At the end of last year, I learned about Discovery’s new streamer, discovery+. What intrigued me most was learning its programming would consist of a Paranormal & Unexplained hub, and that one of the specials exclusive to the streamer would be the Ghost Adventures: Cecil Hotel investigation.
I’ve always been insanely curious about the Cecil. It’s not the way I would’ve preferred to experience it, but if Ghost Adventures was my way in, then it looked like I was going to have to sign up for Discovery’s new streamer when it launched on January 4 to watch. Which I did.
So what do I think of discovery+? Will I keep it after my free trial ends? Here’s my review of the new streaming service.
Free Trial
The nice thing about most streaming services is that they often offer a free trial of some sort and discovery+ is no different. They offer a 7-day free trial so you can give it a test drive to see what you think.
Warning
If your most-watched cable channels consist of ones like Travel Channel, Discovery, A&E, Investigation Discovery, History, or even Lifetime, they’re now all in one place for you to stream any time you want. If you’re prone to binge-watching, watch out. It will happen!
Tip
Sign-up for the ad-free plan during your free trial. That way you can enjoy uninterrupted viewing and can switch to the less expensive ad version after your trial ends. Or right before it’s set to expire so you don’t incur any extra charges.
Cost
It’s actually comparable to, if not more reasonably priced than, other streamers of its kind.
For instance, Peacock costs $4.99/mo. with ads or $9.99/mo. ad-free. CBS All Access is in the same ballpark at $5.99/mo. with ads or $9.99/mo. ad-free.
discovery+’s plans are $4.99/mo. with ads or just $6.99/mo. ad-free.
That’s really only the price of a cup or two of gourmet coffee from someplace like Starbucks each month.
Navigability
I’ve tried watching Discovery’s new streamer on both my TV and computer now. Either way, it has proved easy to navigate because it’s well designed and laid out.
There are many ways to find whatever it is you want to watch or to browse the content to find something new to enjoy.
There are tabs at the top separated into the different genres, or “hubs,” that discovery+ offers, including:
- Relationships
- True Crime
- Home
- Food
- Lifestyle
- Adventure & Exploration
- Documentaries
- Paranormal & Unexplained
- Nature & Animals
- Science & Technology
- Automotive
Sometimes the shows cross-over between hubs and are listed in more than one. For instance, Ghosts of Shepherdstown appears in both the True Crime and Paranormal & Unexplained hubs, and Expedition Unknown: Hunt for Extraterrestrials can be found in both the Adventure & Exploration and Paranormal & Unexplained hubs.
Content is also categorized by network, which includes:
- discovery+ Originals
- HGTV
- Food Network
- TLC
- Investigation Discovery
- OWN
- Animal Planet
- Magnolia Network
- Discovery
- Planet Earth
- Travel Channel
- A&E
- History
- Lifetime
- Science Channel
- DIY Network
- Cooking Channel
- Destination America
- AHC
- Discovery Life
- The Dodo
- PopSugar
- Now This
There’s also a search function to let you type in whatever you might want to find, or you can search through an alphabetical A-Z listing.
My only critique is that there isn’t a Movies tab to make it easier to find the Lifetime ones.
Watch Features
Finding a lot of shows you’d like to watch? Like many other streamers, discovery+ also includes a +My List option so you can add what you’d like to watch later. The +My List is easy to find and access either from a tab at the very top or as part of the rows of content included on the Home screen.
Started watching something but got interrupted before you could finish? There’s also a Continue Watching section on the Home page with your show waiting for you right where you left off.
Also on the Home page are rows of shows grouped into the following categories for your browsing pleasure and ease:
- Featured
- discovery+ Originals
- Trending Shows
- Passport to 90 Day
- Favorite Personalities
- Thought-Provoking Documentaries
- Recommended for You
- Landmarks from the BBC
- Real Stories from TLC
- Captivating Crimes on ID
- Feel at Home with HGTV
- Your First Look at Magnolia Network
- Fresh from Food Network
- Extreme Adventures on Discovery
- Explore the Unknown on TRVL
- Find Your Inspiration on OWN
- discovery+ Collections
- Watch as a Family
- Hidden Gems
- From the Vault
- Previews
Enormous Content Library
Pre-launch, Discovery’s new streamer sold itself as being the “greatest collection of real-life entertainment,” and that it would have the largest-ever content offering of any new streaming service with more than 55,000 episodes to choose from across more than 2,500 shows.
They weren’t lying. There is a massive amount of content.
Yet, as I mentioned above, they’ve made their platform easy to navigate and use, so while checking out such a gigantic library might feel overwhelming or daunting, it’s not.
Keeper or Not?
That’s really a personal decision for every viewer based on your tastes and preferences. If you like streaming, it’s definitely worth checking out via the free trial.
If you have favorite shows from Destination Unknown, Travel Channel, or any other Discovery media property, you now have access to just about any title ever created.
$4.99/mo. works with my budget, so I’m keeping it after the free trial. There are a couple of paranormal shows I’m curious to watch that I never have, but I’m especially excited to have access to Lifetime movies and Investigation Discovery again. I plan to spend the rest of the winter binge-watching true crime to my heart’s content!
For More Info
To learn more about discovery+, visit discoveryplus.com.
Check-In
Which streaming services do you watch most?
Courtney Mroch is a globe-trotting restless spirit who’s both possessed by wanderlust and the spirit of adventure, and obsessed with true crime, horror, the paranormal, and weird days. Perhaps it has something to do with her genes? She is related to occult royalty, after all. Marie Laveau, the famous Voodoo practitioner of New Orleans, is one of her ancestors. (Yes, really! As explained here.) That could also explain her infatuation with skeletons.
Speaking of mystical, to learn how Courtney channeled her battle with cancer to conjure up this site, check out HJ’s Origin Story.
Loading ...
Apologies if I missed this, but if I already have access to those channels, is the content on Discovery + the same?
I’m waffling about signing up. 🙂
Hi Bast! No apologies necessary! The content on discovery+ is definitely culled from the content on all of those channels. However, they also have some exclusive to their channel premieres. Not sure yet if there will later be crossover and whatever premieres on discovery+ will also be shown on Travel Channel and such though. I’m trying to figure that out.
The nice thing is you can watch whatever you want to watch when you want to watch it. And I’ve been toying with writing a post about the specific shows you can find. I think you just convinced me it might be useful info for helping others who might also be waffling if they should sign up or not too.
You’ll have to let me know if you do…and what shows you watch and like!
I absolutely refuse to pay more for plus channels. Sad that viewers will be forced to pay more for the services they already received with their cable subscription. Saddens me that once again greed rules.
I think a LOT of people who have kept cable feel that way. I think the channels have been forced to adopt this model because so many people have abandoned cable, though. BUT will they all be able to stay viable? Time will tell, but it’s interesting to see how they’ve all shifted like this. I also feel you because when CBS All Access came out there were a couple of shows I was interested in, but no way was I paying for a channel that was free no matter what they put on. And I still haven’t. But I have now broken down for a couple of the others. Which I might not end up keeping now either because really…WAY more content than my eyeballs can ever digest in this lifetime! lol
I will for sure let you know. My husband wants to try it so we’ll probably sign up this week.
Cool! It’s definitely worth the 1-week free trial. I think I saw something if you do it online you can get 2 weeks? But I’m not sure that’s true or I’m confusing it with something else. But it might be worth a gander at discoveryplus.com to see if they are offering 2 weeks there.