Discovery+ Had Strong 1st-Month Rollout With 3.3M Downloads: Apptopia

Discovery+ has been downloaded some 3.3 million times from the App Store and Google Play since its launch a month ago, blogged Apptopia Thursday. Channels on the service -- which costs $5 per month for ad-supported, $7 for ad-free -- include HGTV, Food Network, TLC, ID, Animal Planet and Discovery Channel. The streaming video service also has a special deal for Verizon customers. Android TV has a stand-alone Discovery+ app in addition to the mobile version. NBCUniversal’s Peacock TV, launched in July, had 3.7 million downloads in its first month live, and HBO Max, hitting the market late May, had about 3.1 million, said the data analytics firm. During Discovery+’s first month live, HBO Max gained 3.4 million users; Disney+ 3.6 million; Peacock TV 1.9 million, it said. Discovery+’s U.S. app averaged just under 1 million active daily users in the first month for a stickiness score of 62%, defined as daily active users divided by monthly active users. Reviews of the streaming service have been positive at 66.2% vs. 60.1% positive for Disney+, 41.2% for Peacock and 35.8% for HBO Max. Positive reviews are “overwhelmingly focused on how good the content/selection of shows is,” said Madeline Lenahan, Apptopia communications and content manager. “Bugs and design issues can always be fixed. But if your core content isn’t appealing, you’re in trouble,” she said. Discovery+ is “clear about the type of content it offers, making it a potentially stickier choice” than a subscription VOD service “with a comparably more broad content offering,” she said.