LONDON: Discovery’s 12 channels could disappear from Sky and NOW TV in the U.K., as negotiations regarding a new carriage deal have stalled.<\/p>\n
Discovery Networks UK & Ireland is alleging that Sky “refuses to pay a fair price” for its portfolio of channels. The company claims that it is now paid less by Sky than it was ten years ago, even though Sky households are paying much more than they were in 2007. Discovery also points out that it has increased its share of viewing on the Sky platform by more than 20 percent.<\/p>\n
Susanna Dinnage, the managing director of Discovery Networks UK &\u00a0Ireland, said: \u201cWe are proud to be an independent network of channels that works hard to bring real-world first class channels and programs to viewers in the U.K. for nearly 30 years, offering quality and variety to pay television. Our portfolio of channels caters to a wide range of personal tastes and interests, from adventure, natural history, science and sports to extraordinary people, families, weddings and true crime. From Racing Extinction<\/em>, Gold Rush<\/em>, Say Yes to the Dress<\/em> UK<\/em> to Cake Boss<\/em> and Warrior Apes<\/em>, which is launching later this year, we create shows that make peoples’ worlds bigger.<\/p>\n \u201cWe believe Sky is using what we consider to be its dominant market position to further its own commercial interest over those of viewers and independent broadcasters. The vitality of independent broadcasters like Discovery and plurality in TV is under threat.\u201d<\/p>\n If an agreement is not reached, all 12 channel in the Discovery bouquet will be pulled from Sky and NOW TV households after January 31. Discovery Channel, TLC, ID, Eurosport, Discovery History, Animal Planet, Discovery Shed, Home and Health, DMAX, Discovery Science and Discovery Turbo are all affected.<\/p>\n \u201cSomebody has to stand up for consumers\u00a0because consumers believe they are paying for choice and diversity\u2014they deserve better,\u201d continued Dinnage. \u201cDiscovery is prepared to take that stand. Pay television needs to be about more than just films and football. The consumer can\u2019t be expected to fund all of Sky\u2019s investments and get less and less choice in return. We are also concerned that with the recently announced Fox transaction, Sky’s market strength and incentive to disadvantage independent TV content providers will only increase.<\/p>\n \u201cAll we ask is that Sky recognize the value we bring to customers and remunerate us fairly so we can continue creating content that inspires and entertains the world.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" LONDON: Discovery’s 12 channels could disappear from Sky and NOW TV in the U.K., as negotiations regarding a new carriage deal have stalled.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":350,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[69],"tags":[1011,302,91],"class_list":["post-7343","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","","category-top-stories","tag-discovery","tag-now-tv","tag-sky"],"yoast_head":"\n