Discovery planning move to the Netherlands

Discovery Inc. is applying for broadcast licenses in the Netherlands to keep its pay-TV channels such as Animal Planet from going dark in the European Union in the event of a no-deal Brexit.
Discovery is also establishing a European operational headquarters in the Netherlands, the company said in an emailed statement on Friday. The U.S. broadcaster is among global media companies that use Britain as a regional hub and without an extension of the status quo, won’t be able to use U.K. licenses to beam content into the EU.

The current licences held by Discovery issued by UK regulator Ofcom will no longer be valid for services broadcast outside of the UK after 30th March 2019 in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

The Dutch licences will enable Discovery to transmit versions of channels such as Animal Planet, Eurosport and Food Network across other EU and EEA countries, including the Republic of Ireland. Discovery currently broadcasts channels to the UK, Ireland, The Netherlands, Belgium and beyond under licences from Ofcom.