Pay television platform DirecTV is adding seven new channels to its satellite and streaming products on Tuesday after inking new licensing agreements with Cineverse and the E. W. Scripps Company.
The deal also makes more than 4,000 hours of on-demand content from Cineverse available to customers through the DirecTV app and on DirecTV Internet-connected set-top boxes.
Starting Tuesday, DirecTV subscribers will have access to the following free, ad-supported streaming channels from Cineverse:
- The Bob Ross Channel
- Comedy Dynamics
- Dog Whisperer with Cesar Milan
- Dove Channel
- MeatEater TV
DirecTV and Cineverse are working together to “identify other popular networks” that may be added to DirecTV’s platform in the coming months, the companies said in a statement provided to The Desk. Those other channels could include Garfield and Friends, Barney and Friends and ScreamBox TV.
“We are creating a second-to-none lineup of streaming channels that will allow our customers to choose from a wider variety of genres or explore their most avid interests in greater depth,” Rebecca Nelson, the Senior Vice President of Content and Programming at DirecTV, said in a statement. “This new relationship with Cineverse allows us to draw from one of the industry’s most dynamic portfolios to strategically add more channels as our customers begin to discover and embrace these new options.”
“With DirecTV, our channels continue to expand their reach across platforms, increasing our ability to connect with existing fandoms and new audiences for our premium content across every popular genre,” Marc Rashba, the Executive Vice President of Partnerships at Cineverse, said on Tuesday.
Additionally, DirecTV is adding two channels from Scripps Networks — Court TV and Scripps News — that offer viewers more fact-based programming. Court TV offers rolling coverage of courtroom trials and related programming, while Scripps News covers breaking news and the day’s headlines from across the country and around the world.
The channels are available to DirecTV customers who subscribe to the Entertainment package or higher, and will roll out to subscribers throughout the day on Tuesday.
The Cineverse and Scripps Networks channels are available to DirecTV via Internet and DirecTV Stream subscribers within the DirecTV app, and through DirecTV via Satellite’s electronic program guide via Internet-connected set-top boxes.
