Netflix signs big streaming deal with Discovery

By Jeffrey Van Camp September 21, 2011

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Netflix has had better quarters. The instant streaming service has lost a million users in the last few months, is facing criticism for its decision to spin off its DVD-by-mail service as a new company called Qwikster, and will soon lose Starz content, which makes up as much as 8 percent of its content. Well, subscribers fear not. Netflix has renewed and signed an expanded deal with Discovery, which owns the Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, the Science Channel, Discovery Health, FitTV, HowStuffWorks.com, the Military Channel, the Travel Channel, and others. The streaming service will soon get old episodes of shows like Man vs. Wild, Say Yes to the Dress, and River Monsters, among others.

“Discovery Communications has always been platform agnostic and committed to satisfying curiosity on all consumer distribution platforms supported by a strong economic model,” said Rebecca Glashow, senior vice president, Digital Distribution, Discovery Communications. “We are pleased to renew this agreement with Netflix, which provides us with programming flexibility and lets loyal and potential fans catch up and discover content. It is a terrific complement to our multi-channel video services and creates additional ways to earn value for our 25-year programming library.”

We have to say, there is a lot of great Discovery Channel content Netflix could mine in this deal. The Discovery Channel is currently the most widely subscribed cable channel in the United States and its network of channels is vast. And, of course, this could mean we get to watch Shark Week every week. We’re also pleased to see Netflix acknowledge that the service is targeting television shows as much, if not more than movies.

Topics

Jeffrey Van Camp

Former Digital Trends Contributor

As DT's Deputy Editor, Jeff helps oversee editorial operations at Digital Trends. Previously, he ran the site's…

Audio / Video

This 85-inch Samsung 8K TV has an incredible $3,000 price cut this week

The Samsung QN900C Neo QLED 8K TV in a living room.

One of the best upgrades you can make to a home theater system is grabbing yourself a large and high-end TV, and for that, you may want to consider this massive 85-inch Samsung QN900C. Not only is it one of the best TVs on the market, but it even runs at an 8K resolution, so even if you have it up close, you won't notice the pixel density. Of course, it is an expensive piece of kit, and it usually goes for an eye-watering $8,000, although you can get it from Samsung directly for $5,000, which is a whopping $3,000 discount and probably one of your few chances to grab such a high-end TV for a lower price.

Why you should buy the 85-inch Samsung Neo QLED 8K QN900C
Like some of the other best QLED TVs, the Samsung QN900C is packed with a lot of excellent features, starting with the Neural Quantum Processor 8K, which can upscale your content up to 8K resolution. That's absolutely needed given that there essentially isn't any 8K content available on the market right now, so having an upscaler like this means it's compatible with your current and even older content, although the results will vary depending on the source material. It also comes with Neo Quantum HDR 8K, which is just Samsung's own high-end proprietary HDR, but at least it also supports HDR10+, so you can access pretty much all HDR content.

Audio / Video

Our favorite headphones, Sony WH-1000XM5, are $70 off today

Woman wearing Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones.

With how loud and crowded the world has gotten, having a solid pair of headphones to keep all the noise out can be really helpful. When it comes to active noise cancellation (ANC), our pick for the best headphones on the market is the Sony WH-1000XM5, which easily competes with the likes of the AirPods Max. That said, the XM5s can get really expensive, which is why we're happy to see this deal on Amazon that brings the price down to $329 from its original $400 price, saving you a solid $71, which may not seem like much, but it's a great amount for one of the best headphones you can grab.

Why you should buy the Sony WH-1000XM5
There is a lot to love about the Sony WH-1000XM5, and the excellent audio fidelity is one of them. Ironically enough, it has smaller drivers than the previous generation, and yet it still manages to upgrade the audio quality with a balanced overall sound and a surprisingly great bass response that makes it thumpy but doesn't muddy the sound. Realistically, you can pretty much listen to any genre of music you want on the XM5s, although it does slightly favor those who prefer a more neutral sound rather than something a bit more bass-heavy.

Audio / Video

Staring deep into the anti-glare abyss of the Samsung S95D

Samsung S95D Anti-Glare

From the moment the Samsung S95D OLED made its first appearance at CES 2024, I’ve called its anti-glare, anti-reflection technology a game-changer for OLED TVs. But the moment those words left my mouth, concern that this technology might somehow degrade the picture quality started up.

Since then, I’ve seen the S95D in a couple of other settings, but I’ve always said I would reserve my final opinion until I properly review the TV. And I'm prepared to be proven wrong.