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- A new streaming service called Discovery Plus is on the way. It will have 55,000 episodes of TV content when it launches on January 4, 2021.
- The service will house shows from a variety of Discovery-owned channels, including HGTV, The Food Network, TLC, and, of course, Discovery itself.
- There will be an ad-supported tier costing $4.99 each month and an ad-free tier for $6.99 monthly.
If you woke up this morning and thought, “Man, I really want to pay for yet another streaming service,” then we have good news for you. On January 4, 2021, the Discovery network will launch a new premium media streaming service called Discovery Plus.
The new streaming network will include content from the various properties under the Discovery umbrella. That includes over 55,000 episodes of television from HGTV, The Food Network, TLC, OWN, Animal Planet, and more. In addition to this already existing content, Discovery promises original content airing weekly.
Discovery Plus: What will be included?
With over 55,000 episodes of television under its belt, the launch of Discovery Plus will be the largest ever in streaming history. Right from the get-go, subscribers will be able to access nearly every episode from famous shows such as 90 Day Fiancé, Property Brothers, Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, House Hunters, and more. It will also have documentary series, travel shows, and various other types of reality television.
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In addition to this already existing content, Discovery promises original shows starring famous names. A show called Bobby & Giada in Italy will star Bobby Flay and Giada De Laurentiis as they eat food across Italy. Luda Can’t Cook will put famous rapper Ludacris into the kitchen to see how he fares. Clipped will feature Martha Stewart and other judges as they evaluate topiary art.
There will also be many new shows in the so-called “90 Day Universe” such as 90 Day Bares All, 90 Day Diaries, 90 Day Journey, and more.
You can see a list of all the expected original content here.
How much will it cost?
Every subscriber account will be able to share their service with up to five user profiles. There will be a limit of four concurrent streams and the service will work on “all major platforms,” including connected TVs, smartphones, tablets, and the web.
There will be two subscription tiers for Discovery Plus. The lowest tier will cost $4.99 each month. That will get you full access to all the content but you will see periodic ad interruptions. This is similar to how Hulu structures its subscriptions.
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For an extra $2.00 each month, you can do away with the ads. Other than the lack of ads, the $6.99 tier is the same as the $4.99 tier.
If you’re a Verizon customer, though, you might not need to pay anything, at least at first. New and existing customers on Verizon’s Play More Unlimited and Get More Unlimited plans will get a free year of ad-free Discovery Plus. Start Unlimited and Do More Unlimited subscribers will get six months of free access. People with Verizon 5G Home Internet or Fios Gigabit Connection will also get a free year of the non-ads service.
Will Discovery Plus be available in my country?
There are some markets where Discovery Plus is already available, such as the United Kingdom and Ireland. Other countries will need to wait until after January 4, 2021, which is the date when it will launch in the United States.
Eventually, the service will land in Italy, the Nordics, the Netherlands, Spain, and Brazil. It will also land in “European markets” and “Latin American markets,” although Discovery wasn’t fully clear on specifics.