired children's programs, such as Hasbro's My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Littlest Pet Shop and Transformers themed shows, along with family-orientedscience and nature-themed programs.
The network was launched on October 7, 1996, as Discovery Kids, a spin-off of Discovery Channel that featured science, nature, and adventure-themed programs aimed towards children aged between 6 and 11. In April 2009, Hasbro announced a joint venture with Discovery to re-launch Discovery Kids as The Hub (later Hub Network) on October 10, 2010; Hasbro handled programming, while Discovery handled distribution and advertising sales. The Hub was intended to be a general, youth-oriented network with a "diverse" lineup, primarily featuring programming adapted from Hasbro franchises (such as Transformers, its board games, My Little Pony, Pound Puppies, and Littlest Pet Shop), along with other, family-oriented programs such as sitcom reruns and films.
On September 25, 2014, following reports earlier in the year that Hub Network president Margaret Loesch would step down by the end of the year, Discovery acquired 10% of Hasbro's stake in the network and replaced Loesch with Henry Schleiff, who leads sister networks such as Destination America and Investigation Discovery. On October 13, 2014, Hub Network was re-branded as Discovery Family; Hasbro remains a minority partner and programs the network's daytime lineup with children's programs carried over from Hub Network, while its primetime lineup was replaced with reruns of non-fiction programs from Discovery Channel's library.
