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BBC, ITV to launch Britbox in the UK.

Public & Commercial broadcasters to bring their US / Canadian streaming service to home turf.

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Joint ITV / BBC streaming platform Britbox, which has been available in the US and Canada, is to have a UK launch in the fourth quarter of this year.

The streaming platform, 90% owned by ITV and 10% by BBC, is planning to take on Netflix with its home-grown British content.

In HD, ad-free, and priced at £5.99 per month ($A10.60) it will host British boxsets and commissioning new exclusive titles.

Carolyn McCall, CEO of ITV, commented on the news: “The agreement to launch BritBox is a milestone moment. Subscription video on demand is increasingly popular with consumers who love being able to watch what they want when they want to watch it. They are also happy to pay for this ease of access to quality content and so BritBox is tapping into this, and a new revenue stream for UK public service broadcasters.

“ITV and BBC have made, and continue to make, the programmes that both reflect and shape British culture and creativity. We now look forward to working together to launch the largest collection of British boxsets ever – bringing the very best in past, present and future British programming and award-winning content to viewers all in one place.”

BBC Director General, Tony Hall, said: “We have a world beating TV industry with outstanding content. The BBC and ITV are at the centre of that. Together, we have been responsible for delivering the majority of “must see” moments on British TV over the last decade. That “must see” content will now be on BritBox.

“But this service isn’t just about the past. I am really excited about the new shows it will commission. With a remit to be daring and different, many future classics will be commissioned and live on BritBox for the future. These are exciting times for people who love quality TV. Importantly, these shows will be truly British, showcasing our culture and telling distinctive stories. It’s what makes real British TV so special.”

There are no plans for Britbox in Australia with various rights already tied up elsewhere.

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  2. Yes, Britbox has been stirring up a fair bit of commentary in the UK about whether the fee is worth it as it only streams in HD with senior partner ITV supplying most of the content including the more recent releases due to ITV’s 30 day show availability on their catch up hub, in comparison the BBC iPlayer retains its recent BBC content for 12 months. ITV is likely to produce most of the advertised original content too.

    1. BBC is still petitioning for a 12 month screening but it has not been approved as yet. and even though BBC has 10%, there has been no cash outlay. I love British TV, but I too, as I read of many others, have doubts how this is going to work in a domestic situation. No one in Britain wants to pay money to stream shows they have already watched, and paid for with a tv licence, $275AUD Annually. Plus there is going to be some serious cash outlay on to get rights back to screened shows that were not made in house. I think this is going to be a loss maker

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