Discovery ended the first quarter with 13 million global next generation paying D2C subscribers.
In its latest results, the company says that the total now stands at 15 million, with growth being principally down to the success of discovery+.
In the first quarter alone, the service launched in Comcast Xfinity and Amazon Prime Video Channels in the US, Starzplay in MENA, and on Samsung Smart TVs and Amazon Fire TV devices in the UK and Ireland.
Other operational highlights in the quarter included total share of viewing across the international linear portfolio growing 2% on average, marking seven consecutive quarters of year-over-year share improvement, and Discovery being the most watched pay-TV portfolio in the US among key demographics and leading pay-TV portfolio for engagement.
Discovery had total revenues of $2,792 million in Q1, or 4% more than a year earlier. Total adjusted EBITDA was 25% lower at $837 million and net income 63% lower at $140 million.
Commenting on the results, David Zaslav, president and CEO of Discovery, said: “The global rollout of discovery+ is off to a fantastic start by any measure. Key metrics, including subscriber additions, customer engagement, and retention, are exceeding our expectations and demonstrating sustained momentum into the second quarter. We now have 15 million total paying direct-to-consumer subscribers across our global portfolio driven primarily by discovery+, having crossed 13 million total paying direct-to-consumer subscribers at the end of March. Our strong direct-to-consumer performance underscores the outstanding value and appeal of our content, brands and personalities to both consumers and distribution partners alike. We continue to expand the reach of discovery+ with recent launches on Comcast Xfinity and Amazon Prime Video Channels. At the same time, we continue to extend our overall engagement with viewers across screens, anchored by another quarter as the most-watched pay-TV portfolio in the U.S. and our seventh consecutive quarter of international share growth”.