|
DISCOVERY ANNOUNCES THE GLOBAL LAUNCH OF DISCOVERY+, THE DEFINITIVE STREAMING SERVICE FOR THE BEST REAL LIFE ENTERTAINMENT IN THE WORLD, DEBUTING JANUARY 4, 2021
Verizon customers get 12 months of discovery+ on Verizon with new, exclusive U.S. distribution agreement
discovery+ U.S. launch will feature the largest-ever content library for a new streaming service: more than 55,000 episodes from Discovery's iconic brands, the BBC's Natural History collection, A&E Networks, Group Nine and more
In the U.S., discovery+ will include a robust slate of new, exclusive originals from storytellers including Chip and Joanna Gaines; Sir David Attenborough; David Schwimmer; Will Packer and Kevin Hart; Bobby Flay and Giada De Laurentiis; and more
90 Day Fiancé Universe comes to discovery+ with exclusive new franchises
discovery+ will be the new streaming Home of the Olympic Games* in Europe and Eurosport's premium sport offering
Global rollout begins with the U.K. and Ireland, India, the Nordics, Italy and the Netherlands; distribution partners include Sky in the U.K. and Ireland and TIM in Italy
New York, NY - December 2, 2020 - Discovery, Inc. (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) today announced the global launch of discovery+ (www.discoveryplus.com), the definitive non-fiction, real life subscription streaming service, debuting in the U.S. on January 4, 2021. The new service will launch with a landmark partnership with Verizon that gives their customers with select plans 12 months of discovery+ on Verizon. The global rollout of discovery+ across an initial 25 countries has already begun with the U.K. and Ireland, as well as India.
At launch in the U.S., discovery+ will have the largest-ever content offering of any new streaming service, featuring a wide range of exclusive, original series across popular, passion verticals in which Discovery brands have a strong leadership position, including lifestyle and relationships; home and food; true crime; paranormal; adventure and natural history; as well as science, tech and the environment, and a slate of high-quality documentaries. Verizon will accelerate adoption of discovery+ in the U.S. with an exclusive offer that makes original programming and on-demand favorites available to new and existing customers with select plans.
David Zaslav, President and CEO of Discovery, Inc., commented:
"We have been working methodically the past two years to bring all of our strategic advantages to the launch of discovery+, including distribution and advertising partnerships around the world, a world-class offering of quality brands, authentic personalities and the largest content library at launch, as well as a broad slate of exclusive programming. With discovery+, we are seizing the global opportunity to be the world's definitive product for unscripted storytelling, providing households and mobile consumers a distinct, clear and differentiated offering across valuable and enduring lifestyle, and real life verticals. We believe discovery+ is the perfect complement to every streaming portfolio, and we couldn't be more excited to partner with Verizon to bring this incredible content to their customer base."
In the U.S., discovery+ will offer more than 55,000 episodes all in one place, with over 2,500 current and classic shows from Discovery's iconic portfolio of networks, including HGTV, Food Network, TLC, ID, OWN, Travel Channel, Discovery Channel and Animal Planet. Viewers in the U.S. will also gain access to new series from iconic franchises and personalities such as Chip and Joanna Gaines; Will Packer and Kevin Hart; 90 Day Fiancé; Bobby Flay and Giada De Laurentiis; Duff Goldman; Amy Schumer; Carla Hall; David Schwimmer; Sir David Attenborough; Ben Napier; Sebastian Maniscalco; Joe Kenda; Mike Rowe and many others. A list of discovery+ original greenlights can be found below.
As part of a new content partnership, discovery+ will bring together for the first time the top non-fiction content from A&E, The HISTORY Channel and Lifetime with the Discovery brand portfolio, deepening the service's leadership position as the premier destination for the best in real life entertainment. More than 1,500 episodes of content from popular franchises from A&E networks on discovery+ will include The First 48, Bring It, Dance Moms, Ice Road Truckers, Pawn Stars, Ancient Aliens, Storage Wars, 60 Days In, Intervention and Ghost Hunters.
Additionally, discovery+ will also offer the definitive collection of nature and environmental programming, headlined by exclusive streaming access to the BBC's largest natural history offering, including The Mating Game, Planet Earth and Blue Planet, plus content from digital-first brand The Dodo. discovery+ will also feature special content partnerships with the top environmental organizations in the world, including The Explorers Club, NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council), The Nature Conservancy (a U.S.-based global conservation organization), Oceana and World Wildlife Fund.
Verizon Partnership
Discovery and Verizon have signed a landmark distribution agreement that primes discovery+ for wide-scale home and mobile entertainment viewing at launch. Under the partnership, Verizon customers on select plans will enjoy up to 12 months of discovery+ with blazing-fast speeds on 5G Ultra Wideband, 5G Home Internet and Fios. At launch, new and existing wireless customers with a Play More or Get More Unlimited plan will get 12 months of discovery+ on Verizon; customers with Start or Do More Unlimited plans will receive 6 months of streaming on Verizon.
New customers who sign up for Verizon 5G Home Internet or Fios Gigabit Connection can receive 12 months of discovery+ on Verizon; new Fios customers may also be eligible for three to six months depending on their plan. The offer adds access to thousands of hours of valuable premium video and a leading industry partner to the nation's most-awarded network.
"Connecting people to their passions is at the core of what we do, and adding discovery+ on us is a phenomenal way to serve customers who love lifestyle, home, food, true crime and natural history content from one of the popular portfolios of video brands," said Ronan Dunne, CEO of Verizon Consumer Group. "Our Mix & Match plans already offer unrivaled value in entertainment, so we're excited to kick off 2021 by giving customers up to 12 months of discovery+, adding even more value and choice as we continue to build our ecosystem of incredible partners and services."
Customers can visit verizon.com/discoveryplus to learn more.
discovery+ Global Rollout
Internationally, Discovery will leverage its massive library of local-language content, as well as its broad portfolio of live sports, to drive its direct-to-consumer offering across more than 25 key markets in 2021, including the Nordics, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain. discovery+ will also launch in Latin American markets, including a planned launch in Brazil, and in parts of Asia.
Expanding upon Discovery's strong relationships with distribution partners, discovery+ launched with Sky in the U.K. and Ireland last month. Sky is currently offering discovery+ to its millions of Sky Q customers for 12 months at no extra cost. discovery+ will further be supported by TIM in Italy in early 2021.
In the European markets launching in 2021, discovery+ will be supported by Eurosport's unrivalled, premium and locally-relevant multi-sport offering, which includes the tennis Grand Slams, cycling Grand Tours, motorsport, football and winter sports. Beginning with the Olympic Games in Tokyo next year, it will become the streaming Home of the Olympics* in Europe with access to every minute, every medal, and every hero live and on demand.
JB Perrette, President and CEO of Discovery International, said:
"With decades of connecting audiences in every corner of the globe to the local voices and stories they love, Discovery drives inspiration, aspiration and loyalty everywhere, like few media brands can. discovery+ will harness our unique global and local model and strategy to serve fans around the world as we bring the best of real life entertainment to customers in a whole new way."
discovery+ Advertising Partners
discovery+ signed select partners to create organic, innovative ad experiences for U.S. viewers. Inaugural advertising partners include Boston Beer Company, Kraft Heinz, Lowe's and Toyota, with more partners to be announced soon. With lighter ad loads on discovery+, each consumer interaction will be powerful and impactful, delivering an unparalleled data-driven advertising experience. Sponsors will have the ability to help craft the next evolution of the media landscape on discovery+.
discovery+ Pricing
For direct purchase, discovery+ will be available in the U.S. starting at $4.99 per month, with an ad-free version available for $6.99 per month. Each account will include up to five user profiles and four concurrent streams, among the most offered in the streaming video category. At launch, discovery+ will be available across major platforms, including connected TVs, web, mobile and tablets. Verizon customers will receive up to 12 months of discovery+ on select plans.
discovery+ Content: Exclusive Originals
discovery+ will feature a wide range of exclusive series - including more than 1,000 hours of discovery+ original content in year one - across popular passion verticals for which Discovery brands are known.
In the U.S., discovery+ will feature an exclusive first look at content from the Magnolia Network, the forthcoming multiplatform joint venture with Chip and Joanna Gaines. The Magnolia Network preview includes advance access to some of the Gaineses' most-anticipated projects, including the newest iteration of the show that started it all with Fixer Upper: Welcome Home; episodes of the cooking series Magnolia Table with Joanna Gaines, where viewers will spend time in the kitchen with Joanna as she shares with us her favorite recipes, where they come from, and why she finds herself returning to them time and time again; Road to Launch, featuring intimate conversations between the Gaineses and various talent from the upcoming Magnolia Network programming slate; the documentary Courage to Run, which chronicles a fortuitous meeting that inspired Chip to train for and complete his first marathon; and premiere episodes from ten upcoming Magnolia Network original series. The preview will be exclusive to discovery+ until the launch of Magnolia Network later in 2021.
At launch, discovery+ will be home to 90 Day Journey - a curated series featuring the ultimate collection of stories focused on fan-favorite couples - as well as an all-new 90 Day Fiancé tentpole series and multiple additional titles from across the franchise including game and talk show style formats totaling more than 200 hours of 90 Day content. Across platforms, 90 Day devotees have consumed a staggering 73 billion minutes of the franchise year to date. The series and its spinoffs currently air in nearly 170 countries and 40 languages, underscoring the massive global reach of the hit series. The first wave of 90 Day titles for discovery+ are included below, with more to be announced.
For the first time, discovery+ will offer all in one place the definitive collection of science, nature and environmental programming, headlined by exclusive streaming access to the BBC's largest natural history offering, and featuring shows like Planet Earth, Blue Planet, Frozen Planet, as well as the U.S. premiere of A Perfect Planet. The new five-part series is narrated by Sir David Attenborough and created by the executive producer of Planet Earth and The Hunt. In a unique fusion of blue-chip natural history and earth sciences, A Perfect Planet explains how the living planet operates, showing how the forces of nature - weather, ocean currents, solar energy and volcanoes - drive, shape and support Earth's great diversity of life. In doing so, it will reveal how animals are perfectly adapted to whatever the environment throws at them.
Exclusive originals coming to the U.S. product in 2021 will cover fan-favorite, real life genres, including:
Love and Relationships
90 Day Bares All: Get ready for your favorite 90 Day couples to bare it all - the lies, the secrets and everything we couldn't show on TV. Hosted by Shaun Robinson, this companion series to 90 Day Fiancé will put cast members in the hot seat where they reveal pivotal new information and speak completely uncensored. Exclusive content, must-see footage and all the stories behind 90 Day Fiancé!
90 Day Diaries: An intimate look into the lives of our couples, told from their perspective. Without producers or crew, the cast members film themselves in their day-to-day lives as they continue to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic and all of the new challenges it brings to their relationships.
90 Day Journey: The ultimate collection of 90 Day Fiancé stories for the 90 Day Superfan are now on demand! Each curated mini-series is made up of every single scene a beloved couple has appeared in across each show in the 90 Day Universe. Now fans can watch each couples' story from the very beginning how and when they want to.
The Other Way Strikes Back!: Viewers will get a fresh look at the duos fans have come to know and love, sharing their home lives, behind-the-scenes details missed by cameras and addressing some of the most outrageous, cringe-worthy moments, and sassy social media and pillow talk commentary of the second season of The Other Way.
Lifestyle
Long Island Medium: There in Spirit: Theresa Caputo has met the challenges that come with her gift of communicating with the departed for decades. Now, in light of COVID-19 with widespread mourning and isolation, the stakes are even higher as Theresa delivers messages and readings without always leaving her home. This season will feature those who couldn't say goodbye to their loved ones, and there's always time for a little Hollywood, with your favorite celebrities receiving virtual readings.
Food
Bobby and Giada in Italy: Longtime friends Bobby Flay and Giada De Laurentiis take viewers on a culinary tour of Italy. It's the ultimate road trip across the most delicious country on earth.
Cakealikes: This comedic, ultimate cake off competition challenges experts to create life-size cakes that are the spitting image of famed celebrities. Hosted by Tregaye Fraser and judged by hyper realistic cake artist Natalie Sideserf, hilarious food commentator Kalen Allen, and a rotating guest judge, this panel will keep you laughing through every red carpet cake-win and cake-fail!
Duff's Happy Fun Bake Time: Headlined by Duff Goldman who, along with a cast of hilarious fantastical puppets from The Jim Henson Company, teaches the basics of cooking and how ingredients work together to create the food we love. This new series equals fun for the whole family.
Foodways with Carla Hall (working title): Celebrity chef, Carla Hall, takes us on a global adventure exploring the unknown histories within today's American food culture. Marveling over the food that makes America delicious, she will break bread with friends, new and old, as she works backwards to trace and uncover the origins of favorite bites and classic dishes.
Luda Can't Cook: Ludacris is both a legendary rapper and successful restaurateur, but his skills in the kitchen don't match his talent in the studio. We'll watch as he gets schooled in cooking.
Mary McCartney Serves it Up: It's the most delicious and delectable invite as home cook Mary McCartney invites us into her London kitchen to serve up family favorites and fabulous vegetarian food her friends adore. In each episode, she'll be joined by a famous friend, including Cameron Diaz and Nicole Richie, Dave Grohl, Kate Hudson, Gayle King, Mark Ronson and Liv Tyler.
What's Eating Sebastian Maniscalco (working title): We'll go on a journey with comedian, social observer, and exasperated food lover, Sebastian Maniscalco, as he explores his own hot button questions in the world of food.
Amy Schumer Learns to Cook: Uncensored: discovery+ offers an updated and uncensored look at the Emmy-nominated series.
Home
Clipped: Hosted by actor Michael Urie, with lead judge Martha Stewart and her fellow judges, lifestyle/landscape expert Chris Lambton and renowned landscape designer Fernando Wong, this is the first-ever competition series set in the eye-popping world of Topiary. Competitors are real life Edward Scissorhands who make breathtaking sculptures out of meticulously trimmed shrubbery, plants and flowers, creating colorful, larger-than-life living pieces. High-stakes challenges include sculpting enormous animals or designing a living room with "furniture" made entirely of plants! Each week a topiarist is eliminated until one triumphs as "Clipped Champion" and wins a life-changing prize of $50,000.
Frozen in Time: Maureen McCormick and designer Dan Vickery overhaul homes that are stuck in a design time warp. Dan will update the structure, while Maureen sources beautiful decade-specific pieces to give the home a refreshed look and a wink to its original era.
House Hunters: Comedians on Couches Unfiltered: America's favorite pastime - watching and commenting on House Hunters - will get a fun new twist in this pithy new series led by comedians Dan Levy and Natasha Leggero. The series will feature eight popular comedians as they deliver hilariously unfiltered color commentary on classic episodes of House Hunters. The celebrity lineup includes Seth Rogen, John Mulaney, Ali Wong, JB Smoove, Chelsea Peretti, Whitney Cummings, Margaret Cho and NBA star-turned-comic, Blake Griffin.
Home Town: Ben's Workshop: Master wood worker Ben Napier will share his expertise in craftsmanship and carpentry with celebrity guests including astronaut Scott Kelly, tennis legend Martina Navratilova, comedian Loni Love, and country singer Chris Lane. In this four-episode series, Ben's visitors are in for a fun Southern experience - building iconic wood projects and making surprise visits to donate them to the community or a neighbor.
True Crime
Queen of Meth: Meth didn't start at our border, it started with Lori Arnold, sister of star Tom Arnold, in a cabin, in Iowa back in 1984. By 1986 she was at the center of the country's meth boom - the Queen Pin of a multimillion-dollar enterprise, manufacturing and distributing the drug throughout the Midwest. Now, for the first time, she tells her whole story.
American Detective with Joe Kenda: Lt. Joe Kenda, one of the toughest, most experienced homicide detectives in ID history, is back exclusively on discovery+ with an all-new series. Over the years, Kenda has heard about cases that defy logic - investigations so confounding that they feel more scripted in Hollywood than reality. In American Detective, Kenda trades in his own case files to bring viewers astounding investigations from across the country, with each episode featuring a different homicide detective whose tireless efforts helped put a killer behind bars and bring justice for the victim.
Onision: In Real Life: Greg Jackson, known to the world as "Onision," discovered YouTube when the platform was still burgeoning in the digital world. And as the power of YouTube grew, the character "Onision" grew with it. Jackson amassed millions of subscribers across multiple channels, luring in viewers with his off-kilter, opinionated and dark humor. But while his channels were twisted, his real life might be more sinister. This cutting-edge investigative series explores the mystery, controversy and alleged criminality surrounding Greg Jackson, bringing forward new research and revelations about the man that the YouTube community loves to hate.
Adventure
Route 66 (working title): From Executive Producer Will Packer and HartBeat Productions, Route 66 (working title) features Kevin Hart hitting the road, going along America's famous Route 66 to see what's going on with America. He will visit people and places and bring along friends in an exploration of the U.S. heartland from Chicago to L.A.
Pushing the Line: Imagine walking a thin, nylon line of rope stretched across a 900-foot gorge. For a select few, each day on the line, they push themselves and each other to do something bigger, crazier, harder than anyone's ever done before. And each night, their campsite is a party where anything and everything goes. Day and night, it's all about pushing the line.
Nature and Science
Mysterious Planet: Narrated by David Schwimmer, Mysterious Planet is an epic journey to the ends of the earth. Combining humor with the awe and beauty of the natural world, this special looks to unlock the greatest mysteries behind the world's most incredible species.
Six Degrees with Mike Rowe: Mike Rowe poses questions that no one has ever asked, and then, with a little help from his old buddy Chuck, provides unforgettable answers that prove every single thing is connected.
Documentaries
P.S., Burn This Letter Please: A box of letters, held in secret for nearly 60 years, ignites a five-year exploration into a part of LGBT history that has never been told. The letters open a window into a forgotten world where being yourself meant breaking the law and where the penalties for "masquerading" as a woman were swift and severe.
The Impossible Row: Documenting adventurer Colin O'Brady and his crew's attempt at the world's first completely human-powered ocean row across The Drake Passage, the most dangerous 600 miles of open ocean on Earth.
My Beautiful Stutter: Follows five kids who stutter, ages 9 to 18, from all over the United States and all walks of life, who, after experiencing a lifetime of bullying and stigmatization, meet other children who stutter at an interactive arts-based program, The Stuttering Association for the Young, based in New York City.
Beyond Borders: On the morning of August 13, pilot Juan-Peter Schulze (JP) and travel vlogger Louis Cole set off to circumnavigate the world in a single-engine, 1974 Cessna T210L aeroplane named Balloo. The duo had 81 days to complete the journey, with their return to California eagerly awaited by a large party of friends and followers. This is their journey.
The Parachute Murder Plot: The true story of a master manipulator. When Victoria Cilliers' parachute failed, she survived against the odds, only to discover the shocking truth. Her own husband had just tried to murder her ... for the second time.
Paranormal
discovery+ is developing content with some of the biggest names in the horror genre, including an exclusive multi-project deal with director Eli Roth (Hostel, Borderlands).
Group Nine Media
As an extension of Discovery's partnership with Group Nine, discovery+ will also feature a slate of new original programming from some of the world's most popular digital brands, including The Dodo, NowThis and Thrillist, in addition to access to some of the company's existing library.
discovery+ Announcement Event Today
Join Zaslav, other members of Discovery's senior leadership team, as well as special guests, for a discovery+ presentation at noon ET, followed by a separate investor briefing at 1:30pm ET. The webcasts will be available on both the corporate homepage https://corporate.discovery.com/ and the company's Investor Relations' website https://ir.corporate.discovery.com/. Select financial information and replays of both webcasts will also be made available on the Investor Relations' website.
*Olympic rights exclude Russia. Eurosport will be an Official Broadcaster in France and the UK in 2020.
About Discovery:
Discovery, Inc. (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) is a global leader in real life entertainment, serving a passionate audience of superfans around the world with content that inspires, informs and entertains. Discovery delivers over 8,000 hours of original programming each year and has category leadership across deeply loved content genres around the world. Available in 220 countries and territories and nearly 50 languages, Discovery is a platform innovator, reaching viewers on all screens, including TV Everywhere products such as the GO portfolio of apps; direct-to-consumer streaming services such as discovery+, Food Network Kitchen and MotorTrend OnDemand; digital-first and social content from Group Nine Media; a landmark natural history and factual content partnership with the BBC; and a strategic alliance with PGA TOUR to create the international home of golf. Discovery's portfolio of premium brands includes Discovery Channel, HGTV, Food Network, TLC, Investigation Discovery, Travel Channel, MotorTrend, Animal Planet, Science Channel, and the forthcoming multi-platform JV with Chip and Joanna Gaines, Magnolia Network, as well as OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network in the U.S., Discovery Kids in Latin America, and Eurosport, the leading provider of locally relevant, premium sports and Home of the Olympic Games across Europe. For more information, please visit corporate.discovery.com and follow @DiscoveryIncTV across social platforms.
About Verizon:
Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ) was formed on June 30, 2000 and is celebrating its 20th year as one of the world's leading providers of technology, communications, information and entertainment products and services. Headquartered in New York City and with a presence around the world, Verizon generated revenues of $131.9 billion in 2019. The company offers data, video and voice services and solutions on its award-winning networks and platforms, delivering on customers' demand for mobility, reliable network connectivity, security and control.
|
