Discovery Plus launches today: Here’s what you need to know

Credit: Twitter

• A new streaming service called Discovery Plus has launched. It has 55,000 episodes of TV content, much of it original to the service.
• The service includes 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.

---

Update: January 4, 2021: Discovery Plus has officially launched in the US. We have updated this article with all the new information, including specific platform support, additional international markets, and more.

---

Original article: 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. Today, the Discovery network launches a new premium media streaming service in the US called Discovery Plus.

Sign up for Discovery Plus

The new streaming network includes shows 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’s 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.

Related: The best streaming services worth your time and money

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 also check out a preview of shows that will be included in the new Magnolia Network, which is the upcoming revamp of the DIY Network that’s being run by Fixer Upper’s Chip and Joanna Gaines.

How much does it cost?

There are two subscription tiers for Discovery Plus. The lowest tier costs $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.

Related: The best Netflix alternatives

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.

What platforms support the service?

Discovery Plus is now available on nearly every major streaming platform:

• Amazon Fire TV streaming devices, Fire TV Edition smart TVs and coming later to Prime Video Channels
• iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Apple TV, and the app is fully integrated with the Apple TV app
• Google devices and platforms including Android phones and tablets, Chromecast with Google TV and other Android TV OS devices, and Google Chromecast and Chromecast built-in devices
• Microsoft Xbox One and Series S/X devices
• The Roku platform
• 2017 and newer Samsung Smart TVs

What other features does Discovery Plus have?

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. Some content will be available to stream in 4K resolution, mostly with nature and animals-related programing

Is Discovery Plus available in my country?

For the official launch, Discovery Plus is only available to US audiences. Later in 2021, Vodafone will offer the service to its mobile customers in the UK, Germany, Turkey, Italy, Spain, Romania, Portugal, Greece, Czech Republic, Hungary, Ireland, and Iceland. It will also make its content available to Vodafone TV customers in those same countries, except the UK and Turkey.

Later in 2021, the service will launch in other parts of the world, including the Nordics, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, the Latin American markets, and in parts of Asia. In Europe, Discovery Plus will also offer sports programming via Eurosport. It will include the tennis Grand Slams, cycling Grand Tours, motorsport, football, and winter sports. Also, Discovery Plus will become the streaming service for the Olympic Games in European markets, starting with the 2021 Tokyo Summer Olympics.