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BritBox becomes Australian home to Death in Paradise, Call The Midwife, Silent Witness premieres.

Premiere UK episodes are moving to streaming platform after BBC First exits Foxtel / Binge platforms.

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No surprises here, BritBox has now confirmed it will become the home of premiere episodes of Death in Paradise, Call The Midwife and Silent Witness.

BritBox will also premiere The Jetty – a new crime thriller starring Jenna Coleman written and created by Cat Jones. The four-part mystery examines sexual morality, age of consent, grooming, identity and memory.

The ramping up of BritBox follows the 50% sale by ITV Studios in the UK to BBC, which has signalled the exit of BBC First from Foxtel and Binge on July 31st, and some changes to Fetch TV. Shows such as Death in Paradise, Call The Midwife and Silent Witness currently have a later playout via ABC, at least 12 months after their streaming debut, but no change has been signalled.

On BritBox, Don Gilet (Sherwood, EastEnders, Shetland) also becomes the new lead detective in Death in Paradise. Making his debut in a feature-length Christmas special, before a new series is released in early 2025.

Head of Content and Editorial, BritBox and Branded Services ANZ, Sarah Kenny is also expanding her role to add programming and acquisition responsibilities for BBC Studios’ local channels to her existing BritBox responsibilities. She will have dual reporting into Moira Hogan and Fiona Lang, General Manager, BBC Studios Australia and New Zealand.

Sarah Kenny said: “These shows have a huge resonance with Australian audiences and, together with other exciting new and exclusive titles like The Jetty, will drive further growth for BritBox. We are also acquiring more of the most recent seasons of these titles as we build up our collections. I’m so pleased that BritBox will now be the premiere home of these iconic British dramas.”

Fiona Lang said: “I’m delighted that Sarah will be combining editorial responsibilities for our channel portfolio with her existing BritBox role, allowing BBC Studios to take a holistic approach to content across these services. Death in Paradise, Call The Midwife and Silent Witness regularly topped the ratings for BBC First during their time on the channel and their move to BritBox, together with the premiere of The Jetty, is an important step in the evolution of our business as we pursue a truly integrated content strategy following BBC Studios acquisition of 100% of BritBox International earlier this year.”

Moira Hogan, EVP BritBox International and General Manager Australia, said: “As a specialty streaming service aiming to super-serve fans of quality British TV, we are thrilled to add this trio of much-loved BBC shows to our stable of premiere new releases.”

12 Responses

  1. Good news for Death in Paradise and Silent Witness. Hopefully the two spin off series of Death in Paradise will find their way on to BritBox too.

    1. It is well known that Disney has all international rights for Doctor Who, it would not have been expected on Britbox but obviously on Disney+

  3. I recently was going through some rewatches of British Comedies I adore on DVD and decided to check out Brit Boxes offerings for shows I don’t have. I am an overlooked demographic for them by the looks of the programming they offer.
    Maybe once the BBC Earth stuff gets folded in, if it does, I’ll be more interested. Currently the few shows I would watch, like Peep Show, are on other platforms.
    Not a streamer targeting men not quite middle age but not young. Which is always my complaint with most TV offerings.

  4. And 2 months or so past, BBC Studios raised the monthly price to $9.99/m or $99.99/y. Still cheaper than a lot of others.

    If BritBox now gets most, if not all, BBC & ITV shows and those shows are available here within a few hours, if not minutes, of their UK premier then I’ll consider paying (Binge used to stream DiP, CtM & SW, et. el. shortly after the UK premier finished).

    A quick glance, I see that BritBox AU doesn’t even have S3 of Sister Boniface Mysteries which is a BritBox TV Show which premiered back in May!!!! Even seasons 22 through to 27 of Silent Witness itself is not available on Britbox AU.

    So not off to a good start.

    1. To update my post with regards to missing seasons … given that the current rights don’t expire until the 31st July, I might have been a bit harsh. So it will be interesting to see what happens in the 1st few days of August regarding Silent Witness, Call the Midwife, et. el.

    2. In NZ (which doesn’t have BBC First), Casualty screens on BBC UKTV. Doesn’t necessarily mean the same will happen here, but it is likely.

  6. Given it’s now 100% owned by the BBC, It would be a good idea to put the heft of the brand behind this streamer and call it “BBC Britbox’ or even ‘BBC Australia;

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