In this July 31, 2017, file photo, the Discovery Communications logo sits atop its headquarters in Silver Spring, Md. Discovery is joining the increasingly crowded streaming fray with its own reality-focused service Discovery Plus that will include shows from the Food Network, HGTV, TLC and its other networks. It launches Jan 4. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)
Discovery is joining the increasingly crowded streaming fray with its own reality-focused service Discovery Plus that will include shows from the Food Network, HGTV, TLC, and its other networks. It launches January 4.
The service will cost $5 a month with ads and $7 a month without ads. By comparison, the ad-free Disney Plus costs $7 a month and Netflix's most popular plan costs $14 a month.
Each account will include up to five user profiles and support four concurrent streams. Discovery said the service will be available on “major platforms," connected TVs, web, mobile, and tablets, but it didn't specify which services would carry it.
Discovery CEO David Zaslav first announced the streaming service in late 2019 but did not provide details until now.
Discovery has built a reality-TV empire with popular channels that feature reality programming, including the Discovery Channel, HGTV, Food Network, TLC, Investigation Discovery, and others. Hit shows have included TLC's “90-Day Fiance," HGTV's “Fixer-Upper" and Guy Fieri's “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" on the Food Network.
The service will offer some originals like “90-Day Fiance” spinoff “90-Day Diaries” and “Long Island Medium” spinoff “Long Island Medium: There in Spirit.”
Verizon customers will get a year free of the service, similar to the deal that Verizon did when Disney Plus launched in late 2019.
Discovery Plus joins a slew of new streaming services started to challenge traditional TV providers and dominant streaming services like Hulu and Netflix over the past year, including Disney Plus, Apple TV Plus, HBO Max, and Comcast’s Peacock service. CBS recently rebranded its CBS All Access service as Paramount Plus, relaunching in 2021.
The service will roll out in 25 countries in 2021 including Italy, Spain, UK, and Ireland as well as India.
After nearly two years of the pandemic, U.S. consumers are ready to spend big this holiday season. However, shoppers may be faced with limited inventory as the U.S. continues to face shortages of key products and extended order backlogs. Per Hong, partner at consulting firm Kearney, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss the country's path forward.
The U.S. is preparing to add more China-based firms to a blacklist in response to human rights violations in the country. This includes the leading drone manufacturer DJI. American businesses will be barred from investing or conducting business with the blacklisted companies.
The growing consensus across the U.S. is that the Federal Reserve and Chairman Jerome Powell are set to expedite the tapering timetable and hike interest rates as inflation accelerates. Michael Darda, chief economist and market strategist at MKM Partners, told Cheddar's Baker Machado that the Fed has room to increase short-term interest rates because the economy is recovering faster than anticipated. "We've had a very rapid turnaround in the business cycle, in the labor market, and in inflation so the policy stance staying the same, calibrated in the same fashion as it was when we had a huge economic emergency, just makes no sense whatsoever," he said.
CEOs of the top U.S. airlines are set to testify in front of a Senate committee Wednesday. Lawmakers will ask airline executives about how they used pandemic-related federal aid, specifically in light of staffing issues and widespread cancellations. Among those expected to participate are the CEOs of American, United, and Southwest Airlines. David Slotnick, Senior Aviation Business Reporter at The Points Guy, joined Cheddar News to discuss.
If 2021 is any indication, 2022 will be a big year for social media. TikTok reached 1 billion users this year and is expected to grow even bigger. We got our first look at the Metaverse, NFTs soared in popularity, and the crypto craze starting hitting its stride - just to name a few fads. Mark Douglas, CEO and Founder of MNTN, joined Cheddar to discuss if these trends could continue, or if we'll see some surprises in the year ahead.
2021 was a big year for big tech, but it was also a wake-up call for the government. Lawmakers are still struggling to figure out how to regulate big tech companies as they grow bigger and get even more powerful. Evan Greer, director of the digital rights organization Fight for the Future, joined Cheddar to discuss key takeaways from the year, as well as what we can expect for big tech and regulation in 2022.
Bumble users are remaining active on the dating app and still linking up with potential matches despite the emergence of the omicron variant of COVID-19. CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd noted that no matter what is happening in the world, people will always need to connect.
