– Subscribers might lose Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, TLC, Asian Food Channel, Food Network, Travel Channel and HGTV Discovery Science, Discovery Asia, Eurosport, and Setanta
– Discovery is fighting for diversity of content and consumer choice in Singapore
SINGAPORE, May 30, 2018 – For more than 20 years, Discovery’s brands have informed and entertained Singapore viewers with the highest quality content about the world in all its wonder, diversity and amazement. In Discovery’s recent negotiations with StarHub, we have unfortunately reached an impasse as StarHub is not prepared to pay fair value and have announced their decision to cease transmission of all 11 Discovery channels on their platform. All we are asking for is the equivalent of a cup of coffee per customer per month. We have a responsibility to now take the extraordinary step of informing our viewers that they may lose all the Discovery channels they are paying for on StarHub.
After June 30, StarHub subscribers will no longer be able to watch Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, TLC, Discovery Science, Discovery Asia, Eurosport and Setanta on both StarHub TV and streaming service StarHub Go, should a resolution not be met. Discovery’s expanded lifestyle offering – with the recent addition of HGTV, Asian Food Channel, Food Network, and Travel Channel to our portfolio – will also no longer be available on StarHub platforms after August 31. Discovery currently makes up a crucial part of the StarHub English PayTV space and dominates Lifestyle with its channels comprising a significant portion of the offering.
In Singapore, Discovery’s portfolio of channels reached over 1.3 million viewers in the past year, driven by the top five flagship channels – Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, TLC, Asian Food Channel and HGTV. Despite a downward trend in overall English pay TV ratings (Jan 1-April 30 2018 vs Jan 1-Dec 31 2017), the combined Discovery portfolio showed a 10% increase in ratings this year, a strong indication that viewers are not just engaged with our channels but that our content resonates more than ever before. Viewership data also shows that our flagship channels have strong affinity with the core target audiences.
Shows like Fast ‘N’ Loud and Running Wild With Bear Grylls on Discovery Channel; Cake Boss and Say Yes To The Dress on TLC; Tanked and My Cat From Hell on Animal Planet; Property Brothers and Fixer Upper on HGTV; Family Kitchen With Sherson and Cooking For Love on Asian Food Channel are very popular and have garnered huge followings. Fans will undoubtedly be upset to lose their favourite shows, especially with the much-anticipated annual Shark Week coming up in July.
Despite StarHub’s announcement, we still hope to resume discussions so that StarHub viewers can continue to enjoy their much-loved shows from Discovery. In the meantime, fans can still watch Discovery’s channels on Singtel TV. Singtel subscribers currently enjoy Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, TLC, Discovery Science, Discovery Asia, Eve, DMAX, and Eurosport on other broadcast platforms in Singapore. In addition, a selection of Discovery programmes and previous seasons of hit series are available via Discovery Watch Now/Discovery Watch Now Binge on the Discovery Channel Asia website (www.discoverychannelasia.com).
This action is not one we take lightly and we apologise to all our loyal and passionate fans for the inconvenience. We encourage StarHub customers to voice support for their favourite Discovery channels and programmes by calling the StarHub Customer Service Hotline at 6820 1633.
For more information and updates, please visit KeepDiscovery.sg and follow @DiscoverySEAsia, @TLCsea, or @AnimalPlanetSEA on Facebook.
#KeepDiscovery
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About Discovery
Discovery, Inc. (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) is a global leader in real life entertainment, serving a passionate audience of superfans around the world with content that inspires, informs and entertains. Discovery delivers over 8,000 hours of original programming each year and has category leadership across deeply loved content genres around the world. Available in 220 countries and territories and 50 languages, Discovery is a platform innovator, reaching viewers on all screens, including TV Everywhere products such as the GO portfolio of apps and Discovery Kids Play; direct-to-consumer streaming services such as Eurosport Player and Motor Trend OnDemand; and digital-first and social content from Group Nine Media. Discovery’s portfolio of premium brands includes Discovery Channel, HGTV, Food Network, TLC, Investigation Discovery, Travel Channel, Turbo/Velocity, Animal Planet, and Science Channel, as well as OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network in the U.S., Discovery Kids in Latin America, and Eurosport, the leading provider of locally relevant, premium sports and Home of the Olympic Games across Europe. For more information, please visit www.corporate.discovery.com and follow @DiscoveryInc across social platforms.