Discovery+, a major player in the UK streaming market, is tweaking its playbook and has quietly adjusted its pricing tiers, rolling out changes that are set to alter the pricing for some of its subscribers.
These changes include the removal of one of the discounted annual subscription options (on the tier that includes Eurosport), and a rebranding of the service tiers, a few months after the costly ‘Premium’ tier was added – which includes TNT Sports.
It’s worth mentioning that Discovery+ (usually its Basic tier) is available for free via some of the pay-TV subscriptions (such as on some of BT TV’s plans, some of Sky’s tiers, etc.).
Therefore the pricing changes will mostly affect those who subscribe to Discover+ directly.
What Is Discovery+?
Discovery+ is a streaming service (owned by Warner Bros. Discovery) that offers a broad spectrum of entertainment and sporting content to viewers in the UK.
It serves as a hub for a variety of on-demand lifestyle, nature and factual programs from Discovery’s extensive network, including popular channels like Animal Planet, Discovery Channel, TLC, and more.
Some of the Freeview-based content is available on-demand for free on Discovery+, while most of the content is only available through one of the paid tiers.
The standard Sports tier also includes Eurosport, which offers a multitude of global sports events, both live and on-demand.
A significant development in Discovery Plus’ UK offering was the addition of TNT Sports a few months back (which replaced BT Sport), enhancing its sports programming with premium events like UEFA Champions League and Premier League games (but only on the newly created ‘Premium’ tier).
Discovery+ caters to a wide audience through its tiered subscription model, which was designed to accommodate viewers ranging from casual watchers to die-hard sports fans.
The recent changes, however, suggest a shift in how Discovery+ is positioning itself within the competitive streaming landscape.
The New Discovery+ Prices And Tiers
Recently, Discovery+ changed its pricing structure, with new names for each tier – and one annual discounted option which is now gone.
Previously, Discovery+ offered three primary paid plans in the UK:
- Entertainment: £3.99/month or £39.99/year
- Entertainment + Sports: £6.99/month or £59.99/year
- Premium (with TNT Sports): £29.99/month (without an annual option)
These plans have now been rebranded and restructured:
- Basic (formerly Entertainment):
- £3.99/month or £39.99/year (16% savings on the annual plan)
- Includes the on-demand entertainment catalogue and select live channels.
- Standard (formerly Entertainment + Sports):
- £6.99/month (annual option discontinued)
- Builds on Basic with additional sports content from Eurosport.
- Premium (including TNT Sports):
- £29.99/month (no annual option)
- Offers all Standard features plus TNT Sports access.
The notable change here is the removal of the discounted annual subscription for the ‘Standard’ plan.
It means that sports fans (who were not looking to get TNT Sports) who plan to keep the service for a full year, will have to pay £83 per year, instead of the previously available £59.99 discounted price point.
It’s also worth noting that ALL Discovery+ tiers also include adverts, both on the live channels AND for the on-demand content.
According to Discovery, there are fewer ads compared to traditional live TV – but it’s still an annoying trend, when people pay for a premium streaming service only to get advert breaks thrown in.
As for Ultra HD (4K) content, it’s for select shows and movies (not including live content) on devices that support 4K UHD.
This means live sporting events are not shown in 4K via the Discovery+ platform on the Standard tier, which is a disappointment in this day and age.
However, those who subscribe to the Premium tier, with TNT Sports, can get TNT Sports Ultimate (formerly known as BT Sport Ultimate), which does include 4K for some of the content.
How Can I Get Discovery+?
The standalone Discovery+ app is available on most of the streaming devices sold in the UK.
You can subscribe to the service directly, or via Amazon’s Prime Video Channels, where all three tiers are available on a monthly basis.
While the removal of the discounted annual subscription offer for the Standard plan could be seen as a step back for long-term subscribers who valued the savings, it is at least in line with the flexible, monthly pricing models usually associated with TV cord cutting.
Ad breaks? Never seen one on Discovery+ via LG TV or Roku. Maybe just Sky /Virgin only?
Hi Andy I had the middle tier and paid for no adverts now there is adverts every 5 minutes. I buy my subscription directly from discoveryplus