'Ad-Lite' discovery+ option to launch in the UK and Ireland

Discovery Launches ‘Ad-Lite’ Proposition For discovery+ In The UK & Ireland

LONDON, UK — Discovery UK has today outlined plans to introduce an ‘Ad-Lite’ offering for discovery+ customers in the UK and Ireland.

From 16 March, the discovery+ Entertainment Pass will be available at the lower price of £3.99/ €4.99 p.c.m or £39.99/ €49.99 p.a (currently £4.99/€5.99 p.c.m or £49.99/€59.99 p.a). The ‘Ad-Lite’ product will offer customers increased value for money and continued access to all the best unscripted content from the definitive non-fiction streaming service, discovery+.

The discovery+ Entertainment & Sport Pass will remain ad-free on-demand* and, like the Entertainment Pass, offers subscribers all of Discovery’s free and Pay TV channels, exclusive discovery+ Originals, plus the full sports roster which includes the Olympic Games, tennis, Grand Tour cycling, snooker and motorsports for £6.99/ €6.99 p.c.m or £59.99/ €69.99 p.a.

discovery+ is the first global SVOD service to launch an ‘Ad-Lite’ offering in the UK, this follows the successful launch of the Discovery ‘Ad-Lite’ product in the US, with a further roll-out across EMEA expected this year.

James Gibbons, EVP, GM UK and Nordics, Discovery, Inc., said: “We are pleased to outline our ‘Ad-Lite’ proposition in the UK and Ireland for discovery+, following the successful roll-out for Discovery in the US. Increased SVOD stacking is driving interest in ad-supported options globally and, as the market only gets more competitive, we want to offer UK consumers that same choice and value through discovery+.

“From March, we will bring consumers two distinct products: both offering our premium unscripted content at great value, but with the choice of limited ads or ad-free viewing on-demand. By reshaping our offering we are able to reduce the cost of our Entertainment Pass to just £3.99/month, one of the most competitive price points in the market, whilst still offering less than half the amount of ads viewers experience through linear television. Through our Entertainment & Sport Pass consumers have the choice to select an ad-free on-demand service and have access to all of our entertainment content plus our full sports line-up.

“We know there is an appetite for choice amongst our users as research shows us nearly three quarters of discovery+ subscribers are open to seeing adverts if it means a reduction in price**and we look forward to launching our new offering in response.”

Katie Coteman, VP Head of Advertising and Partnerships Discovery Networks UK & Ireland, added: “The move to an ‘Ad-Lite’ proposition for discovery+ in the UK will offer brands omnichannel solutions that reach highly engaged, passionate superfans. As a premium media owner, it’s our responsibility to ensure we are delivering the best possible ad experience to users while ensuring buyers have optimum opportunities to buy against their desired audiences.

“We know that Connected TV is where advertiser budgets are growing as they seek to follow viewers beyond linear, traditionally there hasn’t been the premium scale available in the UK but with over three quarters of consumption of discovery+ through Connected TV we are able to offer a premium environment with the scale advertisers have been looking for.”

* Some programmes contain sponsorship and trailers.
Live channels and catch-up may contain ads.
** KANTAR Entertainment on Demand (Q4,21): There is appetite for this with our users with 40.4% agreeing/strongly agreeing & 30.5% neutral to the below statement “I don’t mind seeing ads if it makes the service cheaper.”