Discovery Channel Launching New Streaming Service

In the decades since its launch, the Discovery Channel has almost entirely cornered the market on compelling series chronicling all perspectives of science, technology, and pop culture, with the network’s CEO confirming recently that the network was launching an all-new streaming service featuring all of the kinds of programming you expect from the network. Details about the service are currently unclear, though it sounds like the service will feature not only new content but will also be home to at least a portion of the service’s already released content, with no name or launch date being revealed about the service.

“Netflix, Amazon, and Disney+ … have built the road and they all have … scripted series and scripted movies,” CEO David Zaslav shared during the network’s recent earnings call, per The Streamable. “Our [service] will be filled with large fresh content, a huge amount of original content, and it comes at a time where people, because of quarantine, have been consuming and consuming Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon and what’s on these different AVOD and SVOD services and they’ve been picking at them. So we think we’ll launch with a differentiated service, which will be useful every day, all the time and will have all the characters you love, which really differentiates us. We think it’s gonna be a terrific companion.”

As it stands currently, cable subscribers can access the Discovery GO app if the network is part of their cable package, which not only allows them access to a number of programs On Demand, but also comes with a live TV option, with audiences able to tune in to programs as they air. Given the demand for the network and the trend of audiences cutting the cord to their cable companies, we wouldn’t be surprised if the network embraced a model similar to NBC’s debut of Peacock, which offers opportunities for audiences to check out not only original content but an expanding library of classic titles.

Making the service even more exciting is that the Discovery network isn’t limited to its flagship channel, as it also owns the Travel Channel, Animal Planet, HGTV, and the Food Network, which could potentially see a wealth of programming from those networks landing on the service.

Stay tuned for details on the new Discovery streaming platform.

Are you looking forward to Discovery debuting the new service? Let us know in the comments below!