Discovery+ is the streaming TV home for fans of shows like 90 Day Fiancé, Flip or Flop, Fixer Upper and Gold Rush.
But is it worth subscribing to another streaming service? This review will help you decide.
What Is Discovery Plus And Is It Worth It?
Discovery+ features a streaming library of non-fiction and reality shows, plus exclusive original series. However, it doesn’t carry live feeds of Discovery-owned networks including HGTV, TLC, Food Network and ID.
Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav views the service as a complement to every household’s streaming portfolio, which may include Netflix or Disney+.
Warner Bros. Discovery was formed in April 2022 after the merger of Discovery and WarnerMedia.
Zaslav has combined Discovery+ and HBO Max content into a single product called Max. However, Discovery+ remains available as a standalone service.
The service appeals to three types of people:
- Cord cutters who like non-fiction programming and don’t get enough of it from their existing streaming options.
- Pay-TV subscribers who want access to Discovery’s library content ad-free.
- Fans of Discovery’s shows and personalities who want to stream Discovery+ originals in addition to their pay-TV subscription.
If you’re thinking about joining Discovery Plus, I’ve put together this list of things that you need to know before you sign up. Let’s get started!
1. How Much Does Discovery+ Cost?
Discovery+ is one of the more affordable streaming TV options available right now. Its ad-supported plan is $4.99 per month and its ad-free plan is $8.99 per month.
Students can get a discounted price of $2.99 per month for the ad-supported plan.
Although there is no free tier available, some Verizon customers with unlimited data plans can get six months of the Discovery+ ad-free plan at no charge.
Discovery+ has a 7-day free trial. There are no contracts or long-term commitments, so you can cancel at any time.
2. What’s Included With a Subscription?
Discovery+ offers access to more than 55,000 episodes from more than 2,500 current and classic shows in the Discovery portfolio of networks.
Those networks include HGTV, Food Network, TLC, ID, OWN, Travel Channel, Discovery Channel, Magnolia Network and Animal Planet.
In addition, Discovery has struck deals to bring non-fiction content from outside partners like A&E, History and Lifetime to the streaming platform. Some NBCUniversal reality shows have also been added.
Discovery+ primarily features library content, but the second component is original programming.
Some of the trending Discovery+ Originals in early 2022 include 90 Day: The Single Life, Ghost Hunters, Naked and Afraid of Love, King of the Con and Selling the Hamptons.
Fresh content from Chip and Joanna Gaines’ recently-launched Magnolia Network is also heavily featured.
3. Does Discovery+ Offer Live TV?
Discovery+ includes library content and exclusive original series, not live TV from its family of networks. You’ll need a cable, satellite or live TV subscription to watch some shows as they premiere.
Discovery CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels said during a December 2020 investor call that most shows will not show up on Discovery+ until the end of the current season.
“The vast majority of our linear content will stay on linear and will only be on Discovery+ at a later time after the end of the season.”
Gunnar Wiedenfels, Discovery CFO
However, there are exceptions. For example, Season 9 of 90 Day Fiancé airs Sunday nights on TLC, while new episodes are being added to Discovery+ the same day.
The absence of live TV makes the streaming service a tougher sell for some fans of Discovery-owned networks.
Discovery is not including live TV because it makes a lot of money from affiliate fees. It wants to continue the relationships with cable, satellite and live TV streaming services, while adding this new source of revenue with Discovery+.
That’s frustrating to many consumers who would prefer if Discovery+ had an add-on option for live TV.
4. How Do You Stream Discovery+?
Whether you’re at home or on the go, you can stream Discovery+ using an internet-connected device.
Discovery+ is available on devices including phones, tablets, computers, gaming consoles and connected TVs. Supported devices for TV include Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV, Google Chromecast and Roku. (Full list here)
Discovery+ allows up to five user profiles and four simultaneous streams per account.
From my testing of Discovery+, the user experience is good. I’ve tried out Discovery+ on my phone, computer and streamed it to a TV using a Roku Express 4K+ player.
The first thing I noticed was how quickly I was able to browse Discovery+ with no lag or buffering.
When you launch the Discovery+ app, you’ll see a “For You” section with personalized content recommendations based on your viewing history.
Navigation is sorted by genres: food, relationships, home, true crime, etc.
You can browse by the Discovery brand that most interests you. And when you select a brand logo, you’ll see a list of the best that network has to offer — including trending content.
When you click on a show, you can either watch it now or add it to “My List” to stream later.
5. Discovery+ Pros and Cons
For most people, Discovery+ isn’t likely a replacement for Netflix, Disney+ or even HBO Max.
However, it may be a good complementary service depending on your household’s streaming budget and desire for additional non-fiction and reality programming.
| Pros | Cons |
| Affordable plans | No live TV option |
| Tons of non-fiction and reality content | No free tier |
| Ad-free option | Download for offline viewing only with ad-free plan |
Discovery+ is a great value if you don’t have a pay-TV service, but it may not be essential if you’re keeping cable, satellite or a live TV streaming service.
Look at it this way: With YouTube TV or Philo’s unlimited DVR, you can record your favorite shows from Discovery’s family of networks to create your own personal library of content to stream at your convenience.
And unlike with Discovery+, YouTube TV and Philo subscribers can still watch the latest episodes as they premiere.
Does anyone find that all the shows are not up to date?
(Latest) Since December, 2022, Discovery+ announced that users of the ad-free plan in the U.S. will be able to download content for offline viewing on the service’s iOS and Android apps. Or you can use the third-party tool like Kigo Discovery+ Video Downloader to download videos from Discovery+ on PC / Mac.
Joined cuz it showed on google that they have 90 day pilllow talk, The Ass hats only have 1 season and its season 7…. YAWN good thing it was a trial.. TLC GO wants you to bend over for your xfininity cable company and Upgrade your plan when it was already high to begin with. Stupid
I have major buffering issues with Discovery+. I have several other streaming services and have no problem with buffering, it’s only Discovery+. It takes the enjoyment out of watching your favorite shows.
I binge watched all 5 seasons of “Celebrity Ghost Stories” on Discovery+ from beginning to end. I wanted to go back and review a couple of the earlier episodes, and was surprised to find that the “pick and choose” season and episode menu is no longer there, just the option to re-watch the two episodes of the final season. The same on Roku, Vizio Smartcast, Windows PC, so it’s not an app issue. Three times I contacted customer service, stated the issue, and got an enthusiastic response they will look into it and get back to me. Three times I never heard back, they “ghosted” me.
My biggest problem with Discovery Plus and any online service is not providing a delete my account option. The only option is to request it is by email. Once I’m aware of this limitation, I never do business with them again.
not too happy with this service. it has the same shows i’ve already seen and no new options. Why pay 6.99? i can watch reruns for free somewhere else. Had a lot of potential but i will be canceling after free trial. live tv option and access to new shows would have helped.
Discovery Plus is one of the best streaming services! I don’t see what the problem is. You have your computer connected with an HDMI cable from the HDMI port in the back to an HDMI port on the 65″ TV. You come home, turn on the computer and TV, click on the browser icon, click on the streaming service icon, and previously you have clicked “Remember me,” so you don’t have to enter your username and password every time. My favorites are “Love It or List It” — thanks to the streaming service I have watched many old seasons of it — and “Mountain Life” and “Fixer Upper,” or “Treehouse Masters” or “Insane Pools” — anything with a “How can anybody be so lucky as to live there?” reveal. But there are also gingerbread house competitions, “Throwdown with Bobby Flay” — I still have not made that coconut cake from the Peninsula Grill in Charlestown that uses CREAM CHEESE FROSTING. Sacrilege, but people routinely call up and order one and pay $120.
I don’t see how anybody could not like Discovery+. Then there’s also “See No Evil” — the detectives are patiently scanning security-camera footage and a hospital has excellent coverage of a silver minivan they were wondering about, and the detectives get the license plate, and it’s owned by the person who sold the pawnshop to the murder victims! Who drives their family minivan to a murder? This man told the buyers of the pawnshop that he had a brain tumor and was making a quick sale, then he was stewing over it and decided they cheated him, and a year later or so went back and murdered them. They had made a big success of the business. He never had a brain tumor, just was deranged.
I signed up for Discovery+ during their $0.99/month special because from the Discovery+ ads on HGTV I got the impression that there would be a lot of content on Discovery+ that wasn’t available on HGTV, such as Property Brothers, Boise Boys, Love it or List it, etc… Wrong! I found that the same shows and episodes are on both channels. So, not being interested in the other stuff on Discovery+, and not seeing any point in paying even $0.99 for something I already get for free, I cancelled.
Not sure what all the negativity here is all about! I heard about Discovery Plus months ago in the USA, and was thrilled to hear it was coming to Canada. I used to have cable but cancelled it last year due to the increasing prices. Since I cancelled cable I’ve lost touch with a lot of the shows on TLC, and so many more under the Discovery umbrella that I loved. For me this was a thrill to be able to watch all of them again! Everyone on here is complaining about reruns, however there are so many of us who haven’t watched each series and each have missed tons of episodes and want to re-watch the “old shows”. I think this will appeal to a lot of people who have gotten rid of cable, and want to binge watch a whole series.
I didn’t grow up with cable and don’t have it now and would only watch discovery in a hotel room randomly. So even if everything on there are re-runs, it’s all new to me! There are a bunch of shows I’ve always wanted to watch and never could! So for 5 bucks a month for stuff I’ve always wanted to watch since I was a kid, totally worth it! I’m looking forward to Mythbusters, How it’s Made, Forbidden Histories, and Dirty Jobs! Can’t wait!
My impression is the same as Josette’s. Led to believe Discovery plus would get the new stuff! Wrong!!! I’m very disappointed in not only D+ but also CowboyChannelPlus! Saw plenty of reruns on Discovery before; now the same. I won’t even go into CC+! And how much is your newsletter going to cost if I subscribe to it. Thanks for the info.
My newsletter is free and I do not share your email with anyone.
After watching your video I have decided not to get it because it doesn’t offer anything I need. I am currently using Hulu basically for the live tv because I can’t seem to get any antennas to work for local news. With Hulu I get all my shows and live tv so I’ll stay with that at least for now.
Thank you for the information I was looking for and helping me decide.
I got discovery + because they said that HGTV new show where going to be seen there, but all I see are old episodes and seasons, that I have already seen, property brothers nothing new, love it or list it nothing new, the first 48 nothing new and other shows that I watched on regular cable and TV, I still have to wait to see the new episodes, I thought there were already on the channel when I subscribed but all you have are old episodes and seasons. I really would like to see all those show you took from cable on time on discovery + thank you
Question: Anyone getting annoyed with needing to re-enter password and user name. It seems to me that if the TV is the same as we use ALL the time, it would be unnecessary! ANYONE??
I don’t have to do that. How often?
I haven’t experienced this yet, but it doesn’t surprise me.
I am EXTREMELY pissed!! I was so excited about Discovery+!! But let me complain a bit…if I watch the trailer of any show, I can never access that show again, well, at least to watch it (you can watch the last few seconds of the trailer all day long). Example (one of the many, many times I tried)…I just watched the trailer and I’m super excited to watch the series (movie, limited series, whatever). Whether I watch the trailer until the end or stop in the middle of the trailer, it always gets caught in some sort of Groundhog Day loop. At the very least, they should have the show you just previewed to start playing. NOPE. It’s a completely different and non-related show that starts playing. Not a trailer, but the actual show/movie/series, whatever. “Okay, okay, that’s okay. I can overlook that. Just let me exit out and go back to the show.”
HAHAHA, jokes on you, Jack!! Try going back to the show you wanted to watch. It will say “resume”, you feel optimistic. You must be on the right track.
HAHAHA, NOPE. It starts in the last seconds of the trailer you’ve already watched that caught your interest in the first place. So, you watch the same trailer from a few minutes ago, of the show you want to watch, but guess what…it’s the show you want to watch, right?
WRONG!!! It is the same GD show you don’t give two @#$%’s about and never even showed interest in. Rinse. Repeat. Someone. please tell me what I’m doing wrong. I was so excited about this…but it looks like I will be quitting Discovery+. I am so very disappointed. Sorry for the rant.
The whole sticking point here is that the fans of the cable package Discovery Channels have made the shows popular. And THEY’RE not free! We pay a heftier price tag for Cable packages (mine is Comcast) that include the ID channel and others.
Maybe I’m looking at it simplisticly, but, I think the simple thing matters. Why pay more? It’s wrong to ask for more when the same shows are being handpicked by Discovery plus to include or NOT include on regular Cable.
Cable used to be the bomb. You had to pay for it, but, it is worth it. Now, Cable subscriptions are like having old fashioned rabbit ears and antennas.
Grumpy in NJ. Pat D.
Honestly I think this is so wrong. It is my understanding that I will not be able to watch my shows because they are moving to DP. I am a huge Ghost Adventures fan and now will not be able to watch the show. I would have to spend a lot of money in order to do so. I am older and have no desire to watch my shows on a phone, laptop or I-pad. I pay a good bit of money each month to watch my programs on TV. This DP does not make sense to me. When I get home from working all day, want to relax and watch my favorite shows, I do not want to watch them on a freaking I-pad or phone. I want to enjoy TV with my family. Now there is some Rocket Scientist out there that wants to take that away.
Some shows are moving exclusively to Discovery+. I have extensive coverage on my YouTube channel, including instructions to watch Discovery Plus on your TV. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iec4L6pmEMw
So, answer the question from Marcia dated Feb 10, 2021 asking if Dr Pimple Popper will no longer be on TLC via satellite TV? Every time I talk to a Dish rep they can not give me an answer as to what programs have gone to DP and which ones stayed. Why can’t you give us a line up of what we no longer have on Dish that have gone over to DP. Someone should know. Plus y rate just went up by $5 just this month. Great service, she said with tongue in cheek.
Discovery Plus is the same price. Either 5 or 7 dollars. As for the shows, Discovery is “experimenting” what they’ll put on Discovery Plus vs. the networks like TLC. So there is no official word on whether that show will air new episodes back on TLC at some point.
Seems to me that Dr. PP is getting pretty full of herself…she started on YouTube and now apparently needs an exclusive format. This would be a GREAT time for a dynamic dermatologist to fill the slot that Dr. PP will be opening. I like her show, but not her attitude.
I cut the cord a few years back. I do have an antenna for local channels. I love love love
PHILO because of the variety of shows for $14.99 a month, well worth the cost. I was and am sad however that the Discover + “ad” is always on every show I watch!! And like Tony, I too binge watch so if as Tony says….. my fave Ben’s workshop is short and Chip and Joanna Gaines has changed why spend the additional $5 or $7 a month? I will continue with PHILO. Thanks for this website after reading the various responses I now have my answers …….
It will not take my debit card information stating it is the bank and the bank states it is not them. So I guess I will not be getting Discover +
Same for myself…. tried 3x to put in “correct” credit card details but, theyre cheap system wouldnt take my numbers claiming “invalid”…. so i went to netflix, hbomax & prime which are all far superior and these punks lost a customer forever. I plan on passing the word at work to steer clear of these nitwits.
Same here. I have had nothing but problems trying to just sign up, let alone watch anything. At first, they claimed I already had an account. I did not. Then, they claimed my log in info was incorrect. It was info that was auto-saved on the laptop I had been using. So, not incorrect info. Then, they claimed my banking info was incorrect. It was not. I tried with a couple of different emails but, no success. I also find their customer service to be absolutely pathetic to say the least. Just horrible and not really wanting to help. They just go through the motions. I will never make another attempt to sign up for this. I have told many others, and they said they refuse to ever try as well.
There are 2 reasons I’ll not be signing-up for Discovery+, or any other streaming services for that matter. I don’t own, and have no intention of buying, a Smart TV. 2) Why should I pay for re-runs. I pay for satellite tv and thus are already paying for re-runs, plus I get newest content. I’ve noticed many shows are shifting to Discovery+. Dr. Pimple Popper comes to mind. Does this mean that there will no onger be this show on TLC via satellite TV?
****WARNING**** It not all that its cracked up to be!
The hype and the promise seems very exciting, stream all your favorite shows with or without commercials, yay, WOW great! However most all of the content is a culmination of all your favorite old and rehashed shows you have probably already seen multiple times already over and over. And if you are looking for new content well that’s just great. So I watched Home Town’s new show; Ben’s Workshop. Oh good that is one of the favorite parts of Home Town, however the 1/2 hour show is barely just over 15 minutes in content. I can’t even imagine what it would be like without our the additional commercial free version. Actually it’s worse than regular cable TV. Ouch what are we paying for? And the Property Bro’s selling out, to watch their rehashed rehabs exclusively on DP, Ouch boys boys when is enough, enough!! Oh yea almost forgot, Food Network, they are touting new content with Giada and Bobby in Italy, GREAT! I’ll watch that season. OH NO the season is only 4 shows of just over 42 minutes long. Oh brother what a waste of signing up for that. Well I’ll watch the Magnolia Station, I have loved watching the Gains for years and have missed their home improvement show Fixer Upper. Well I believe they have gotten a bit to mighty for their own good. And Jo Jo sorry you are not a Chef or a home cook for that matter. Go back to what you guys do best. Construction, oops I spoke too soon, just watched the first show of Fixer Upper now exclusive to DP Network. Episode 1 seemed flat, boring, and lacked the enthusiasm that Chip and Joanna once had when they were hungry for it.
I’d like to know how this network plans on making it, how many viewers are you going to need signing up? Millions upon millions I would assume, a simple calculation says that with a net of 1 million subscribers the viewership fee gained is only $5-7 million a month. Not enough to be profitable. You are selling the hell out of advertising time on cable just to get people just to sign up. So as a businessman I have to ask myself, who is going to pay your content providers? Commercials. With a worse record of commercial time than that of regular cable. You’ll be able to seduce the public on content and nurse them through on a very short leash because the bottle will run empty before we are satisifed.
I will continue to watch DP but believe I will be out of content after a month or two of binge watching, like Flea Market Flip, which I did on Saturday almost all night long and into the wee hours of the morning. I will probably drop off at the end of that second month after I have totally sat in my Barcalounger for multiple hours and a time while just letting the warm glow of light from Discovery Plus cable TV wash over myself.
When I watched the investor presentation, Discovery thinks the app can be *more* profitable than what they get from cable. That’ll take time. They definitely have some work to do.
I could see that from the onset. I just don’t need a rehash of shows we’ve already seen. I was also concerned about how long the subscription was. I didn’t like the satellite tv subscription that you could not get out of before the end of the subscription period (2 years), and i was concerned that this would be the same. If I don’t like it, do I have to wait a year to can Discovery+?
No it’s billed monthly. Cancel anytime
Thank you. That was my main question. This doesn’t sound terribly enticing to me. Certainly not as enticing as the plugs they are showing for the service. I have an Amazon Firestick and I am guessing I could watch Discovery+ on my TV via the stick, but I’m not 100% sure. I am older and I don’t want to watch any show on my iPad (or anything smaller).
Yes you can use Amazon Fire TV Stick. Just search for the Discovery+ app!
I will never get Discovery + I researched and I want nothing to do with any thing Oprah owns including the networks she owns already these people are just plain greedy. They are what u call the rich get richer on poor people.
I agree with you on your comment. Oprah came from a very poor family and forgets that some of us can’t afford another $5.00 expense. After researching Discovery+ over and over, I don’t think its worth spending any money on. If repeats are seen then just continue watching the old shows on DIY…Animal Planet.
Thank you! The video was very helpful..
Their website States “Live TV from Discovery, TLC, Animal Planet + more”
I don’t see the words LIVE anywhere. For live, you need a live TV streaming subscription, cable or satellite.