SVOD service Britbox has announced plans to launch in South Africa in the second half of the year.
It will be the fifth territory in which the ITV-BBC joint venture has been made available, following the US & Canada, the UK and, most recently, Australia.
The move is part of a global rollout plan that will take Britbox and its library of British TV shows, box sets, drama premieres and live events, as well as original commissions into 25 countries.
Martin Goswami, Group Strategic Partnership and Distribution Director at ITV, said: “The launch of BritBox in South Africa is yet another step in the platform’s trajectory towards international expansion. We’re delighted to bring the service to a brand new territory and continue towards establishing BritBox as a premium VOD brand across the world.”
Although UK content has been popular in South Africa, premium channel BBC First left the Multichoice package last September, while its ITV counterpart ITV Choice departed a year earlier.
“We know that South African audiences have a real connection to British television and we can’t wait to bring them even more great shows, on demand, that we know they will love,” Paul Dempsey, President, Global Distribution, BBC Studios, said.
BritBox first launched in North America in March 2017, and announced it had surpassed 1.5 million subscribers in October 2020. In the UK, BritBox launched in November 2019, followed by Australia in November 2020.
Operating as a 50/50 venture between BBC Studios and ITV, the South Africa service will utilise the teams and the technology behind the successful launches of BritBox in its existing territories.
Source: https://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2021/02/17/britbox-south-africa-to-launch-in-2021/