Discovery is to start selling its pay-TV channels direct to consumers as part of a major overhaul of its dplay catch-up and on-demand service.
The service is being relaunched as discovery+ and will provide access to Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, ID, Discovery Science, Discovery Turbo and Discovery History, plus free to air channels Quest, Really, Quest Red, HGTV, Food Network and DMAX.
A subscription will cost £4.99 per month or £59.99 per year, with a limited time annual subscription offer of £29.99 also available.
Sky Q customers will be the first to experience the new service and will receive 12 months free access, after which they can add the subscription to their Sky bill.
The service will be rolled out to additional platforms over the next year.
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. “