Sky has announced that there are some changes being made to their channel listings.
The Discovery Channels collection is set to disappear next week from Sky boxes, unless the two companies can reach a new agreement by January 31.
‘From 1 February, Discovery Communications’ portfolio of channels are unlikely to be available in Sky TV packages,” Sky announced.
And sadly it’s not just Discovery that’s leaving your screens, as they also own various other popular channels.
It includes Animal Planet, Discovery HD, Discovery History, Discovery Home & Health, Discovery Science, Discovery Shed, Discovery Turbo, DMAX, Eurosport 1, Eurosport 2, Investigation Discovery, Quest and TLC.
Discovery Communications released its own statement on the issue, and has been pushing a social media campaign urging fans to tweet Sky to make their feelings known.
We believe it’s wrong for Sky to charge you more and offer you less. Make your voice heard! Tweet @SkyHelpTeam #KeepDiscovery pic.twitter.com/ZmM77l194Z
— Discovery Channel UK (@DiscoveryUK) January 26, 2017
‘We believe Sky is using what we consider to be its dominant market position to further its own commercial interest over those of viewers and independent broadcasters. Discovery is now paid less by Sky than it was 10 years ago, while Sky households are paying so much more than they did in 2007.
‘This is despite Discovery having increased its share of viewing on the Sky platform by more than 20 percent. Discovery has also increased investment in original content by more than 30 percent since 2010, adding new channels to its portfolio, including Eurosport, TLC and [ID].’
Some of the Discovery branch’s most popular shows include Racing Extinction, Gold Rush, Say Yes to the Dress UK and Cake Boss. A Sky representative added:
“Sky has a strong track record of understanding the value of the content we acquire on behalf of our customers, and as a result we’ve taken the decision not to renew this contract on the terms offered. We have been overpaying Discovery for years and are not going to anymore.
“We will now move to redeploy the same amount of money into content we know our customers value. Sky will continue to offer a huge range of content, from award winning documentaries to thrilling entertainment, with thousands of hours available to watch whenever and wherever our customers choose.”
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