NOW TV viewers will lose a popular channel overnight, Sky confirms

Sky-owned streaming service NOW, formerly NOW TV, will remove popular Discovery channel from its Entertainment Membership. With no change in price, NOW subscribers will lose access to the channel. That includes both access to the live channel as well as on-demand content.

The first sign that something might be brewing was when NOW stripped out all mention of the Discovery channel from the FAQ section on its website earlier this month. If that sounds familiar, it’s likely because there was a threat that Sky Q customers could lose access to all Discovery-owned channels last year. However, the two companies reached a long-term agreement to keep the channels on its satellite service.

However, that clearly hasn’t helped those who watch Sky TV through its contract-free service, NOW.

Discovery recently launched its own streaming service, dubbed Discovery+, which includes its live channels and on-demand boxsets. There is a free subscription tier that includes access to live channels Really, Quest, Quest Red and a few more. There’s also catch-up shows from the last 30 days, but not access to the full on-demand catalogue. To get access to that, you’ll need to pay £4.99 a month.

As well as on-demand boxsets, Discovery+ adds access to all channels, including Discovery, TLC, Animal Planet, and more.

If you’re desperate to catch up with every episode of 90 Day Fiancé, Ghost Adventures, and more, you might want to consider taking out a standalone subscription to Discovery+. You can get a slight discount if you pay for an annual subscription, which costs £49.99, or £4.20 a month.

Speaking about the decision to drop Discovery from NOW, a spokesperson for the company told ISPreview: “We are constantly evaluating the needs of our customers and aim to deliver an ever-changing range of high-quality content that they love. From June 30, Discovery content will no longer be available on NOW, however our members can still enjoy fantastic shows from Sky Documentaries, Sky Crime and many more.”

The news comes a few weeks after NOW decided to add children’s live channels and boxsets to its Entertainment Membership at no extra cost. Priced at £9.99 a month, subscribers will get access to Sky One, Sky Atlantic, MTV, Sky Crime, Sky Documentaries, Sky Comedy, Challenge, National Geographic, and more.

The latest shake-up also saw Sky increase the price of its NOW Boost add-on service for all new customers. Currently, £3 a month, those joining the contract-free streaming service after July 15, 2021 will need to pay an extra £5 a month to unlock 1080p High Definition, the ability to stream on multiple screens in the same house with the same subscription, Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound, and 50 frames-per-second for sports.