Press release - 10 September 2015 08:38

Discovery Announces Collaboration with Apple to Launch Vitality Active Rewards with Apple Watch

Discovery announced today the launch of Vitality Active Rewards with Apple Watch for use by Vitality and the Vitality network. This brings together the Vitality Rewards Program with Apple's groundbreaking health and fitness device, Apple Watch. Vitality Active Rewards with Apple Watch will enable Vitality members around the world to be motivated and encouraged to get more active and by achieving their goals, earn their Apple Watch and pay less for their health or life insurance.

"Apple Watch, through its engaging, personal interface and powerful health capabilities, is a fantastic tool to motivate and reward Vitality members to get active,” said Discovery Chief Executive Adrian Gore. “We are very excited to make Apple Watch available to Vitality customers who will not only pay less for their health or life insurance but are able to earn their Apple Watch simply by being active."

"Vitality shares our conviction that being active has a powerful impact on people’s lives, and we are excited to collaborate with them on this initiative,” said Jeff Williams, Apple’s senior vice president of Operations. "We are thrilled that Apple Watch will be worn by Vitality customers, helping them live a better day by being more active.”

Vitality Active Rewards with Apple Watch is made possible by the innovative health and fitness features of Apple Watch and Vitality's clinical, actuarial and behavioral economics capability which has delivered demonstrable and sustainable health improvements within its client base over the past 15 years; and the actuarial surplus generated by the insurance products using Vitality at their core.

Details of Vitality Active Rewards with Apple Watch will be available later this month, and will launch in South Africa this Spring, with additional markets thereafter.

ADDITIONAL NOTES

The Vitality network consists of AIA, Discovery, Generali, John Hancock, Ping An and VitalityLifeHealth (UK) – these companies will have exclusive use of Vitality Active Rewards with Apple Watch in their markets.
Vitality Active Rewards with Apple Watch will be an enhancement to the current Vitality program, which is available in numerous countries through the network of Vitality-linked insurers.
Lack of physical activity is being increasingly labelled “the new smoking”. Research recently presented in London suggests that walking fast for just 25 minutes a day can buy three to seven years of extra life. Discovery’s internal data also demonstrates that physical activity is correlated with increased levels of activity in other categories of wellness and is therefore also a "trigger event" that encourages broader health engagement, having a “multiplier” effect on health. Vitality Active Rewards with Apple Watch aims to make being physically active easier, more accessible and rewarding for Vitality members.

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About Discovery Limited

Discovery Limited is a South African-founded financial services organisation that operates in the healthcare, life assurance, short-term insurance, savings and investment products and wellness markets. Founded in 1992, Discovery was guided by a clear core purpose – to make people healthier and to enhance and protect their lives. Underpinning this core purpose is the belief that through innovation, Discovery can be a powerful market disruptor and a powerful force for social good. To pursue this goal, Discovery employs a shared value insurance model which incentivises healthier behaviour for the benefit of members and insurers.

The company, with headquarters in Johannesburg, South Africa, has expanded its operations globally and currently serves over 5.1 million clients across South Africa, the United Kingdom, the United States, China, Singapore and Australia. Discovery, with 10 000 employees worldwide, recently announced its partnership with General, a leading insurer in Europe, and has partnered John Hancock in the US. These new partnerships will bring Discovery’s shared value business model to protection industries in Europe and the US.

With a market capitalisation of US$7 billion, Discovery ranks 17th out of 51 companies in Fortune magazines first-ever Change the World list, an index that ranks companies that have made a sizeable impact on major global problems as part of their competitive strategy.

Discovery’s wellness programme, Vitality, is the world’s largest scientific, incentive-based wellness solution for individuals and corporates. The global Vitality membership base now exceeds three million lives in five markets.

Discovery is an authorised financial services provider and trades under the code “DSY” on the Johannesburg Securities Exchange.