Discovery+ Could Change Food Network Forever — and Not for the Better
There’s an ongoing streaming war between industry giants as viewers happily cut their cord for more binge-friendly services. Most recently entering the scene, Discovery+ starts 2021 off with a big launch, pulling major players like Food Network, HGTV, TLC, and more to compete. Live TV and cable owners have several complaints about this big change.
Starting with how streaming Discovery Plus could change Food Network forever – and not for the better. In fact, this change might make things much worse for viewers watching the network on live TV.
The downside to streaming services launching from large networks
First and foremost, the downside to streaming services launching from large networks is you’ll never stop hearing about it. It seems streaming advertisements are persistent and ruthless in their continuous fight for your attention.
For instance, Discovery+ launched in early January, but chances are you already know that since they’ve covered everyone’s screens with the news for over a month prior.
Live TV and cable viewers are quick to point out Discovery Plus’s constant presence during their shows, their ‘annoying’ commercials, and the significantly more time spent showing commercials over shows.
One viewer went to Reddit to complain, “Do they have to advertise this new streaming service in the corner of my screen all day? I get it. There are a lot of shows and options on this new channel…Just let me watch my DDD and GGG in peace.”
Many responded to their post in agreement, adding that they’re “tired of seeing the logo shoved in [their]face” and the “same commercials on loop. It’s so annoying!” Another respondent included, “I even subscribed to it, so leave me alone now discovery!”
How Discovery+ could change Food Network
Following their relentless promotions, one of the big changes coming with the launch is the addition of Food Network, HGTV, and other popular networks to Discovery Plus. At first glance, you might find that ‘it’s about time’ or that this is nothing but good news.
However, many of the complaints stem from the lack of new content on the live channel and continuous reruns of popular shows — and it’s only going to worsen.
Food Network tweeted out one of many promotional pieces, writing about a new ‘@discoveryplus special’ and how it is ‘exclusively’ on the streaming service. Chances are, there will be plenty more where that came from, and viewers will see several new Food Network shows and content being premiered on Discovery Plus. Which, in turn, can mean even less on live TV and cable and even more reruns.
What fans think about new shows being prioritized on Discovery Plus
The Discovery+ promotional commercial says it directly — ‘New original content you won’t find anywhere else.’ It just might be the beginning of the end of live TV. While most viewers have cut the cord over the last few years, there are still a substantial number of people who enjoy live TV — even if it is through a streaming service like Hulu Live, YouTube TV, or similar.
With prioritization given to streaming platforms, the problem is a lack of focus to live TV and the many viewers who still enjoy it. One Reddit user made a post asking, “What shows are leaving the food network to move to Discovery+” because they “basically pay for cable just to have Food Network, if they’re going to be removing all their content, it’s going to be a problem.”
One helpful respondent already noticed the change, confirming suspicions by revealing that “the first episode of the new Restaurant Impossible aired on Food Network, and the rest of the season will be on Discovery+.” If you’re wondering how they feel about it, another user stated, “I hope Discovery plus is a huge failure.”
Large networks moving over to streaming services aren’t for everyone. In fact, many are pretty upset about Discovery Plus’ launch that is making significant changes to the Food Network. On the other hand, there are still several fans and supporters of recent changes. It seems only time will tell whether this new launch will be a success!
