Aiming to stem the flow of viewers towards Netflix and other SVOD packages, the BBC and ITV have confirmed plans for the launch of the BritBox streaming service in the UK.
The brand name has already been used for a similar service in the US which was launched in March 2017 by BBC Studios and ITV with investment from AMC Networks, bringing British television such as popular boxsets to American audiences and in January 2019 announced that it had surpassed half a million subscribers.
The US success is being taken by the BBC and ITV as proof that they have the knowhow to launch and manage a streaming service and research with the British public shows that there is a real appetite for a new British streaming service - in addition to their current subscriptions.
The broadcasters claim that BritBox in the UK is will provide an unrivalled collection of British boxsets and original series, on demand. This would include what they say would be biggest collection of British content available on any streaming service and brand new commissions for British production companies specifically created for BritBox.
“I am delighted that the BBC and ITV are working together on something truly special – BritBox, remarked BBC Director General, Tony Hall. “A new streaming service delivering the best home grown content to the public who love it best. The service will have everything from old favourites to recent shows and brand new commissions. It’s an exciting time for the viewing public.”
The rationale for the leading British broadcasters to pool resources on streaming is clear. More than 12 million households in the UK have at least one SVOD service and data from measurement firm BARB data shows that more households are taking multiple subscriptions. The annual growth in homes with any SVOD service is 20%, the growth in homes with multiple services is 32% with 4 million homes now having more than one subscription.
In addition, ITV research found that in addition to their current subscriptions, with 43% of all online homes are interested in subscribing to a new SVOD service which features British content. This increases to over 50% for UK Netflix homes.
The BBC and ITV say that they are in the concluding phase of talks to establish a strategic partnership to launch BritBox bring and are now working on a formal legal agreement. “I am really pleased that ITV and the BBC are at the concluding stage of discussions to launch a new streaming service,” said Carolyn McCall, CEO of ITV, commenting on the news. “BritBox will be the home for the best of British creativity - celebrating the best of the past, the best of today and investing in new British originated content in the future.”
The broadcasters expect other partners will be added to the project and both will speak to regulators and the wider industry about their proposals. The aim is to launch BritBox in the second half of 2019 and industry analysts expect the service to be priced around £6 per month.