Hulu Adds Discovery Channels to Live TV Streaming Service
By Todd Spangler
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Hulu’s live TV subscribers finally have access to a dozen Discovery networks in various packages, coming after the companies inked a multiyear deal two months ago .
The core With Live TV core package ($40 per month) as of Thursday, Nov. 29, now includes 56 national cable channels, with the addition of five networks: Discovery, TLC, MotorTrend, Animal Planet and Investigation Discovery (ID). The price of the bundle remains the same.
In addition, Hulu is adding five other networks from Discovery to its recently launched Entertainment Add-On tier (an additional $7.99 per month): Destination America, Discovery Family, Science, Discovery Life, and American Heroes Channel. Other channels in the Entertainment pack are CNBC World, DIY, FYI and Lifetime Movies.
Hulu also is adding Discovery en Español and Discovery Familia to its $4.99-per-month Spanish-language pack, which also includes ESPN Deportes, NBC Universo, CNN En Español and History Channel En Español.
The launch of Discovery networks on Hulu comes after nine of the programmer’s channels went live on Dish Network’s Sling TV internet-streaming service in different packages .
Under Hulu’s deal with Discovery, the streaming service is adding nearly 4,000 episodes of the programmer’s shows to its video-on-demand lineup. Hulu will be the exclusive subscription streaming home for several unscripted Discovery shows, including Discovery Channel’s “Deadliest Catch,” “MythBusters” and “Naked and Afraid”; TLC’s “Say Yes to the Dress”; and shows from Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN).
Since its launch in May 2017, Hulu With Live TV has included Food Network, HGTV and Travel Channel from Scripps Networks Interactive (which is now part of Discovery).
Even as Hulu adds Discovery’s live networks to the live TV service, the company is exploring lower-cost live TV bundles that would eliminate linear feeds of entertainment cable TV networks to improve margins. Hulu in September said it had notched 1 million subscribers for “virtual” pay-TV service, which includes local broadcast stations in most markets .
According to Hulu, on the VOD side of its service, Discovery’s most-watched home renovation show to date is HGTV’s “Fixer Upper” and the most-watched cooking series is Food Network’s “Chopped.” Other top unscripted shows on Hulu from Discovery include TLC’s “90 Day Fiancé” and Discovery Channel’s “Alaskan Bush People.”
Pictured above: Discovery Channel’s “Deadliest Catch”
