PHD Keeps Discovery

NEW YORK PHD has retained media planning and buying duties on Discovery Networks' stable of television channels after a review, the client has confirmed.

Discovery, which spent nearly $80 million in major measured media last year, according to Nielsen Monitor-Plus, ranks among PHD's top clients and the win comes three months after Scott Hagedorn was named U.S. CEO of the Omnicom Group agency.

Previously, Hagedorn was managing director of sister shop OMD's East Coast region.

Sources identified the other finalists as OMD and Interpublic Group units Universal McCann and The Martin Agency. Final presentations took place last week at the client's headquarters in Silver Spring, Md., according to sources. The client launched the review late last year.

PHD referred calls to the client, where a rep confirmed the shop's selection.

Beyond its namesake network, Discovery has nearly a dozen channels, including The Learning Channel, Animal Planet, Discovery Kids and the Military Channel.

Discovery has been a PHD client for nearly a decade. Before that, the business was handled by Creative Media -- one of three shops that Omnicom rolled up in 2002 to form PHD's U.S. operation. The other two shops were PentaCom and Advanswers.