Discovery

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Discovery+ (pronounced "Discovery Plus"; stylized as discovery+) is an American streaming service owned by Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD).[1] The service focuses on factual programming drawn from the libraries of Discovery's main channel brands, as well as original series (including spin-offs of programs from Discovery's television networks), and other acquired content.

It was first launched in India on March 23, 2020. It launched in the United States on January 4, 2021, and replaced Discovery's Dplay and Eurosport Player services in Europe the next day. Template:As of Discovery+ has 24 million subscribers.[2]

Discovery+ became a sister service to WarnerMedia's HBO Max following their merger in April 2022. WBD had announced plans for Discovery+ and HBO Max to be replaced by a new service drawn from its predecessors' libraries. However, in February 2023, WBD CEO David Zaslav stated that this would no longer be the case, and that Discovery+ would continue to operate in conjunction with Max.

History

Discovery first launched Discovery+ in India on March 23, 2020, and included content from Discovery's various brands.[3] In September of the same year, Discovery announced plans to launch an international version of Discovery+ in early 2021.[4]

In October 2020, it was announced that Dplay would be renamed Discovery+ in the United Kingdom and Ireland in the following month.[5][6]

On January 4, 2021, Discovery+ launched in the U.S. with both a paid ad-supported plan and an ad-free plan.[7][8] On January 5, 2021, Discovery+ launched in eight European territories, subsuming Dplay and the Eurosport Player services.[9][10][11][12][13]

In an earnings call on November 3, 2021, president and CEO of Discovery Streaming and International JB Perrette discussed potential options for the service following the then-proposed spin-off and merger of WarnerMedia into Discovery to form Warner Bros. Discovery. These involved a bundling and/or eventual merger of Discovery+ with WarnerMedia's streaming service HBO Max, and offering such a merged service in markets where Discovery+ has yet to launch, such as other parts of the Asia-Pacific region.[14] On March 14, 2022, after Discovery shareholders approved the merger, CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels stated that the merged company planned to pursue a merger of HBO Max with Discovery+ as a long-term goal, following the process proposed by Perrette earlier.[15] Following the merger, selected Discovery library programs had begun to appear on HBO Max.[16]

In August 2022, Perrette announced that a merged service would launch in the United States "next summer", if not sooner, followed by Latin America in late-2023, HBO Max's European markets in early-2024, and additional Asia-Pacific and European markets. Perrette stated that HBO Max and Discovery+ had complimentary scopes targeting "appointment viewing" and "comfort viewing" respectively, and thus described the unified service as being "an unprecedented combination in an already crowded market."[17] In November 2022, it was announced that the new service would now launch in spring 2023.[18][19] In early-December 2022, it was reported by CNBC via inside sources that the unified platform was being developed under the codename "BEAM", and that multiple names were being considered—including simply "Max".[20][21]

In February 2023, Zaslav stated during an earnings call that WBD no longer planned to shut down Discovery+ in favor of the merged service, due to its profitability and low churn. He explained that its customers were "very happy with the product offering", and asked, "why would we shut that off?".[16] The Wall Street Journal had reported earlier in the month that WBD had planned to keep Discovery+ to provide a lower-cost compliment to the new service, which was expected to have a higher price than HBO Max, and would feature "most", but not all, of the content of Discovery+.[22] Max was officially unveiled on April 12, 2023, for a U.S. launch on May 23.[23] In contrast to WBD's plans to keep Discovery+ operational in at least the United States, Warner Bros. Discovery Asia-Pacific announced in March 2023 that Discovery+ would be discontinued in the Philippines on April 27, 2023, in favor of the local HBO Go service (WBD had announced an Asia-Pacific launch for Max in mid-2024).[24][25][26]

Programming

Original programming

Template:Main Original programming carried by Discovery+ includes spin-offs of programs from Warner Bros. Discovery's networks.

Content library

The library of Discovery+ is drawn primarily from the original programming of Warner Bros. Discovery's channel brands, including but not limited to Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, TLC, Travel Channel, Magnolia Network, HGTV, Food Network, Investigation Discovery, CNN, and other international brands where applicable such as Asian Food Network.

In the U.S., Discovery+ has also licensed non-scripted programming from A&E Networks—including A&E, History, and Lifetime programs[27]—and NBCUniversal Global Distribution—including American Ninja Warrior, The Biggest Loser, Flipping Out, Queer Eye, The Real Housewives of Melbourne, Cheshire, Johannesburg, Top Chef Canada (which is produced for the Canadian version of Food Network), and WAGS.[28]

On August 4, 2022, WBD announced that a CNN content hub featuring a selection of its original series and documentaries would be added to the service. CNN had attempted to launch a streaming service, CNN+, during the lead-up to the WarnerMedia/Discovery merger, but it was discontinued by Perrette and new CNN head Chris Licht only a month after its launch due to its conflicts with the merged company's OTT strategy.[29]

Sports

In selected European territories, Discovery+ offers sports content via Warner Bros. Discovery's Eurosport networks, subsuming Eurosport's previous streaming platform Eurosport Player.[30][31] The service began to subsume GolfTV following its December 2022 shutdown.[32]

Device support and service features

Discovery+ is available through traditional Windows/macOS web browsers, the major digital media player platforms (such as Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Apple TV and Chromecast), Android TV, Xbox One/Series X/S gaming consoles, and through Android and iOS apps.[33]

Launch

Template:Expand section

In October 2021, Discovery announced that Discovery+ would launch in Canada on October 19. Corus Entertainment (which is the Canadian licensee for most of Discovery's lifestyle brands) is a marketing partner for the service, and has promoted Discovery+ via its television networks, digital platforms, and radio. Discovery stated that over a thousand episodes of programming would be available with French-language subtitles at launch.[34][35]

It is planned that Discovery+ will be available on Sky Glass, Sky Q and Sky X in Austria and Germany and to Vodafone customers in Romania, Portugal, Greece, Czech Republic, Hungary and Iceland by mid-2022.[36][37]

In May 2022, it was announced that BT Group would become a distribution partner for the service in the UK, as part of a planned joint venture between Eurosport and BT Sport.[38][39][40]

In August, Brazilian website vcfaz.tv has said that Discovery+ will launch in Brazil on September 1, but Discovery has denied this.[41] It was then confirmed by Discovery that Discovery+'s launch date in Brazil would be November 9, 2021.[42][43]

Template:Image frame

Launch rollout timeline
Release date Country/Territory Release partner(s)
Template:Dts India None
Template:Dts United Kingdom BT Group[39][40]
Ireland None
Template:Dts Armenia MEGOGO[44]
Azerbaijan
Belarus
Estonia
Georgia
Kazakhstan
Kyrgyzstan
Lithuania
Moldova
Tajikistan
Turkmenistan
Ukraine
Uzbekistan
Template:Dts United States Verizon
Template:Dts Denmark Ex-Dplay
Finland
Netherlands
Italy
Norway
Spain
Sweden
Poland player.pl[45]
Template:Dts[46] Turkey Template:Ill
Template:Dts Estonia Go3[47]
Latvia
Lithuania
Template:Dts Latvia MEGOGO[48]
Template:Dts[49] PhilippinesTemplate:Efn Globe[50]
Template:Dts[51] Canada Corus Entertainment
Template:Dts[42][43] Brazil Globoplay
Claro
Template:Dts[52] Austria Sky
Germany
Template:Dts[53] Israel yes
Sting TV
2024Template:Citation needed Czech Republic VodafoneTemplate:Cn
Greece
Hungary
Iceland
Portugal
Romania
Bahrain Lionsgate+[54][55][56]
Kuwait
Saudi Arabia
North Africa

Criticism

There was criticism of the service at launch by some viewers of the networks and industry analysts, especially concerns that existing Discovery programming is being taken away from cable and satellite viewers and is being placed behind an additional paywall that may be inaccessible to viewers without robust broadband plans, or are in rural areas with little access to broadband, which in turn may imperil future carriage of those channels by Discovery's provider partners.[57][58] Other viewers have criticized Discovery's bait-and-switch tactics in forcing them to sign up for Discovery+ to have the 'full experience' of a series, as is being done for various Discovery+ spin-offs of 90 Day Fiancé, along with obtrusive Discovery+ advertising throughout the broadcast day (including a lower third sized banner in the top-right corner during actual programming) of many Discovery networks.[58][59]

See also

Notes

Template:Notelist

References

  1. ↑ Warner Bros. Discovery. Warner Bros. Discovery. Retrieved 2022-08-06.
  2. ↑ Discovery+ Reached 24 Million Subscribers Before Merger with Warner Bros.. Cord Cutters News. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
  3. ↑ Discovery Plus App Debuts With Content 'Curated Specifically for India'. NDTV Gadgets 360. Retrieved 2021-01-01.
  4. ↑ 'This is for cord cutters': Discovery aims to launch Discovery+ streaming service in early 2021. Digiday. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  5. ↑ discovery+. Discovery+. Retrieved 2021-01-13.
  6. ↑ Discovery UK Rebrands Streamer Dplay As Discovery+ & Adds Subscription Tier, Kanter, Jake. Deadline. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
  7. ↑ Discovery, home of Shark Week, HGTV, and Food Network, enters the streaming wars with Discovery Plus, Alexander, Julia. The Verge. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
  8. ↑ Discovery Reveals Streaming Rollout Plan For Discovery+, With Verizon Deal In Place For January U.S. Launch, Hayes, Dade. Deadline. Retrieved 2020-12-02.
  9. ↑ La app de Dplay cambia a Discovery+ y pasa de ser gratuita a ofrecer contenido 'premium', Linares, Iván. Xataka Móvil. Retrieved 2021-01-15.
  10. ↑ Dplay va in pensione: Discovery+ disponibile in Italia. D-Day. Retrieved 2021-01-15.
  11. ↑ Dit moet je weten over streamingdienst Discovery Plus. Android Planet. Retrieved 2021-01-15.
  12. ↑ Streamingtjenesten Dplay skifter navn, Breinstrup, Thomas. Berlingske. Retrieved 2021-01-15.
  13. ↑ Discovery+ als online streamingdienst in Nederland begonnen. Totaal TV. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  14. ↑ Discovery+, HBO Max may bundle before combining after merger, Bunson, Ben. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
  15. ↑ HBO Max and Discovery Plus Will Be Combined Into One Platform, Maas, Jennifer. Variety. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Discovery+ Economics Justify Continuing It As A Stand-Alone Streamer After Launch Of Merged HBO Max Offering, WBD CEO David Zaslav Says: "Why Would We Shut That Off?", Hayes, Dade. Deadline. Retrieved 2023-02-24.
  17. ↑ Warner Bros. Discovery: HBO Max & Discovery+ Combined Streamer To Launch In U.S. In Summer 2023, White, Peter. Deadline. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
  18. ↑ HBO Max & Discovery+ Combo Service Launch Date Moved Up, White, Peter. Deadline. Retrieved 2022-11-03.
  19. ↑ Combined HBO Max/Discovery+ service gets an earlier launch date, price hike is to be expected. TechCrunch. Retrieved 2022-11-05.
  20. ↑ Warner Bros. Discovery closes in on 'Max' as the name of its combined HBO Max-Discovery+ streaming service, Rizzo, Alex Sherman,Lillian. CNBC. Retrieved 2022-12-06.
  21. ↑ 'Max' Could Be the Name of Merged HBO Max/Discovery+ Service, Spangler, Todd. Variety. Retrieved 2022-12-17.
  22. ↑ Warner Bros. Discovery to Keep Discovery+, in Strategy Shift. Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2023-02-08.
  23. ↑ Template:Cite magazine
  24. ↑ Documentary fans mourn pending closure of discovery+ PH, Malasig, Jeline. Interaksyon. Retrieved 2023-03-25.
  25. ↑ Discovery+ to cease operation in the Philippines on April 27. GMA News Online. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
  26. ↑ Warner Bros. Discovery Unveils 'Max': Everything Revealed at Combined HBO Max-Discovery+ Streaming Presentation, Maas, Jennifer. Variety. Retrieved 2023-04-24.
  27. ↑ Rivals Discovery and A+E Networks Forge Streaming Alliance, Steinberg, Brian. Variety. Retrieved 2021-02-14.
  28. ↑ Template:Cite press release
  29. ↑ Magnolia Network Shows Go to HBO Max and CNN Originals Go to Discovery+ as Warner Bros. Discovery Keeps Streaming Services Separate, For Now, Weprin, Alex. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2022-08-04.
  30. ↑ 'Discovery+ will change Eurosport's rights acquisition strategy', says Andrew Georgiou. SportsPro. Retrieved 2021-10-14.
  31. ↑ Discovery and YouTube in Olympics content partnership; Seven-Twitter alliance. Sportcal. Retrieved 2021-10-14.
  32. ↑ Golf TV in the bunker as WBD dispenses with another niche streamer, Fry, Andy. Digital TV Europe. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  33. ↑ Discovery Plus Launches on Multiple Platforms, Including Roku and Amazon Fire TV. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
  34. ↑ Discovery Plus Set to Launch in Canada. Variety. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  35. ↑ Discovery+ to Launch in Canada Next Week, Szalai, Georg. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
  36. ↑ Discovery+ to launch in summer via Sky Deutschland, Krieger, Jörn. Broadband TV News. Retrieved 2022-03-20.
  37. ↑ Discovery Plus Set to Debut in 12 European Markets With Vodafone Deal, Ramachandran, Naman. Variety. Retrieved 2021-04-26.
  38. ↑ BT Sport subscribers to get major package upgrade completely free of charge. TechRadar. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  39. ↑ 39.0 39.1 Warner Bros. Discovery and BT to Launch Sports Venture in U.K. and Ireland, Frater, Patrick. Variety. Retrieved 2022-05-16.
  40. ↑ 40.0 40.1 BT and Warner Bros Discovery join forces to create pay-TV sport business. the Guardian. Retrieved 2022-05-16.
  41. ↑ Discovery+ dará 30% de desconto em pré-venda. Saiba a data de estreia do serviço. vcfaz.tv. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  42. ↑ 42.0 42.1 Discovery+ chega oficialmente ao mercado brasileiro. vcfaz.tv. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
  43. ↑ 43.0 43.1 discovery+ to launch in Brazil on November 9. Digital TV Europe. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
  44. ↑ Discovery teams up with Megogo. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  45. ↑ Discovery+ launches in Poland. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
  46. ↑ Stratejik ortağımız discovery+'ın içerikleriyle platformumuz büyümeye devam ediyor! discovery+ 5 Mayıs'ta BluTV'de! (Our platform continues to grow with the contents of our strategic partner discovery+! discovery+ is on BluTV on May 5th!). Twitter. Retrieved 2021-06-02.
  47. ↑ discovery+ launches in the Baltics. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  48. ↑ discovery+ launches in latvia. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  49. ↑ Streaming service discovery+ is now in PH. ABS-CBN News. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
  50. ↑ Discovery Plus Launching in The Philippines. Variety. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
  51. ↑ Discovery+ to Launch in Canada Next Week. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  52. ↑ Discovery+ to launch in Germany on June 28, Kreiger, Jörn. Broadband TV News. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  53. ↑ discovery+ to launch in Israel. Broadband TV News. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
  54. ↑ Discovery Forges Strategic Partnership with Saudi OTT Service Jawwy TV(24 February 2021). Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  55. ↑ Discovery Eyes Market of 70 Million U.S. Subscribers for Discovery Plus Streaming Service(2 December 2020). Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  56. ↑ Discovery Plus Launches in the Middle East and North Africa via Starzplay(6 January 2021). Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  57. ↑ Discovery+ Stealing Shows: Unfair to Rural Residents?. TV Answer Man.
  58. ↑ 58.0 58.1 90 Day Fiance: TLC Viewers Are Over Hearing About Discovery Plus. ScreenRant. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
  59. ↑ Restaurant Impossible back on Food Network after its move to Discovery+ is reversed. Reality Blurred. Retrieved 12 March 2021.

Template:Warner Bros. Discovery Template:VOD services

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