Q. I am very angry that new episodes of my favorite shows on the Discovery channels are going exclusively to Discovery Plus. I don’t want to spend any extra money to watch them and I should be able to watch them on my satellite TV dish which I pay a lot of money for already! Can we sue Discovery and DIRECTV for this? We are not getting the programming we were promised! — Maryann, New Bern, North Carolina.
Maryann, Discovery has decided to offer new episodes of several popular Discovery-branded shows as Discovery+ exclusives. The move is designed to attract new subscribers to the streaming service, but ‘old’ subscribers to Discovery-owned channels on cable and satellite are crying foul, saying the company is forcing them to pay more money to continue watching their favorites. (Discovery+’s plans start at $4.99 a month.)
Since Discovery+ launched on January 4, the service has been the exclusive home of new episodes of several shows that have built strong followings on channels such as Discovery, HGTV, the Travel Channel, the Food Network and TLC. The shows that now air their new episodes on the streaming service includes Property Brothers: Forever Home, Ghost Adventures, and Paranormal: Caught On Camera.
Click Amazon: See the New Year Discounts!
I’ve asked Discovery+ a few times whether they plan to add these episodes to Discovery’s pay TV channels so cable and satellite TV viewers can watch them as well. Unfortunately, Discovery’s PR reps have not responded to those inquiries. Earlier in the month when I asked about new episodes premiering on Discovery+ instead of the cable/satellite channels, a Discovery PR official did respond:
“We are experimenting with some show premieres on Discovery+ during a brief window during the service’s launch,” Discovery’s Cara Brugnoli told the TV Answer Man via e-mail. “That said, we remain committed to serving our pay-TV fans with the shows and talent they love and value. The vast majority of Discovery content premieres on linear, with current seasons largely exclusive to our traditional pay-TV offering.”
Since Discovery will not say if cable and satellite viewers will ever be able to watch the new episodes without subscribing to Discovery+, we have to assume the answer is no, or at least no for an indefinite period of time. And the likelihood that they won’t be able to watch them has prompted several Discovery fans to send me e-mails asking if they can sue the network and/or their cable and satellite provider for what feels to them like a bait-and-switch maneuver.
I’m not an attorney — and Lord knows that people will find ways to sue over anything — but I don’t believe a lawsuit would be successful here. When you begin your subscriptions, the pay TV operators clearly state in their terms that your programming can change at any time, and it often does due to carriage disputes and other reasons. To my knowledge, no subscriber has ever successfully sued a cable or satellite provider for not carrying a channel it previously carried.
As for suing Discovery, the same logic applies. Discovery, and all other channels, change their lineups all the time. They add and cancel shows every season. It’s their discretion what programming they offer and how and when they offer it. For instance, you couldn’t sue CBS because it no longer carries The Big Bang Theory, or Netflix because it dropped House of Cards.
I can understand why Discovery viewers are upset. Discovery+ is premiering the new episodes because those shows have a strong following and they will help the streaming service generate subscribers. But if it weren’t for the loyal viewers of the pay TV Discovery channels, the shows would be unknown and worthless to the network.
Discovery is basically building a new streaming service on the backs of their most loyal viewers.
But that said, you might be upset over this, but I don’t think you can sue over it.
Maryann, hope that makes sense. Happy viewing, and stay safe!
Have a question about new TV technologies? Send it to The TV Answer Man at swann@tvpredictions.com. Please include your first name and hometown in your message.
— Phillip Swann
INSTEAD of ROTTING in front of a TV or worse, WHY NOT get UP and DO SOMETHING constructive !!
TV is a go to when you have NOTHING else to do !! Making TV from ANY SOURCE a must have in your life says MOUNTAINS about your BAD CHOICES !! BIG WONDERFUL WORLD out there GO SEE it and FK “discovery and the rest !!
Shut up, Dave.
How about you get a life and get off the internet.
I for one refuse to buy discover+. I already pay a premium for Directv. It is not right that they are holding new programming hostage.
I believe Discovery Channel Networks is preparing for the future. The younger generation is not subscribing to expensive cable & satellite TV plans. They are subscribing to their favorite streaming services. This is a form of al la cart. The older generation is still subscribing to the expensive cable & satellite TV plans. They might not be comfortable with subscribing to streaming services & using a streaming device & smart TVs. An idea is that if the only TV programs someone watches are on the Discovery Channel Networks, is to drop the expensive cable & satellite TV plans & subscribe to Discovery+ & save money. The future of television is that people will more choices with just subscribing to their favorite streaming services.
Your supposition is flawed. The future generations of young people want more than just one channel like Discovery+. They want news, games, movies of all types, etc. By the time they get through paying for separate streaming services, they may as well pay for cable and get/demand more for their bucks! What Discovery+ is doing, is extortion. I’ve watched a few of their shows, off and on, but will not miss them enjoy to become a subscriber on top of my regular cable bill!!I
I know cable’s days are numbered, although in the world of streaming apps, only the strongest will survive. Discovery+’s botched rollout shows that it is not going to be a survivor. All of the “new” and “exclusive” content was made to air on the linear networks, and they just gave up on 90 million households, in favor of 5 million subscribers to an app, whose numbers are undoubtedly inflated by all of the free trials.
DIscovery is the one that is hemorrhaging viewers, although their actions have hurt everyone. Those expensive cable plans are sold by AT&T and Comcast, who happen to be the largest high speed internet providers in the country. They have already introduced data caps over the last year to combat the surge in streaming usage. Next they will slow data coming from those sites. Discovery won’t have any friends when their app can only show grainy, lossy early YouTube quality video.
You make a lot of sense, I hope you are right. I can’t afford all the new stuff need for me to stream not do I desire too. And to Dave with the extreme lockdown what does he suggest I am in high risk group, meaning I cannot get a life as much as I love to!
“Next they will slow data coming from those sites.”
You’ve just described the exact argument for Net Neutrality – a policy where internet service providers are forbidden from slowing traffic to/from certain sites or charging extra $$$ for it.
While efforts to enforce such a policy at the national level in the US over the past decade were only temporarily successful (I think you can guess which administration repealed it) some places are at least passing it at the state level in the meantime.
If you too can see where this is headed, I encourage you to let your elected officials know if you support net neutrality.
Stereotypes benefit no one. Your assumption that “the older generation doesn’t want to stream content is a crock! . Maybe we are smart enough to realize that nothing in life is free and that paying twice for the same channel is counter productive. As a pay tv subscriber we should be able to dump these channels and tell the network tough cookies guess you will need to charge your streaming audience more to offset it. See how cheap it will be then. Most if the shows they switched took years to develop a following and once the economy opens up I seriously doubt the younger generation is going to sit at home and watch knarly old crab fishermen yelling at each other and “true crime” is nothing more than young women being murdered by drug dealing or wife abusing boyfriends. As far as rhe rest of it Im burned out on” reality” shows” that everyone but the producers know are scripted. That being said let this feeble, older generation provide a couple of predictions. One the cost of your high speed internet service is going to rise exponentially AND the streaming services will be charging you out the wazoo since there will be no contractual obligation ( as is the case with cable and satellite) locking you in as the older generations providers did. HAPPY VIEWING SUCKERS.
Unfortunately, TV Answerman your opinion about the success of suing over content is likely correct. However, consumers can voice their discontent with their wallets. Do not subscribe to the new Discovery + service and consider downgrading your Pay TV (cable) to a package level which doesn’t include the family of Discovery channels. These channels are broadcasting reruns anyway so there’s no loss.
Secretly, I have to wonder if Pay TV didn’t do this to themselves. Didn’t they creep up consumers’ rates while also refusing to pay more for content? Something had to give. And it is. People cut the cord and content providers are switching to streaming services.
Any bets on how long before Discovery is no longer available on Pay TV?
Kids, Once Upon a Time, a long, long time ago, water was free, TV was free, groceries were taken to your car for you, attendants pumped your gas and washed your car windows while you waited in your car ….
The best way to show Discovery that we will not stand for this nonsense is to pirate the shows. If you have high speed internet, and a VPN, just download a torrent client and download episodes from torrent sites. Once Discovery sees that most of their D+ episodes are getting downloaded for free, they will change their minds.
I wish you would let us know how we can email or write Discovery ourselves. The more letters they receive would show them how many people are upset with their decision to ignore us.
https://corporate-discovery.zendesk.com/hc/en-us
Was not much help.
I basically agree with the first post…Stop your whining!!!! How is this any different from HBO and HBO MAX….nobody is FORCING anyone to subscribe….here’s an idea: turn off the TV….Get up and go OUTSIDE! (BTW, I cut the cord, and I’m a subscriber) Saving money is a WONDERFUL thing!
First to the people saying we should stop complaining… if you’re so happy with your tv service or so gung-ho about turning off your tv and going outside, why even waste your time replying to this post? It’s none of your business!
Back to topic… I don’t plan on getting Discovery Plus anytime soon because I don’t like being manipulated. As for cable, I just got notified that my bill for services is going up! Right when most of the shows I like to watch are gone with the Discovery Plus wind. So, I am going to cancel cable and just make due with Netflix and YouTube for now. I feel bad for all the people who don’t have many options except cable.
My wife and I subscribed to Discovery plus the first day it was offered. It was the best decision we ever made. No commercials ($2 more per month) but worth every penny. It is the way of the future. It is only a matter of time before it leads to the end of satellite and cable. Why wait until your favorite show is scheduled on broadcast when you you can pick practically any Discovery – HGTV – Food Network – TLC – OWN – Animal Planet – etc episode and watch it when you want to watch it uninterrupted and commercial free. Old episodes, new episodes, all available at you fingertips arranged in order by season and in the order it was broadcast.
Just pick the show your want to watch, pick the season and then the episode you want so see and hit play. Its that easy. Thousand and thousand of hours of all your favorite episodes. It’s a no brainer!!!!!
I’m cutting the cord ASAP!!!
OMG! Rote party line much?
That’s all fine and WELL for people that can afford the internet. But I can’t. So what are we suppose to do? I’m on a fixed income with very little options. We made a lot of them show successful, now we won’t even get to watch. This really sucks.
I wouldn’t have as much of an issue with shows moved to Discovery Plus, if it was available for purchase by everyone! I was actually excited about the channel and was willing to pay, but since my TV’S were purchased before 2017 and I do not own any of the other devices it is available on, I have no way to continue watching the shows I have been watching for years! Very disappointing that Discovery feels this is ok!
We forget at time that actually WE the consumer hold the power. If we all would cut our TV packages to the basic bare minimum and refuse to subscribe to all their money grabbing attempts they would lose major revenue, and pretty soon they would have to go back to the way it was. They might even throw us ( the loyal TV subscriber) a deal or two just so we come back. But sadly until all consumers are on the same page and stick together they will do whatever they want because they can.
I can’t believe the audacity of the people who posted to “stop complaining, geta life, it’s just tv, go outside.” How about you mind your business and get off the internet idiot, It’s currently 9 below where I live!
We have contracts.. we pay for discovery! It’s like ordering a pizza and getting an empty pizza box. It’s highway robbery. I refuse to pay for discovery plus on top of paying for discovery with my contracted cable subscription. I hope it fails.
Too many streaming services means piracy will become a thing again . It’s not hard to get a tor browser.
The constant ads and pop-up graphics for discovery plus streaming are so annoying and repetitive I stopped watching any channels that feature them. Everyone I know agrees they can’t stand the ads! I really miss a lot of the shows, especially on ID, but the ad campaign literally ruined it for me. Does anyone else agree that all the shows they’re advertising to air on discovery plus are the worst?? My original thought was that it seemed like a desperate attempt to re-brand loser shows. Nothing I would ever watch. Really hate the logo too.
I totally agree about the annoying Discovery + ads continually on the screen. I even took pictures of the various shows I watch that they appear on. I take pictures also of the different crafts that appear on my renovation shows and the dog gone ads are in the way. They are pushing it down our throats.
When the ratings for the “Discovery Family” of cable/satellite channels tank, the advertisers will abandon them in droves. The cable/satellite companies won’t care because it’ll just be more dross they can promote like all the worthless buying channels they use to pad the size of their packages. I feel sorry for the producers of the documentaries that will expire because of this naked attempt to suck viewers dry. Bye bye “Discovery Family.” I would complain to their advertisers, but that’s just more trouble than I am willing to go to for these marginal shows.
I live in the woods (VT) and there is no internet access and phone signal is just enough to make a call if I stand by the window. How do I get Discovery+. Seem as if we in the outer limits are being discriminated against. I have DIRECT TV.
If no one pays for this they will be out of luck. Honestly, paying $60 a year for this service and then being made to watch 15 minutes of commercials each hour does not appeal to me. Most DVR can FF through commercials.
I agree. I’m so disgusted seeing the pop up commercials for Discovery + on all of my cable shows. The pop ups are sometimes on top of notes on the shows I’m watching and I can’t read them because the pop ups are in the way. I really find it maddening that Discovery + is doing that to the cable customers.