Few channels are as mindlessly addicting as Discovery. From its highly informative edutainment programming to its heart-pounding reality shows, the Discovery Channel has been entertaining audiences for over 45 years now. Even after merging with Warner Brothers in 2022, Discovery continues to offer shows revolving around popular science and technology (and the occasional attention-grabbing gimmick). Here’s where DISH Network subscribers can find the Discovery Channel on their TV guide.
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Pick your choice of ESPN+, Hulu, and Disney Plus. Plans start as low as $4.99/month for ESPN+ only.
Free trial available. Watch 75+ channels, including local channels and special premium channel offers.
Take a 7-day free trial and stream more than 70 channels live. Record your favorites with unlimited DVR.
Discovery Channel Guide
| Channel Name | DISH Network Channel Number |
|---|---|
| Discovery Channel | Channel 182 |
| Discovery Family | Channel 179 |
| Investigation Discovery | Channel 192 |
History of the Discovery Channel
©Jimmy Tudeschi/Shutterstock.com
Long before Discovery and Warner Bros. merged to form a supersized media conglomerate, there was simply the Discovery Channel. Launched by John Hendricks in 1985, the station was envisioned as a home for educational and informative television programming. At the time, there was really nothing else like it on TV. From history to technology to nature and beyond, the Discovery Channel opened up audiences’ eyes to new information through some truly remarkable programming. Its first official Shark Week, debuting in 1988, helped elevate the channel to new heights.
With the success of the first Shark Week in the late ’80s, Discovery was able to grow and evolve like never before. As the ’80s gave way to the ’90s (and again to the 2000s), Discovery slowly shifted its programming away from the solely educational to include some more entertaining documentary series in the mix. This new direction was more along the lines of Shark Week: fun, gimmicky programming that could also teach audiences a thing or two they didn’t already know. It was still reality television, to be clear, but it was reality TV with a twist.
By the 2000s, Discovery had never been further away from its original focus on science and history. (One could argue that shows like American Chopper and Deadliest Catch have loose connections to science and technology, but “loose” is the real keyword.) The story is pretty much the same today. From Naked and Afraid to Alaskan Bush People, Ghost Adventures to Street Outlaws, Discovery is closer in spirit to pseudo-science than true science. Nevertheless, it remains a very popular channel among DISH Network subscribers.
Discovery Channel Sister Stations
| American Heroes Channel |
| Animal Planet |
| Boomerang |
| Cartoon Network |
| Cinemax |
| CNN |
| Cooking Channel |
| Destination America |
| Food Network |
| HBO |
| HGTV |
| HLN |
| Investigation Discovery |
| Magnolia Network |
| Motor Trend |
| NBA TV |
| Oprah Winfrey Network |
| Outlaw |
| Science Channel |
| TBS |
| TCM |
| The365 |
| The CW |
| TLC |
| TNT |
| Travel Channel |
| TruTV |
| WBTV |
Discovery Channel Programming
Naked and Afraid
is one of Discovery’s most popular shows.©History-Computer.com
The Discovery Channel offers just one type of programming: reality television. From its very earliest beginnings in the mid-1980s, Discovery has kept the focus on informational or educational reality and unscripted programming. This remains its focus today, even if the shows are a lot less educational than they once were. Some of the only science-minded programs remaining on Discovery Channel are BattleBots and How It’s Made. Everything else is either pseudo-scientific at best or pure entertainment at worst.
Some other popular Discovery Channel programs include the Deadliest Catch franchise, the Naked and Afraid franchise, the Gold Rush franchise, and the Street Outlaws franchise. Each of these franchises has a variety of different spinoffs and offshoots to their names. Dirty Jobs is another long-running Discovery Channel classic. So is Moonshiners. We’d be remiss not to mention the annual Shark Week, as well. This seven-day programming block features a variety of new and existing shark specials.
