Discovery Channel to Air EVEREST JUMP LIVE, 5/11; Watch a Preview!

Discovery Channel announced today that EVEREST JUMP LIVE will broadcast live on Sunday, May 11 beginning at 9 PM ET/6 PM PT (weather permitting). The highly anticipated 2-hour epic event, produced by NBC News' Peacock Productions, will chronicle climber Joby Ogwyn's journey to the summit of Mt. Everest - battling the grueling conditions and ultimately taking the plunge from the top wearing a wingsuit equipped with cameras to give a bird's eye view.

Watch a preview below:

Video streaming by Ustream

NBC News' Willie Geist will serve as host and be joined by The Weather Channel's Jim Cantore, who will serve as chief meteorologist and track Everest's highly unpredictable weather conditions. Kyle Martino of NBC Sports and Chris Jacobs of Discovery and Velocity will deliver on-the-ground updates at Everest Base Camp, while Geist and Cantore will be based at a studio in New York City designed specifically for the event incorporating the latest interactive technology and high-tech equipment.

Leading up to the event, Discovery will broadcast five nights of live programs from Everest titled EVEREST: LIVE FROM BASE CAMP beginning at 11 PM ET/PT on Monday, May 5 (weather permitting) and simulcast on Science Channel and Discovery en Español. Hosted by Martino and Jacobs, the late night shows will take viewers behind-the-scenes of the most challenging and complicated live broadcast ever attempted. Outside of the United States, EVEREST: LIVE FROM BASE CAMP will broadcast live to select countries including India, Latin America and the United Kingdom beginning May 5 at 11 PM ET/4 AM GMT (May 6). The two-hour special event program, EVEREST JUMP LIVE, will air in every pay-TV market across Asia-Pacific, Central/Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa, Latin America, Nordics and Western Europe on Sunday, May 11.

Joby is an incredibly gifted athlete with 20 years of mountaineering and 8 years of wing suit flying. He first summited the world's highest peak at just 24-years-old, becoming the youngest American to make it to the top. In 2008, he set the WORLD record for the fastest ascent of Mt. Everest, climbing from the base of the south side route to the summit in just nine and a half hours (it typically takes 3-4 days).

Viewers will also have an opportunity to take part in the live broadcast by joining in the conversation with social media updates and can ask live questions from Joby the nights he is still at basecamp. Social media questions will be sourced from the audience around the WORLD who will have the opportunity to interact with Joby and the production team. The live broadcast will Capture the global social media conversation in new ways by looking at real-time data and reporting on who's watching, in what countries and what they're saying to support Joby in his trek. Live cameras will also be in place at Everest Base Camp that can be viewed 24/7 at www.EverestJumpLive.com. Join the conversation by using the hashtag #EverestJumpLive. Additionally, regional hashtags will track social media conversation in local languages around the world.

EVEREST JUMP LIVE and EVEREST: LIVE FROM BASE CAMP are produced by NBC News' Peacock Productions for Discovery. Gretchen Eisele, Colleen Halpin, Benjamin Ringe and Knute Walker are Executive Producers with Betsy Wagner as Executive Producer for EVEREST: LIVE FROM BASE CAMP and Solly Granatstein as Co-Executive Producer. Sharon Scott is President and GM of Peacock Productions. Howard Swartz serves as Executive Producer for Discovery with Executive Producers Denise Contis, Andrew Jackson and Julie Meisner Eagle. Discovery Education will bring the wonder of Everest to students nationwide with interactive content, digital learning experiences and resources found on its suite of digital classroom services.

To learn more, go to www.discovery.com/EverestJumpLive, on Facebook at Facebook.com/discovery and on Twitter @Discovery.

About Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is dedicated to creating the highest quality non-fiction content that informs and entertains its consumers about the WORLD in all its wonder, diversity and amazement. The network, which is distributed to 100.8 million U.S. homes, can be seen in 224 countries and territories, offering a signature mix of compelling, high-end production values and vivid cinematography across genres including, Science and technology, exploration, adventure, history and in-depth, behind-the-scenes glimpses at the people, places and organizations that shape and share our world. For more information, please visit www.discovery.com.

About Discovery Communications

Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) is the world's #1 pay-TV programmer reaching 2.5 billion cumulative subscribers in over 220 countries and territories. Discovery is dedicated to satisfying Curiosity through more than 190 worldwide television networks, led by Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Science and Investigation Discovery, as well as U.S. joint venture networks OWN: OPRAH WINFREY NETWORK and the HUB Network. Across the Nordic region, Discovery owns and operates SBS Discovery Media, a top-three portfolio of television brands that feature leading nonfiction content, as well as locally produced entertainment programs, sports and the best scripted series and movies from major studios. Discovery also is a leading provider of educational products and services to schools, including an award-winning series of K-12 digital textbooks, and a digital leader with a diversified online portfolio, including Discovery Digital Networks. For more information, please visit www.discoverycommunications.com .

To post a comment, you must register and login.