Timeline of Discovery in the UK

This is a timeline of Discovery, a network of television channels owned by Discovery Inc. that broadcast in the UK.

1980s and 1990s

• 1989
  • 1 April – Discovery Channel Europe launches. UK viewers could only receive the channel from Intelsat satellites at 27.5° West and via cable systems.

• 1992
  • 9 March – The Learning Channel launches as a daytime service, timesharing with the Discovery Channel. As with Discovery, it is only available in the UK via Intelsat and on cable.^[1]

• 1993
  • 22 July – Discovery, but not The Learning Channel, starts broadcasting on the Astra satellite.
  • 1 September – Discovery becomes a pay channel when it joins the newly formed Sky Multichannels package. It broadcasts on the platform for eight hours each day, timesharing transponder space with CMT Europe.

• 1994
  • September – The Learning Channel is renamed to TLC.
  • 3 October – TLC launches on Astra and timeshares with Discovery, broadcasting daily from 9am until 4pm.

• 1996
  • 2 November – Discovery extends its broadcast hours by two hours and is now on air between 4pm and 2am.

• 1997
  • 3 April – TLC is relaunched as Discovery Home & Leisure.^[2]

• 1998
  • 1 September – Animal Planet launches on Astra satellite and analogue cable.^[3]
  • 1 October – The launch of Sky Digital sees the launch of new channels from Discovery – Discovery Civilisation, Discovery Sci-Trek, Discovery Travel & Adventure and Discovery Channel +1. Discovery Channel and Discovery Home & Leisure expand their broadcast hours to coincide with the launch, now being on air for 18 hours a day.^[3]

2000s

• 2000
  • 1 February – Discovery Wings and Discovery Kids launch. They are created for the OnDigital platform.^[4] Discovery Kids broadcasts during the day with Wings taking over for the evening and are initially exclusive to OnDigital.
  • 1 July – Discovery Health launches.

• 2001
  • May – Animal Planet +1 and Discovery Home & Leisure +1 launch.
  • 18 November – Discovery Wings and Discovery Kids are replaced on ITV Digital by the Discovery Channel.^[5] Kids and Wings continue as full time channels on other platforms.
  • The closure of Sky's analogue service sees Discovery ending its part-time analogue transmissions.

• 2003
  • April – Discovery Science replaces Discovery Sci-Trek.

• 2005
  • February – Discovery Travel & Living replaces Discovery Travel & Adventure.
  • 7 May –
    • Discovery Home & Health and Discovery Real Time replace Discovery Health and Discovery Home & Leisure respectively, the former expanding into a female-orientated lifestyle channel.
    • Discovery Home & Health +1 launches.
  • 22 August – Discovery Real Time Extra launches.

• 2006
  • 22 May – Discovery HD launches.

• 2007
  • 1 March – Discovery Turbo replaces Discovery Wings and Discovery Kids.^[6]
  • 25 June – Discovery Channel +1.5 launches.
  • November – Discovery Knowledge replaces Discovery Civilisation and the schedule expands to also cover programming on engineering, crime and technology.

• 2008
  • 8 January – DMAX and DMAX +1 launches.^[7]
  • 21 April –
    • DMAX +2 launches.
    • Discovery Science +1 replaces Discovery Channel +1.5.
  • June – Discovery Knowledge +1 launches.
  • August – DMAX +1.5 launches.
  • November – Discovery Travel & Living +1 launches.

• 2009
  • January – Investigation Discovery launches, replacing Discovery Travel & Living +1.
  • 20 March – Discovery Shed replaces Discovery Real Time Extra.^[8]
  • 30 September – QUEST launches. It is the first non-Discovery branded channel to launch in the UK and is established as a free-to-air showcase of programming from across the Discovery channel portfolio.
  • November –
    • DMAX +1.5 closes.
    • QUEST +1 launch.

2010s

• 2010
  • 15 October – QUEST begins broadcasting a 24-hour schedule on all platforms except Freeview.
  • 7 November – Discovery History and Discovery History +1 replace Discovery Knowledge and Discovery Knowledge +1.^[9]

• 2011
  • 30 June – QUEST begins broadcasting a 24-hour schedule on Freeview after Gems TV, with whom QUEST had shared apace, acquired a 24-hour Freeview stream.

• 2013
  • 30 April – TLC, TLC +1 and Investigation Discovery +1 launch, replacing Discovery Real Time, Discovery Real Time +1 and Discovery Travel & Living.^[10]

• 2014
  • 6 March – Quest +1 launches on Freeview.
  • 21 July – Quest broadcasts sport for the first time when it shows live football in the form of the 2014 Schalke 04 Cup - a pre-season tournament.^[11]

• 2017
  • 15 March – Quest Red launches.

• 2018
  • March – Following Discovery, Inc.'s purchase of Scripps Networks Interactive, Discovery adds three lifestyle channels to its portfolio - Food Network, HGTV and Travel Channel. The acquisition also sees Discovery taking a 50% stake in UKTV.^[12]

• 2019
  • 16 January – DMAX becomes a free-to-air channel and launches on Freeview and Freesat.
  • 1 April – Discovery Inc. announces that it will acquire BBC Studios' stakes in Good Food, Home and Really, while BBC Studios will acquire Discovery's stakes in the seven remaining UKTV networks for £173 million.^[13]
  • 11 June – Discovery Inc. takes full control of the ex-UKTV channels, Good Food, Home and Really.
  • 12 September – Food Network merges Good Food.^[14]

2020s

• 2020
  • 21 January – HGTV replaces Home.^[15]
  • 27 August – Travel Channel closes.

• 2021
  • 6 January – Discovery Shed and Discovery Home & Health close.^[16]

• 2024
  • 1 July - All Discovery Channels is delisted from Sky SD and Freesat SD as they continues on Sky HD and Freesat HD.