The Great Power Wars continue to rage in 2021, with the launch of Discovery + on January 4 introducing the latest contender for subscribers to Netflix, Amazon and Disney +. Back in 2020, three new streaming services (HBO Max, Peacock and Quibi) were launched, leading to the first major casualties in the wars. The $ 2 billion failure of Quibi after just six months on the market proved that it was done during streaming can be the future of how we look, not all streaming services are created equal, and big budgets do not always translate to large audiences. However, where Quibi has never found a quick edge, Discovery + seems to have a bright future in the streaming space by offering a completely different approach than its competitors. While Discovery + has a lack of franchises like Marvel, Star Wars and Game of Thrones, it does not perform in the unwritten space when it comes to food, nature and home renewal programs. The Discovery Inc. catalog contains popular cable channels such as HGTV, Food Network, Discovery, BBC’s Natural History Collection and many others. In fact, Discovery President and CEO David Zaslav has revealed that he wants Discovery + to be ‘the definite product for unwritten storytelling’. Instead of looking for recognizable characters from comics, video games and books, Zaslav and his company want to own the space for the reality series, and so far they are starting well.
At $ 4.99 per month in the US ($ 6.99 for the ad-free version), you have access to an impressive library of over 55,000 episodes of Discovery’s iconic brands. Where Quibi tried to do something new with his “quick bite” of TV shows, movies and documentaries, Discovery + sticks to what he does best and what he has been able to do successfully for years, only this time, all his diverse unwritten content is neatly wrapped in one user-friendly streaming service. There are some key features missing from the platform that we would love to see, but overall, Discovery + is making a fascinating debut in Streaming Wars.
Discovery Plus TV shows and movies
With more than 55,000 deliveries from Discovery’s extensive catalog of unwritten series to be completed at launch, the stray is not lacking in the content section. The Discovery + series is very diverse and offers endearing series such as an American detective with American Lieutenant Joe Kenda, which offers unique insights into disturbing cases from the real environment in the United States.
If you love home repair and DYI projects more, Chip and Joanna Gaines are bringing their bubbly personalities to the Magnolia network, which will be home to several new series such as The Courage to Run, Restoration Road with Clint Harp and The Lost Kitchen . Other popular HGTV hosts such as Tarek El Moussa and Christina Anstead of Flip of Flop fame can be seen in new Discovery + Originals that can only be seen on the streaming service.
And as a brand known for launching nature documentaries like Planet Earth and The Blue Planet, it’s no surprise that Discovery is bringing even more nature documents to its new platform. At the launch, David Attenborough’s A Perfect Planet and Judi Dench’s Wild Borneo Adventure offer a breathtaking look at some of our planet’s most fascinating features such as volcanoes and oceans.
Looking ahead, the streamer is working on a few more Discovery + Originals, including an unwritten series called Route 66 starring comedian and actor Kevin Hart. Per Discovery: “Kevin Route is on his way to Route 66 and goes along America’s famous Route 66 to see what’s going on with America. He will visit people and places and bring friends along in an exploration of the American heartland from Chicago to LA . “
Discovery +’s user interface
While not groundbreaking compared to other streaming services, Discovery + does offer an attractive user interface that is easy to navigate. The app and website layouts contain a colorful array of logos representing the various networks of Discovery Inc. highlights, including TLC, Discovery + Originals, History, and more. There is also a “Top Genres” section, which is conveniently located at the top of the page, and contains links to programs that focus on lifestyle, home, food, real crime, adventure, relationships and nature, to help you find the types of apps you like.
Streaming pillars such as adding apps to a “favorites list” and features like “keep watching” are readily available across the entire platform. Some 4K content is also available for free during the launch (4K content on Netflix costs extra), especially on Discovery + Originals and some of the high-production nature series like Planet Earth and A Perfect Planet. Overall, there is far less 4K content than Netflix or Amazon, but since many of the shows fall into the reality TV genre, I did not expect Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos to sound while watching Joanna Gaines make homemade comfort food does not cook. Of course, it would be nice to have more 4K content, but that’s not a deal for this kind of programming.
The most noticeable omission during the launch is the lack of a “download option” to view offline. Although a source close to the service has informed IGN that options for offline viewing are available for 2021, this oversight is hard to ignore as streamers like Amazon and Netflix have made this feature commonplace over the past few years.
How and where to watch Discovery Plus:
Discovery + is currently available in the US and UK via its partnership with Sky. The streamer has also announced a multi-year agreement with Vodaphone in Europe, which will bring the platform to several markets in Europe, including Germany, Turkey, Italy, Spain, Romania, Portugal, Greece, Czech Republic, Hungary, Ireland and Iceland. No exact timetable for the European implementation has been announced. In terms of accessibility, Discovery + can be easily found on numerous streaming platforms and set-top box devices:
Discovery +’s price
In terms of pricing, Discovery + falls into the cheaper level of streaming services at $ 4.99 per month with ads and a modest $ 6.99 for the ad-free version. For 55,000 episodes of deliveries, we’ll say it’s a reasonable price, since streaming services like Apple TV + are launched with just a handful of apps for the same price. And while there is (at the time of writing) a free 7-day, even 12-month trial for qualified Verizon Wireless customers, it would have been nice to see Discovery + offer a limited “free level”, just as Peacock was introduced in August. 2020.