Discovery Says T-Mobile Shouldn't Be Including Its Channels on Low-Cost Plan
T-Mobile's TVision streaming app launched just a few days ago, but there's already tension surrounding the app. Discovery is taking issue with how T-Mobile packaged its channels for the app's plan.
In today's Q3 earnings call, Discovery CEO David Zaslav commented on Discovery-owned channels showing up in the low cost Vibe plan, saying the company was "very surprised" by how the channels were bundled. Vibe is the $10 plan that offers 30 channels, including some Discovery-owned channels.
"We don't believe they have a right to do what they're doing right now. It's very clear to them and they're focused on it," Zaslav said, adding that Discovery is in "active discussions" with T-Mobile to resolve the issue.
Discovery's own streaming service was once again a topic of conversation during the earnings call. After months of commenting that details on the service are "coming soon," Zaslav today said that announcements will be coming in December.
Discovery first shared that it was working on a streaming service that would feature content from across its portfolio of brands back in November 2019, then again in January 2020. Zaslav fielded questions about the service during Discovery's quarterly earnings call in August when he compared it to "a new SUV" compared to "sportscars" like Netflix and other top streaming services.
We learned more about plans for Discovery's streaming service in September, during a Goldman Sachs conference. At that time, Zaslav said, "For us, we're going to be coming with a fresh library of content, a huge amount of fresh originals at a time when the road has been paved by Netflix and Disney and HBO, and people are getting more and more acclimated to viewing content on devices."