Discovery to Launch New Free-to-Air Channels in NZ

Discovery, Inc. is slated to launch the new free-to-air channels eden and Rush on March 21 in New Zealand.

The general-entertainment channel eden will offer content that entertains, informs and provokes new thinking and interests for viewers, featuring a wide variety of genres from reality design to drama. The Rush channel will focus on high-adventure, high-octane and high-adrenaline reality.

Among the titles that will air on eden are Changing Rooms UK; Ellen’s Next Great Designer; Dancing on Ice; Celebrity Catchphrase; and The Chase USA, as well as the dramas The Newsreader, premiering March 24, and Finding Alice, debuting in May. On Saturday nights, eden will feature films such as The Great Gatsby and Silver Linings Playbook. The channel will also be host to the new weekday news series Newshub Live at 8pm with Rebecca Wright.

Rush will feature the themed days Survival Mondays, Tough Job Tuesdays, Extreme Build Wednesdays, Motorhead Thursdays, Unexplained Fridays, Strike It Rich Saturdays and Restoration Sundays. Programs that will air on the channel include Manhunt with Joel Lambert, Man vs. Wild with Bear Grylls, The Wheel, Abalone Wars, Deadliest Catch, Treehouse Masters, Homestead Rescue, Kindig Customs, Street Outlaws: No Prep Kings, Expedition Unknown, Bering Sea Gold, Goblin Works Garage, Iron Resurrection and Texas Metal.

A selection of content from eden and Rush will also be available to stream on ThreeNow.

Glen Kyne, senior VP and general manager for Australia and New Zealand at Discovery, Inc., said, “We’re delighted to launch two new free-to-air channels in New Zealand, delivering on our promise to bring more great entertainment to Kiwi audiences. eden and Rush combine the best of Discovery’s global library with carefully selected shows to build a stellar lineup of content. Whether viewers watch live or stream on ThreeNow, we know they’re going to love it.”