Discovery+

Discovery+ (pronounced "Discovery plus"; stylized as discovery+) is a streaming service owned by Discovery, Inc. The service focuses on factual programming drawn from the libraries of Discovery's main channel brands, as well as original series (often involving spin-offs of existing programs from Discovery's networks), and other acquired content.

Discovery+
Screenshot
Discovery+ homepage on January 4, 2021
Type of site
OTT video streaming platform
Predecessor(s)Dplay in Europe and Japan
No. of locationsBrazil
Canada
Denmark
Estonia (with Go3 membership)*
Finland
India
Ireland
Italy
Latvia (with Go3 membership)*
Lithuania (with Go3 membership)*
Netherlands
Norway
Philippines
Poland
Spain
Sweden
Turkey
United Kingdom
United States
OwnerDiscovery, Inc.
(pending merge approval with WarnerMedia to form Warner Bros. Discovery)
Key peopleDavid Zaslav (President of Discovery, Inc.)
URLwww.discoveryplus.com
RegistrationRequired/Free (content varies in most countries)
Users 18 million (as of August 3, 2021)
LaunchedMarch 23, 2020 (2020-03-23) (India)
January 4, 2021 (2021-01-04) (everywhere else)
Current statusActive

It was first launched in India on March 23, 2020. It expanded into Europe via a rebranding of the existing Dplay platforms,[1] and launched in the United States on January 4, 2021.

History

Discovery first launched Discovery+ in India on March 23, 2020, and included content from Discovery's various brands.[2] In September of the same year, Discovery announced plans to launch an international version of Discovery+ in early 2021.[3]

In October 2020, it was announced that Dplay would be renamed Discovery+ in Denmark, the United Kingdom, and Ireland in the following month.[4][5]

On January 4, 2021, Discovery+ launched in the U.S. with both a paid ad-supported plan and an ad-free plan.[6][7]

On January 5, 2021, Discovery+ replaced Dplay in Europe.[8][9][10][11]

In August 2021, Discovery reported that it had over 18 million subscribers across its all of its direct-to-consumer streaming services, including Discovery+ and others.[12]

In October 2021, Discovery announced that Discovery+ would launch in Canada on October 19. Corus Entertainment, which operates Canadian versions of the former Scripps Networks Interactive channels in Canada with Discovery as minority stakeholder, will be a marketing partner for the launch.[13]

In November 2021, Discovery and WarnerMedia discussed a plan to combine HBO Max and Discovery+ into one streaming service in two phases: an initial phase that allows for quick bundling of the services and a second phase that allows for a common service on one tech platform.[14]

Programming

Original programming
Main article: List of Discovery+ original programming

Original programming carried by Discovery+ includes spin-offs of programs from Discovery's networks.[15] It also includes a preview of Magnolia Network — an upcoming relaunch of DIY Network headed by Chip and Joanna Gaines of the HGTV series Fixer Upper — including preview specials and the premiere episodes of ten of its original series.[15]

Content library

Discovery+ allows streaming of programs operated by the Discovery company such as HGTV, Food Network, TLC, Investigation Discovery, Asian Food Network, Animal Planet, Travel Channel, and Discovery Channel. They also have content from Discovery's other assets and exclusives varying by country.

In the U.S., Discovery+ also carries a selection of programming from A&E Networks' A&E, Lifetime, and History, as part of a licensing agreement.[16]

Sports

In selected European territories, Discovery+ offers sports content via Discovery's Eurosport networks, subsuming Eurosport's previous streaming platform Eurosport Player.[17][18]

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 and Xbox Series X/S gaming consoles, and through Android and iOS apps.[19]

Launch

Discovery+ planned to roll out 2021 and 2022 in Germany, Romania, Portugal, Greece, Czech Republic, Hungary, and Iceland.[20]

In August, Brazilian website vcfaz.tv has said that Discovery+ will launch in Brazil in 1 September, but Discovery has denied this.[21] It was then confirmed by Discovery that Discovery+'s launch date in Brazil would be 9 November 2021.[22][23]

  Available
  Available with local version
  Confirmed launch
  Third-party distribution
  No current launch or announcement
Launch rollout timeline
Release date Country/Territory Release partner(s)
23 March 2020  India None
10 October 2020  United Kingdom
 Ireland
 Denmark
4 January 2021  United States Verizon
5 January 2021  Finland None
 Netherlands
 Italy
 Norway
 Spain
 Sweden
 Poland player.pl[24]
5 May 2021[25]  Turkey BluTV
13 October 2021[26]  Philippines Globe[27]
19 October 2021[28]  Canada Corus Entertainment
9 November 2021[22][23]  Brazil Globoplay
Claro
3 January 2022 Latin America Totalplay (Mexico)
2021/2022  Czech Republic None
 Greece
 Germany
 Hungary
 Iceland
 Romania
 Portugal
TBA[29][30][31]  Bahrain Starzplay
 Kuwait
 Saudi Arabia
North Africa
 Malaysia Astro
Asia Pacific None

Criticism

Discovery+'s promotion, marketing, and advertising has drawn negative reactions from viewers.[32] The service has also been accused of paywalling traditional television subscribers by moving several shows seen on Discovery's linear networks to Discovery+.[33] Also, Discovery+ does not currently supply any programming in surround sound. All audio is stereo only, despite almost all the content being recorded in at least 5.1/AC3.

See also

References
  1. "Discovery+ als online streamingdienst in Nederland begonnen". TotaalTV.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  2. "Discovery Plus App Debuts With Content 'Curated Specifically for India'". NDTV Gadgets 360. Retrieved 2021-01-01.
  3. "'This is for cord cutters': Discovery aims to launch Discovery+ streaming service in early 2021". Digiday. 2020-09-21. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  4. "discovery+". www.discoveryplus.dk. Retrieved 2021-01-13.
  5. Kanter, Jake (2020-10-20). "Discovery UK Rebrands Streamer Dplay As Discovery+ & Adds Subscription Tier". Deadline. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
  6. Alexander, Julia (2020-12-02). "Discovery, home of Shark Week, HGTV, and Food Network, enters the streaming wars with Discovery Plus". The Verge. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
  7. Hayes, Dade (2020-12-02). "Discovery Reveals Streaming Rollout Plan For Discovery+, With Verizon Deal In Place For January U.S. Launch". Deadline. Retrieved 2020-12-02.
  8. Linares, Iván (2021-01-05). "La app de Dplay cambia a Discovery+ y pasa de ser gratuita a ofrecer contenido 'premium'". Xataka Móvil (in Spanish). Retrieved 2021-01-15.
  9. "Dplay va in pensione: Discovery+ disponibile in Italia". DDay.it (in Italian). Retrieved 2021-01-15.
  10. "Dit moet je weten over streamingdienst Discovery Plus". Android Planet (in Dutch). Retrieved 2021-01-15.
  11. Breinstrup, Thomas (2021-01-05). "Streamingtjenesten Dplay skifter navn". Berlingske.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 2021-01-15.
  12. Szalai, Georg (August 3, 2021). "Discovery Hits 18M Paying Streaming Subs, U.S. Ad Revenue Jumps 12 Percent". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2021-10-14.
  13. Szalai, Georg (October 12, 2021). "Discovery+ to Launch in Canada Next Week". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
  14. Bunson, Ben (November 3, 2021). "Discovery+, HBO Max may bundle before combining after merger". FierceVideo. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
  15. "Discovery+: Here's Every Original Series Available on Discovery's New Streaming Service at Launch". TheWrap. 2021-01-04. Retrieved 2021-01-11.
  16. Steinberg, Brian (2020-12-09). "Rivals Discovery and A+E Networks Forge Streaming Alliance". Variety. Retrieved 2021-02-14.
  17. "'Discovery+ will change Eurosport's rights acquisition strategy', says Andrew Georgiou". SportsPro. 2020-12-03. Retrieved 2021-10-14.
  18. "Discovery and YouTube in Olympics content partnership; Seven-Twitter alliance". Sportcal. Retrieved 2021-10-14.
  19. Otterson, Joe (January 4, 2021). "Discovery Plus Launches on Multiple Platforms, Including Roku and Amazon Fire TV".
  20. Ramachandran, Naman (2021-01-04). "Discovery Plus Set to Debut in 12 European Markets With Vodafone Deal". Variety. Retrieved 2021-04-26.
  21. "Discovery+ dará 30% de desconto em pré-venda. Saiba a data de estreia do serviço". vcfaz.tv (in Portuguese). 14 August 2021. Retrieved 14 August 2021. O grupo Discovery entrou em contato com a redação VCFAZ.TV para informar que, ao contrário do publicado no site oficial, não está confirmada a pré-venda para o período de 17 a 31 de agosto e a estreia no dia 1º de setembro. Novas informações devem ser publicada em breve.
  22. "Discovery+ chega oficialmente ao mercado brasileiro" [Discovery + officially arrives in the Brazilian market]. vcfaz.tv (in Portuguese). 4 November 2021. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
  23. Easton, Jonathan (5 November 2021). "discovery+ to launch in Brazil on November 9". Digital TV Europe.
  24. "Discovery+ launches in Poland". 8 December 2020.
  25. "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.
  26. Reyes, Shiela (13 October 2021). "Streaming service discovery+ is now in PH". ABS-CBN News.
  27. Frater, Patrick (1 September 2021). "Discovery Plus Launching in The Philippines". Variety.
  28. Szalai, Georg (12 October 2021). "Discovery+ to Launch in Canada Next Week". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  29. "Discovery Forges Strategic Partnership with Saudi OTT Service Jawwy TV". 24 February 2021.
  30. "Discovery Eyes Market of 70 Million U.S. Subscribers for Discovery Plus Streaming Service". 2 December 2020.
  31. "Discovery Plus Launches in the Middle East and North Africa via Starzplay". 6 January 2021.
  32. O'Brien, Jennifer (5 January 2021). "90 Day Fiance: TLC Viewers Are Over Hearing About Discovery Plus". ScreenRant. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
  33. Andy Dehnart (11 March 2021). "Restaurant Impossible back on Food Network after its move to Discovery+ is reversed". Reality Blurred. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
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