Did Discovery Plus Outperform HBO Max and Peacock in Its First Month?

discovery+, which bills itself as, “the only streaming service with the greatest real-life entertainment from your favorite TV brands— including HGTV, Food Network, TLC, ID, Animal Planet, Discovery Channel,” gained 3.3 million downloads in its first month since launching on January 4th, ahead of HBO Max at 3.1 million, according to numbers published by Apptopia, an app analytics company.

Discovery+’s 3.3 million downloads puts it behind Peacock’s 3.7 million first-month downloads but Apptopia members say that it’s the second month that will truly determine Discovery+’s success. “If Discovery+ can maintain its growth, it may be able to keep up with the likes of HBO. If not, it may join Peacock in the lower ranks,” wrote Madeline Lenahan, communications and content manager for Apptopia, in a blog post.

Discovery+’s success can be attributed to Discovery’s aggressive marketing for the service and that the brands’ most popular franchises, such as 90 Day Fiance, My 600 Pound Life, Ghost Adventures, and more, have exclusive content only available on the new service. The much-anticipated streaming service launched with 55,000 episodes of TV across 2,500 series with content from HGTV, Food Network, TLC, Investigation Discovery, Travel Channel, OWN, Animal Planet, Discovery, and Magnolia Network. The service also includes content from BBC, A&E, History, Lifetime, The Dodo, and Popsugar.

While you can’t watch the broadcast stations live through Discovery+, you’ll soon be able to watch 24/7 feeds of your favorite shows like Fixer Upper, 90 Day Fiancé, and more, thanks to Discovery+ Channels. This system is similar to Pluto TV or Peacock’s way of presenting their channels.

Discovery+ has two tiers—a $4.99 ad-supported tier, as well as a $6.99 ad-free tier. Verizon customers will receive 12 months of Discovery+ for free by registering through their Verizon account. New and existing wireless customers with a Play More or Get More Unlimited plan will get 12 months of discovery+; customers with Start or Do More Unlimited plans will receive 6 months of streaming on Verizon.

The company is currently offering 30% OFF for those who purchase a pre-paid gift card to either six or 12 months of service.