Discovery+ announced today that it has reached 18 million paying subscribers. The streaming service launched in January and reached 17 million subscribers by the end of Q2, then hit 18 million subscribers before Discovery reported its numbers on August 3.
“We continued to steadily execute in our emerging next generation businesses,” CEO David Zaslav said in a statement.
Discovery+ also reported increased ad revenue for the quarter, with a 12% increase in the U.S. and an 88% increase internationally. The company said the increase in the U.S. was “primarily due to higher pricing, the continued monetization of content offerings on our next-generation platforms, and higher inventory, partially offset by lower ratings and, to a lesser extent, secular declines in the pay-TV ecosystem.”
While reporting ViacomCBS’ Q2 numbers, Zaslav noted that the Olympics have been a success for the company, reporting that over 100 million viewers had watched the events through Discovery’s coverage on TV and digital through Discovery’s agreements with partners in Europe.
“The opening week of the Olympic Games saw record numbers visit Discovery’s digital platforms in Europe to enjoy every unmissable moment of Tokyo 2020. The desire of viewers to personalize their experience, by choosing to watch any of their national heroes or favorite sports, has seen new digital subscriptions in the first week of the Games reach double the total acquired around Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018.”