Comcast’s Flex set-top box users now have access to Discovery Plus, both companies announced in a joint statement on Thursday.
The rollout to Flex boxes expands the number of devices with access to Discovery’s streaming service, which offers more than 55,000 current and past episodes of reality-based and general information shows broadcast across Discovery’s portfolio of cable channels.
“We are thrilled to expand our relationship with our valued partner Comcast to provide their customers with direct and easy access to Discovery Plus and other applications across their industry-leading entertainment platforms,” Gabriel Sauerhoff, a senior executive in charge of digital distribution and commercial partnerships at Discovery, said in a statement.
Discovery and Comcast said the Discovery Plus app will soon be offered to Comcast’s video customers with X1-powered set-top boxes in the future, though no timetable was provided for when the app would roll out to those subscribers.
As part of the agreement, Discovery will also distribute its Food Network Kitchen and MotorTrend video streaming apps on Flex devices starting this week and X1-powered set-top boxes in the future.
Discovery says Comcas customers with Flex boxes will be able to use their voice-powered remotes to launch the app by simply saying “Discovery Plus.” The same will be true for X1 platform users when the app rolls out to those set-top boxes.
Discovery Plus costs $5 a month with advertisements and $7 a month without commercial interruptions. In addition to Discovery Networks content, the service offers access to a handful of shows produced or distributed by A+E Networks (A&E, History Channel) and BBC Worldwide.
Along with Discovery Plus, Comcast’s Flex and X1 set-top boxes allows users to stream content from Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Peacock, HBO Max, Disney Plus, YouTube, Paramount Plus and other top-tier video apps.
Flex is only available to Comcast customers who subscribe to Xfinity Internet service without a traditional pay television subscription through the company. One Flex box is included as part of a customer’s service.
Comcast’s X1-powered set-top boxes are typically offered to the cable company’s XFinity video subscribers, with most pay TV packages including at least one X1 box.