Dplay to become discovery+ streaming service in UK and Ireland

Discovery UK is to rebrand its Dplay streaming service in the UK and Ireland to discovery+ next month alongside the launch of a subscription tier.

The entertainment streaming service will aggregate Discovery UK’s pay TV and free-to-air brands, creating what Discovery describes as the ultimate destination for factual, lifestyle and reality content. It will be available directly to all consumers in the UK and Ireland, and will be made available to Sky Q customers for 12 months at no extra cost.

discovery+ will bring together content from Discovery UK’s portfolio of 13 channels, including pay TV brands Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, ID, Discovery Science, Discovery Turbo and Discovery History as well as its free-to-air brands Quest, Really, Quest Red, HGTV, Food Network and DMAX.

Discovery+ will include a subscription ‘Entertainment Pass’ and ad-funded catch-up service.

The Entertainment Pass includes live TV and 30 day catch up for Discovery UK’s portfolio of premium brands; over 30 discovery+ Originals includiing Prince Andrew, Maxwell & Epstein, Faking It: Jimmy Savile and Salvage Hunters: Design Classics with new launches each month. It will also include early releases of titles including World’s Greatest Cars and Ghost Adventure,  box sets of franchises such as Gold Rush and 90 Day Fiancé with same day release as the US; and Superfan Collections around specific talent or genres. The ad-funded service includes live TV and 30 day catch-up for Discovery’s free-to-air brands.

Consumers will be able to subscribe to discovery+ directly via web or app purchase for a monthly fee of £4.99 or a discounted annual fee of £29.99 – for a limited period – rising to a standard price £49.99 in the UK, or a monthly fee of €5.99 or a discounted annual fee of €34.99 and standard price €59.99 in Ireland, with a 14 day free trial in both markets.

Sky Q customers will be able to access discovery+ for 12 months at no extra cost and the app will complement Discovery’s existing linear offering on Sky. Once the 12 months is over, Sky customers will be able to add discovery+ directly to their Sky bill. The app will be integrated into the Sky Q platform alongside existing SVOD services on the platform such as Netflix and Disney+.

discovery+ will be rolled out on additional devices and platforms in 2020 and 2021.

James Gibbons, EVP GM UK & Nordics, said: “We’ve just celebrated our best quarter ever for audience share, and buoyed by that success are excited to announce the launch of discovery+, to fuel the rapidly evolving demand for consumers to stream content at a time and on a device of their choosing. The home of real-life entertainment will satisfy consumers’ growing appetite for premium unscripted entertainment, from food and homes to motoring and adventure, and will complement the streaming services already available in the market. We’re particularly pleased to share this milestone moment with our long-standing partner Sky, who have been with us every step of the way in our quest to reach fans of real-life entertainment wherever they are in the UK.“