Discovery Channel

Discovery Channel
CountryUnited States
Broadcast areaNationwide
Headquarters230 Park Avenue South New York City[1]
Programming
Language(s)
  • English
  • Spanish (with SAP)
Picture format1080i HDTV
(downscaled to 480i letterbox for the SDTV feed)
Ownership
OwnerWarner Bros. Discovery
ParentWarner Bros. Discovery Networks
Sister channelsSister channels
History
LaunchedJune 17, 1985; 39 years ago (1985-06-17)[2]
Former namesThe Discovery Channel (1985–1995)
Links
Websitediscovery.com
Availability
Streaming media
Affiliated streaming services
ServicesFuboTV, Sling TV, YouTube TV, Philo, Hulu + Live TV

Discovery Channel, known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery, is an American cable channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav. As of June 2012, Discovery Channel was the third most widely distributed subscription channel in the United States, behind now-sibling channel TBS and The Weather Channel;[3] it is available in 409 million households worldwide, through its U.S. flagship channel and its various owned or licensed television channels internationally.[4]

It initially provided documentary television programming focused primarily on popular science, technology, and history, but by the 2010s had expanded into reality television and pseudo-scientific entertainment.[5][6][7]

As of November 2023, Discovery Channel is available to approximately 71,000,000 pay television households in the United States-down from its peak of 99,000,000 in 2011.[8]

  1. ^ "Discovery Selects 230 Park Avenue South As New Global Headquarters". Archived from the original on May 29, 2023. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
  2. ^ "The 59th Academy Awards (1987) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved July 23, 2011.
  3. ^ Seidman, Robert (August 23, 2013). "List of How Many Homes Each Cable Networks Is In – Cable Network Coverage Estimates As Of August 2013". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on August 25, 2013. Retrieved August 25, 2013.
  4. ^ "DCI :: Businesses & Brands :: Discovery Channel". Archived from the original on October 12, 2008.
  5. ^ Nahigyan, Pierce (August 19, 2014). "Discovery's 'Shark Week' Criticized for Silliness, Pseudoscience and Lies". Planet Experts. Archived from the original on April 17, 2017. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  6. ^ Kirk, Chris (August 6, 2013). "Wil Wheaton Says Discovery Channel Has 'Betrayed Its Audience'". Slate. Archived from the original on April 17, 2017. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  7. ^ Epstein, Adam (August 15, 2014). "The sad devolution of Discovery Channel". Quartz. Archived from the original on April 17, 2017. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  8. ^ "U.S. cable network households (universe), 1990 – 2023". wrestlenomics.com. May 14, 2024. Archived from the original on December 31, 2023. Retrieved July 28, 2019.