Discovery+

Discovery+ is an American multinational subscription service for watching shows and movies online. It is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery and focuses on factual programming, drawing from the libraries of Discovery's main channel brands. It also includes original series, spin-offs of programs from Discovery's television networks, and content from A&E Networks, NBCUniversal, and CNN.

The service was first launched in India on March 23, 2020, and later launched in the United States on January 4, 2021. It replaced Discovery's Dplay and Eurosport Player services in Europe. As of April 1, 2022, Discovery+ had 24 million subscribers.

Following the merger of Warner Bros. Discovery and WarnerMedia in April 2022, Discovery+ became a sister service to HBO Max. HBO Max was later relaunched as Max and then reverted to HBO Max in 2025, adding Discovery content to its library. Although there were plans to discontinue Discovery+ in favor of HBO Max, the company decided to keep offering Discovery+ because it remained profitable.

History

Discovery+ started in India on March 23, 2020, and showed shows from Discovery’s brands. Later that year, it was planned to launch worldwide in early 2021.

In January 2021, Discovery+ began in the U.S. and in eight European countries, replacing Dplay and the Eurosport Player. There were talks about combining Discovery+ with HBO Max, another streaming service. In 2023, a new service called Max was introduced, which included content from both Discovery+ and HBO Max. Over time, Discovery+ stopped working in some countries like the Philippines, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Spain, Brazil, and Turkey. In 2025, Discovery+ stopped yearly subscriptions in Germany, Ireland, Italy, and the United Kingdom. In 2026, Discovery+ was planned to be added to HBO Max in several European countries.

Programming

Original programming

Main article: List of Discovery+ original programming

Discovery+ features special shows that are related to programs from Warner Bros. Discovery's networks.

Content library

Discovery+ gets most of its shows from Warner Bros. Discovery's channels, such as Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, TLC, Travel Channel, Magnolia Network, HGTV, Food Network, Investigation Discovery, CNN, and others. In the U.S., it also shows shows from A&E Networks like A&E, History, and Lifetime, as well as from NBCUniversal Global Distribution like American Ninja Warrior, The Biggest Loser, Flipping Out, Queer Eye, The Real Housewives of Melbourne, Cheshire, Johannesburg, Top Chef Canada, and WAGS.

In August 2022, a section with CNN shows and documentaries was added to Discovery+. CNN had tried to start its own service, CNN+, but it stopped after just one month.

In October 2022, Discovery+ began showing lifestyle shows from the Metro Channel in Central and Southeast Asia.

Sports

In some parts of Europe, Discovery+ includes sports shows from Warner Bros. Discovery's Eurosport and TNT Sports networks. In October 2023, BT Sport stopped its app, and its shows moved to Discovery+. In February 2024, MotorTrend+ also stopped, and its shows and members joined Discovery+.

Device support and service features

Discovery+ can be used on many devices. You can watch it on computers using Windows or macOS, on streaming players like Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Apple TV, and Chromecast, and on smart TVs like Android TV. It also works on gaming consoles such as Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S, as well as through apps for Android and iOS phones and tablets.

Launch

In early 2021, it was announced that Discovery+ would start working for customers in Romania, Portugal, Greece, Czech Republic, Hungary, and Iceland around the middle of 2022. But these plans stopped, and a different service called Max started in those places instead, except for Greece and Iceland.

Criticism

When Discovery+ started, some people were upset. They felt that shows they used to watch on cable or satellite TV were now only available if you paid extra for Discovery+. This made it hard for some viewers, especially those who live in rural areas with slow internet, to watch their favorite shows.

Some viewers also felt tricked into signing up for Discovery+ to enjoy full versions of their favorite series, like some shows from 90 Day Fiancé. They also didn’t like seeing constant ads for Discovery+ during regular TV programming.