Discovery Communications has said it has secured capacity on the UK DTT system ahead of a new channel launch early next year. The broadcaster is believed to have paid in the region of £10 million for capacity within the ITV-owned SDN multiplex.
Few details of the channel have been made public, however like DMAX, it is unlikely to carry Discovery branding. The broad schedule is likely to include both entertainment and feature programming, a description that could equally apply to DMAX itself, currently available in both the UK and German markets.
“The UK now has the most competitive and diverse TV market in the world and the launch of a Freeview channel is an important element in expanding consumer reach,” said Dan Brooke, managing director of Discovery Networks UK, in a prepared statement. “We have talked to Freeview viewers: they love our programming, and once they have sampled it, we are confident they will want to experience the richness and variety of our content on other media platforms.”
Discovery is the latest channel provider to have a free-to-air outlet on Freeview that can act as a valuable barker channel. UKTV has a presence through both UKTV History and Dave; Virgin transmits Virgin 1 and at least for the time being Sky has Sky 3.
Last December Discovery was named as the documentary partner on the Sky Picnic pay-TV service, currently subject to a series of Ofcom consultations.
