TV Channel Goes to the Dogs
Lonely, bored dogs left at home all day while their owners are at work could soon be getting some digital company - a TV channel with programming just for pooches.
DOGTV, a 24/7 channel designed specifically for man’s best friend, will air nationally next month on the U.S. satellite operator DirecTV, with hopes of attracting dogs in some of the 46 million U.S. households that have at least one.
“It is the first and only television channel that is dedicated to our four-legged friends and not to their parents,” Gilad Neumann, the chief executive of the Tel Aviv-based company, said in an interview.
The channel won’t be showing the canine equivalent of “Modern Family,” “Mad Men” or “Downton Abbey” but will feature programs with music, visuals, animation and the occasional human that are designed to relax, stimulate and ease the loneliness of home-alone pets.
“It’s more than just entertainment for dogs. We are creating more of an environment,” Neumann said of the channel that costs $4.99 a month. “They are bored and many suffer from separation anxiety. What we are trying to do is to give dogs something to focus on in the background.”
Unlike children and adults who can watch TV for hours at a time, Neumann said dogs view the medium differently and will be attracted to it once in awhile when they see something that interests them.
“We have no intention of generating a new generation of couch potatoes out of our dogs,” he added.