The world has witnessed a mushrooming of online video streaming platforms in recent years. Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the masses were forced to confine themselves within their homes, big media production houses adapted quickly and launched their premium video streaming services.
Fast forward to 2022, the entertainment industry has become a nexus of VOD streaming platforms, and Warner Bros. Discovery+ UK is a part of that. Discovery+ jumped into an increasingly teeming space of streaming services in 2020, competing to attract the eyeballs of audiences with their diverse selection of content.
Discovery+ stepped onto the streaming landscape in March 2020, in India and soon entered the markets of the UK and Ireland in October 2020. However, much like other streaming services, its content libraries are geo-restricted and offer different programming region-wise. That means you need a VPN app to access Discovery Plus UK if you are overseas.
Back then, the streaming business was a two-horse race between Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, but now viewers have tons of options. Every streaming platform serves its own unique platter of programming, with a special focus on different regions with varied interests.
Discovery+ UK is the streaming service you need if you love food, people, relationships, cultures, paranormal activities, sports, true crime, and other real-life content. Let’s find out more details about Discovery+, what it offers, and how it stacks up against other streaming platforms.
What Discovery+ UK Offers And Is It Worth a Shot?
Discovery+ offers an on-demand content library of reality and non-fiction series, documentaries, and exclusive original programming. However, it doesn’t offer live coverage from Discovery-owned channels, including HGTV, Food Network, ID, and TLC.
It attracts interest from three different types of users:
- Cord-cutters who love non-fiction content and don’t find enough to watch from other streaming services.
- Cable TV users who want to get their hands on Discovery’s content library without ads.
- Discovery’s fans, who love original content from Discovery+ UK and love to watch a wide array of reality programs along with their cable-TV subscription.
How Much Does Discovery+ UK Cost and What Subscription Plans Does it Offer?
Discovery+ is among the relatively affordable video streaming services available in the market. For US$4.99/month or GBP£4.99/month, you can get its ad-supported plan. While the ad-free plan costs US$6.99/month or GBP£6.99/month. You can also get subscriptions on a yearly basis to avail some discount.
Although there’s a free subscription plan as well, it doesn’t offer the complete range of programming and Discovery’s entire on-demand content library. Discovery+ UK also offers a 7-day free trial to new subscribers.
What is Included With a Discovery+ UK Subscription?
Discovery+ provides access to 70,000+ episodes of over 2,500 classic and current TV shows from different channels owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. These TV channels include Discovery UK Channel, Animal Planet, HGTV, Travel Channel, Food Network, ID, TLC, and Magnolia Network.
On top of that, Discovery plus UK has signed agreements to license non-fiction and real-life content from third-party partners like History, Lifetime, and A & E, to offer it on their streaming platform. Moreover, some reality TV shows from NBCUniversal have also been added to Discovery’s library.
One of the main selling points of Discovery+ UK is original content. Some of the latest Discovery+ Originals include Ghost Hunters, 90 Day: The Single Life, Selling the Hamptons, Naked and Afraid of Love, and King of the Con.
Pros and Cons of Discovery+ UK
For heavy streamers, Discovery+ isn’t a potential alternative to Netflix, Disney Plus, or even Warner-owned streaming service HBO Max.
However, it can be a reasonable complementary streaming option if you can afford it in addition to other streaming platforms for reality and non-fiction programming.
Pros
- Affordable pricing plans
- Ad-free subscription plan
- Hundreds of reality and non-fiction shows
Cons
- Live TV streaming isn’t offered
- No downloading option for offline viewing
How Discovery+ UK Stacks Up Against Other Streaming Services
One of the key reasons why Netflix is still the king of streaming services isn’t just its huge catalog and first-mover reputation. It also frequently rolls out the latest features. For instance, it offers downloads on smartphones and releases its original content in Ultra-HD and 4K resolution.
Disney+, however, is vying to catch up with Netflix in terms of subscribers and the range of its content The streaming platform of the Mouse House offers mobile downloads, 4K quality videos, and simultaneous screens.
Amazon Prime, on the other hand, is the largest streaming platform in terms of titles available, with an option to rent or buy the titles you want to watch.
HBO Max is known for its comedy-centered content and TV dramas. It has everything to offer from the cult classics like Game of Thrones and Friends to Looney Tunes and Sesame Street. NBCUniversal’s Peacock TV started mediocrely, but it has been improving its services lately.
Discovery+, as compared to these services, is a relatively new market player, still finding ways to attract new subscribers by mainly focusing on real-life and non-fiction programming.
HBO Max and Discovery+ UK Merger
Brace yourself, HBO Max is going to vanish, and now is the time to enjoy watching DC Superhero films, the Harry Potter franchise, and Game of Thrones. From 2023, HBO Max will officially merge with Discovery+ as announced by Warner Bros., the parent organization of both streaming platforms.
In a merger deal worth US$43 billion, HBO Max and Discovery+ UK will be available under one umbrella. To achieve its 130 million active global users goal by 2025, Warner Media is also thinking of launching a free subscription plan (ad-supported) that will give users access to content from both streaming platforms. The subscription prince of the imminent combined streaming platforms is yet to be released officially.
Who is dominating the streaming market?
Netflix was the pioneer of the online VOD streaming industry and changed the media industry on its own. After enjoying a lengthy hegemony on the video streaming landscape, it was dethroned for the first time ever in the third quarter of 2022 by Disney+ (combined with ESPN and Hulu). Here is what the latest statistics suggest:
- Disney+ Bundle Package (Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+): 221.1 million global subscribers as of June 2022.
- Netflix: 220.67 million subscribers worldwide as of June
- Discovery+, HBO, and HBO Max: 92.1 million total subscribers as of June
- Paramount+: 43 million total subscribers as of June
- Peacock TV: 13 million active subscribers and 27 million active user accounts (including free subscriptions)
Discovery+ UK has been advancing well and making bold moves while facing stiff competition from rivals. However, with so many streaming options available, customer loyalty has become fragile and users are switching the streaming service quite often.
Conclusion
Discovery+ UK is a wonderful streaming platform if you love watching reality TV and non-fiction content. However, as a standalone service, it’s not a complete package in terms of content diversity. However, the merger of Discovery+ with HBO Max may prove to be a high-yielding move by Warner Bros. and may attract new loyal subscribers.
HBO Max is filled with superhit TV dramas and blockbuster movies, while Discovery+ offers a wide range of reality TV series from popular networks like Food Network and HGTV. It will be a perfect partnership to start with, but still, it’s an uphill task to beat two of the most popular streaming services Netflix and Disney Plus in the UK.
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